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By Jonathan Goldstein
With heavy hearts, we join in mourning the devastating loss of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky—two extraordinary young people whose lives were stolen in an act of unspeakable violence on American soil at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC.
They were a couple about to be engaged; their lives were full of promise, purpose, and light. Their murders in the heart of our nation’s capital shake us deeply and should shake you. Their loss is a painful reminder of the evil still driven by hatred of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
It is also a painful reminder how Jews are not safe in America. Task forces do not solve this problem and it is especially shocking when Israeli friends tell me that they feel safer in Israel than they do in America (and we do not have the threat of Hamas and Iran against us).
This grief is especially personal as I met Sarah just last week at the Israeli embassy.
She was a remarkable woman—brilliant, kind, and she was passionate in her service to the Jewish state and her people. Sarah was helpful and kind, and our brief encounter left a lasting impact.
Just less than two weeks ago, over 300 pastors and rabbis stood together in Washington, D.C., to advocate for Israel. The mission was simple: we were there to remind our elected leaders that Israel’s fight is not just a Jewish issue, but a global one. Evangelical Pastors joined hands with Jewish Rabbis. This was a powerful show of unity and faith for a three-day solidarity conference.
I stood proudly at that conference among a delegation of Connecticut pastors and rabbis as we met with aides to Senator Chris Murphy and Congressman Jim Himes. It would have been more meaningful to actually engage with Connecticut’s elected officials as the impact would have been direct. One Rabbi reminded Jim Himes that an 8-year-old in Greenwich, Connecticut, was threatened by another student who drew a Swastika over a Jewish Star and told him that the Nazis would defeat him - this hatred is deep within the fabric of the Constitution State.
We carried a message of urgent support for Israel, a need for an Iran without nuclear capabilities, a reminder of the hostages still held in captivity and a call to recognize that this cause reaches far beyond borders or religions. We urged them to leverage their voices and take a stand if not for Israel, then for the Americans still held in captivity.
And now, barely two weeks later, we are mourning the senseless deaths of Sarah and Yaron—two bright lights extinguished near a Jewish museum in the same city where we had just come to speak truth to power and shine light on darkness.
The time to act is NOW - "never again" is now. Antisemitism is an American issue and it must be stopped throughout our nation and especially on our college campuses.
This is well beyond a tragedy—it is a summons and it is a CALL TO ACTION. Antisemitism is alive and thriving due to the cowardice of certain elected officials whether they be at the State or Federal Level. This is a reality of our present and it is taking lives, here on American soil.
It demands a response—not of silence, but of unified resolve.
To Sarah's and Yaron’s families, to their colleagues and to all those who knew and loved them, may their memories be a blessing—and a call to action for all of us. May their memories not be in vain.
Sickening