June 26, 2025 — Needham, Mass.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch was the keynote speaker at Temple Beth Shalom for “Turning Pain into Purpose,” a program intended to commemorate the recent murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. and a firebomb assault on pro-Israel marchers in Colorado.
In his June 24 address, Deutch argued that the attacks were fueled by dangerous rhetoric that has left Jews feeling vulnerable and afraid.
“Calls about ‘globalizing the intifada.’ ‘Resisting by any means necessary.’ ‘From the river to the sea.’ How can we be surprised where we are now?” Deutch said. “These attacks were not random acts of violence.”
“The man who murdered Sarah and Yaron shouted ‘Free Palestine,’ ‘I did it for Gaza,’ as he was taken into custody,” Deutch said. “The attacker in Boulder screamed ‘End Zionists’ as he threw flames at innocent people. When people adopt slogans about murder. When they take the side of terrorists and march in the streets calling for violence, this is the outcome.”
Remarking on the heavy security featured at the event, which has become the norm for Jewish institutions, Deutch noted “it’s not what our elected officials, what our fellow community members should regard as normal. But we do all of this because we are strong, because we are resilient, because we are proud Jews. And there is no antisemite who can stop us from being who we are.”
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll told the gathering that commonwealth leaders will stand with the Jewish community to ensure their efforts to combat hate will succeed.
“I want to be clear that antisemitism isn’t just a Jewish problem. It’s an all-of-us problem,” Driscoll said. “We all know that antisemitism has been on the rise around the globe and across the nation and unfortunately right here in Massachusetts. When many of our community members feel unsafe and unsupported, it’s on all of us to help build back that trust that’s been lost.”
AJC New England collaborated with 46 other organizations on this event, including its key partnering sponsors: The Connie Spear Birnbaum Foundation, Temple Beth Shalom, Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Greater Boston and Anti-Defamation League (ADL) New England.
AJC New England connects our community with American Jewish Committee’s global advocacy work to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel. Our access to diplomats, elected officials, and interfaith leaders at the local level advances AJC’s broader priorities: combating antisemitism, promoting Israel’s place in the world, and countering the spread of radicalism and extremism.
