News Digest | Office of the Governor of Virginia

FOX NEWS: Glenn Youngkin Blasts Virginia Arts Event Canceling Hanukkah Celebration: ‘Absurd and Antisemitic’

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin did not mince words at the news of an Old Dominion town’s art and music festival canceling a Hanukkah menorah lighting. On Sunday, LoveLight Placemaking, the nonprofit that runs Williamsburg, Virginia’s 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival, canceled a scheduled menorah lighting featuring a local rabbi, citing Israel’s war against the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.

RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH: Jewish Groups Say Williamsburg Hanukkah Celebration Canceled Over Gaza War

In a Monday post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Gov. Glenn Youngkin weighed in on the incident. “The event organizers should immediately reconsider their actions and move forward with the menorah lighting,” Youngkin said. “Singling out the Jewish community by canceling this Hanukkah celebration is absurd and antisemitic.”

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Reported Cancellation of Virginia Menorah Lighting Draws Rebuke From Governor

Virginia political leaders, including Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, on Monday condemned the reported cancellation of a menorah lighting at a community event in Williamsburg over apparent concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war. The criticism from Youngkin and members of the General Assembly from both parties came after the Virginia Gazette reported over the weekend that the ceremony, which had been scheduled for a monthly art and musical festival happening Dec. 10, had been canceled.

THE WASHINGTON POST: Festival’s Rejection of Menorah Lighting Leads to Accusations of Antisemitism

A rabbi’s proposal to hold a menorah lighting at an upcoming Virginia art and music festival — and its subsequent rejection — has led to accusations of bigotry, alleged threats against the event’s founder, and people on Facebook, national Jewish groups and even Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) weighing in on the controversy.

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