Photo: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim (Courtesy via Times of Israel)

May 23, 2025

We feel it in our bones: as Jews, we are connected—deeply, powerfully, across time and place.

Whether you were born Jewish or—like our matriarch Ruth—chose to align your life and fate with the Jewish people, you are part of an extraordinary extended family. A people that transcends time, citizenship, ethnicity, race, and religious observance.

Our Jewish peoplehood gives us strength. It brings us joy. It holds us in moments of meaning and memory.

And yet today—as on October 7, 2023, and too many days since—that same connection is also the source of searing pain.

Wednesday night, we felt that grief again. Our community was shaken by another act of antisemitic terror.

Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky—may their names forever be for a blessing—were murdered simply for attending a Jewish event at the Capitol Jewish Museum. An event about humanitarian relief organized by AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people.

It’s hard to find words for this heartbreak. But we must also name the truth: Sarah and Yaron’s murder was not random. It is the lethal consequence of nearly 600 days of people chanting “globalize the intifada” and other eliminationist antisemitic rhetoric. It is also the result of far too many—including elected officials—remaining conspicuously silent.

Many have long warned that the threat from the anti-Zionist far-left is no less deadly than that from the far-right. Perhaps, now the doubters, including within our own community, will finally listen and act accordingly.

Yesterday, many friends and colleagues shared words of warning, grief, and strength:

Ted Deutch, AJC’s CEO, a former Democratic member of Congress, reminded us:
“Words have consequences. From online memes to chants in the streets, antisemitic rhetoric fuels violence. What many dismiss as ‘just slogans’ can create the conditions for deadly hate, and Jewish communities around the world are paying the price.”

Rabbi Jill Avrin, who will soon join our JCRC staff, wrote:
“Sarah and Yaron: I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you from hate. I’m sorry the hatred has spread this deeply in this country. We needed you and you will, like so many others we’ve lost in the last 594 days, be a loss we can never fill. The best we can do is ensure that we will honor your memory by committing to rebuilding the Israel of your dreams and an America that is safe for all people.”

Rabba Rori Picker Neiss, a valued colleague from JCPA, added:
“Part of our work is to proactively tell the Jewish story. And so, this morning you might use this moment to share this story with your partners and to emphasize to them that the Jewish community is feeling vulnerable and scared right now.”

We did not personally know Sarah and Yaron—two young and exceptionally gifted Israeli Embassy staffers—but within hours, several friends shared how they were connected.

One dear colleague, who was part of the team that organized the AJC event for young leaders, was with the soon-to-be-engaged couple just moments before they were murdered. Another friend, a pillar of our community, is connected to Sarah through her son. Yet another friend from Rehovot knew Yaron.

These connections don’t make us unique. They make us family. We know that many others within our extended Jewish community are also linked to last night’s horror—and to every act of antisemitic terror that has preceded it.

On June 8, JCRC will hold our annual event.

We look forward to a safe, meaningful celebration of our shared work, joined by members of our Jewish community and by non-Jewish allies whose messages of love and support have meant so much. Your calls, texts, and emails have wrapped us in hesed—lovingkindness—we will not forget.

At our event, we will also hear from keynote speaker Dr. Mijal Bitton, whose essay That Pain You’re Feeling Is Peoplehood and teachings on Jewish identity and antisemitism feel more urgent than ever.

In the spirit of Ruth’s words to Naomi, we say to our fellow Jews:

“Where you go, we will go. Where you lodge, we will lodge.”

We may not always be together in place, but we carry one another in our hearts. In joy and in terror, in hope and in heartbreak—your fate is our fate.

Am Yisrael Chai – the people of Israel live.