Today, our hearts are shattered. We mourn the brutal and senseless murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky—a young couple whose lives were taken far too soon in an act of unthinkable hatred. After attending an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), they were attacked and murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Their tragic deaths are not just personal losses—they are a piercing alarm, ringing out a terrible truth: antisemitism is not a relic of the past. It is here, and it is deadly.
Sarah and Yaron were full of promise, light, and love. They were devoted to their faith, to their community, and most importantly, to each other. In the heart of our nation’s capital—a place that should symbolize freedom, inclusion, and safety—they were targeted and killed for being Jewish. There is no other way to interpret this: they were victims of antisemitic violence, of a hatred that continues to fester and spread, too often unchecked.
We must face this reality with courage. When words like “From the River to the Sea” and “Globalize the Intifada” are shouted on campuses, on streets, and in social media feeds, they do more than provoke—they incite. They are not harmless slogans. They are calls to violence, cloaked in the language of resistance but steeped in centuries of hate.
The murderer—reportedly yelling “Free Palestine” as he carried out his crime—did not act in a vacuum. He was emboldened by a culture that has tolerated the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric. We see it when Jewish students are harassed for wearing a Star of David. We see it when synagogues are vandalized. We see it when Jewish voices are silenced or dismissed in spaces that claim to advocate for justice and human rights. This hatred has become mainstream, and it is claiming lives.
We cannot afford to be silent. Silence is complicity. We must speak with clarity and urgency:
- This was a hate crime.
- This was an act of terrorism.
- This must not happen again.
It is not enough to light candles or issue statements of regret after tragedies like this. We must act. We must hold perpetrators accountable and challenge the ideologies that inspire them. We must demand more from our leaders, our educators, our influencers, and our institutions. They must condemn antisemitism unequivocally—not only when it is politically convenient, but always.
We must also stand in unity with the Jewish community. To our Jewish brothers and sisters: you are not alone. We see you. We grieve with you. And we will not allow your pain to be diminished, dismissed, or ignored.
To the families of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences. May you find strength in the love that surrounds you, and may their memories forever be a blessing. Their lives mattered. Their love mattered. And their loss must galvanize all of us to rise—together—against hate.
Let us honor Sarah and Yaron not just in words, but in action. Let us fight for a world where no one is targeted because of their identity, their faith, or their heritage. Let us commit to ending antisemitism, not someday, but now.
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