June 4, 2025 — Boca Raton, FL
The following column appeared in the Florida Jewish Journal.
On May 21, two young employees of the Israeli Embassy, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were murdered in cold blood in our nation’s capital. They had just attended the American Jewish Committee’s Young Diplomats Reception, an inspiring evening at the Capital Jewish Museum that focused on humanitarian diplomacy, surrounded by peers — Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike.
Sarah was an active member of AJC’s young leadership community. Both she and Yaron believed in dialogue and in building a better world.
Their blossoming relationship and promising lives were ahead of them. Yaron had just purchased an engagement ring and was planning to propose to Sarah the following week in Jerusalem. This should have been a time of joy and celebration. Instead, they were stolen from us and two families were left to bury a child. It is almost too painful to comprehend.
This is not only a devastating loss for their families, but also for the Jewish people, and for all who care about human decency and justice. And it provides a blueprint for what needs to happen next.
We must never let society normalize such antisemitic violence as inevitable or routine. Antisemitism — no matter where it comes from, or how it is disguised — must be condemned unequivocally. It must never be tolerated. It must never be justified. It must be confronted directly and combated relentlessly, wherever and however it appears.
Yet, instead of universal outrage, attempts to justify this atrocity have already begun — as if these cold-blooded murders can somehow be rationalized by events in Gaza thousands of miles away. When the world tolerates this kind of thinking, it sends a chilling message — that lives wiped out by antisemitic bloodshed are conditional and that Jewish lives are somehow less worthy of grief, of justice.
We must also speak truthfully about the climate that fuels this hatred. When college campuses and public spaces tolerate chants like “From the river to the sea” or “Globalize the intifada,” we should not be surprised when words turn to violence.
These are not slogans of liberation, they are calls for the elimination of the Jewish state and the demonization of our people. Words matter. And when hate speech is excused or explained away, Jewish lives are put in mortal danger.
But we are not a people who live in fear. We are a people of strength. A people of courage who have withstood every attempt to silence us. It is now our collective responsibility to redouble our efforts to counter antisemitism, through education, advocacy, solidarity, allyship, and yes, unwavering pride.
We will not be deterred. We will stand taller in our identity. We will recommit ourselves to our Jewish values, to our community, and to our connection with Israel. We will turn our pain into purpose.
But we cannot do it alone, and that’s why we must call on all people of conscience — our neighbors, civic leaders, faith communities, and institutions — to recognize that antisemitism is not a Jewish problem, it is a societal one. When antisemitism rises, it threatens the very foundation of our democracy. It corrodes civil society. It endangers us all.
Everyone has a role to play — not only in words, but through action, to confront antisemitism in every form, to push back against anti-Jewish hatred, demonization of Israel, conspiracy, and dehumanization. Partner with the Jewish community, not only in mourning, but in steadfast determination to build a world where antisemitism is intolerable.
This is how we honor the memory of Sarah and Yaron — not with silence, but with purpose. Not with despair, but with strength. Not with fear, but with pride and perseverance.
May their memories forever be for a blessing. And may we all do our part to carry forward the work of building a stronger, safer, less hate-filled, and more united future.
