A swastika is a particularly potent, hideous, and chilling tool of intimidation. When coupled with an intent to intimidate, it communicates a sinister threat of violence and causes deep harm. For these reasons, I am respectfully asking you to support a policy of equipping our communities and law enforcement with authority to prosecute such acts of intimidation. I am writing to you as a Virginian, a concerned member of the Jewish community here, and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. The swastika symbol has been irrevocably associated with the atrocities of the Holocaust, and represents a profound threat to the Jewish community. We know what a sinister use of a swastika means. A swastika painted on a synagogue or religious school, for instance, is not graffiti—it is a threat of looming violence. It is menacing. And it is designed to instill fear and terror. Particularly now, when, acts of hatred and violence against Jewish Americans have reached historic highs in the United States and globally, leaving so many of us feeling vulnerable and fearful, understanding this context is crucial. As is drawing a clear red line that such acts of intimidation are impermissible and will not be tolerated. Thank you for your kind consideration, Irina Manelis

Good Afternoon, my name is Rachel Loria. and I am the daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust Survivors, which makes me a second generation survivor. I am also the granddaughter of a native Virginian and a WWII recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross who liberated concentration camps. After surviving D Day and Battle of the Bulge, the experiences and the horrors he saw in the Concentration Camps left him unable to speak. I thank you for reading my testimony and experiences regarding the contents of this bill. I would be with you in person, but I am currently leading Holocaust education sessions at Swift Creek Mill after students watch a production of The Diary of Anne Frank. The first thing that struck me about this bill was how sad it is in 2025 that this type of bill is needed. When I was in high school. I walked into my social studies class one morning to find a swastika etched on the bottom of my assigned desk. This was such an isolating experience for me. I felt that in a community where I should be safe, my own school, I couldn't safely be a Jewish person. This is a feeling that a lot of Jewish people are feeling right now. With the rise of anti-semitic activity, many Jewish people are feeling unsafe and unprotected. This bill will help to create a little bit of safety. It will bring some consequence to those who believe that they can use the swastika, a symbol of hate, freely to hurt others. This week marked the 80th commemoration of the freeing of Auschwitz Concentration Camp. If that commemoration is to be more than an empty gesture and words, help to support this bill and create justice for one of our marginalized communities. The swastika is not only a threat and insult to Jewish people. The swastika spits on the sacrifices of our armed services. In Judaism and Christianity, there is a famous phrase in Deuteronomy 16:20: "Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof" meaning “justice justice shall you pursue.” Help to support this bill as an act towards justice and protection for the Jewish people.

I encourage your support of HB2783 - Placing swastika on certain property with intent to intimidate; penalty. The Nazi flag, adorned with the swastika, flew for over a decade in Germany and throughout Europe, one country after another. It represented the evil intent of the Nazis then and still does today. 6 million Jews were killed only because they were Jews, along with millions of others. The swastika, a symbol of people's inhumanity to one another, is personal. I write in memory of my grandfather murdered in the Ukraine after deportation from Vienna in 1939. I write in memory of my grandmother, enslaved in a Polish ghetto, interned in Auschwitz and then in Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, finally liberated only to perish from disease and starvation two weeks after liberation. I write in memory of my mother who, as a young girl, survived the unthinkable. But mostly I write as a grandmother on behalf of my grandchildren. They are the fourth generation since the SHOAH, the Holocaust, since the allies, led by the US, defeated this attempt to rid the world of all Jews. These children, all children, should NOT be seeing the swastika etched into their school property. They should NOT hear SIEG HEIL in their suburban Middle School in Central Virginia or anywhere else. But they are seeing and hear this. I hate to see where this might go if we don't intervene NOW. This is happening in real time and your support of this bill may be the start of the Commonwealth speaking out and stating enough is enough! As we saw in the 1930's we must act to be sure that we made an effort at NEVER AGAIN. Thank you for your consideration in support of HB2783.

This bipartisan legislation provides an additional tool for law enforcement to fight antisemitism and hate crimes. The Nazi swastika, the flag that represented the murderers of 6 million Jews and the Holocaust - is the quintessential symbol of Jew-hatred and white supremacy. At a time when Jews in our community are increasingly targeted, this bill incentivizes law enforcement to investigate threatening behavior and stop clear aggression by making it a Class 6 felony to place a swastika on property. In addition, this bill tells the Jewish community that Virginia will not tolerate the intimidation and aggression that has been increasingly aimed at us.