Friends,
I’m horrified and heartbroken.
This morning, we woke up to the devastating news that a gunman had shot and killed two young Israeli Embassy staff at the Capital Jewish Museum not far from the J Street office. Footage is circulating of the shooter shouting “free Palestine” as he was taken into custody.
This terrifying, anti-Israel attack has claimed the lives of a spectacular young couple – Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky – who should have been celebrating their engagement next week in Jerusalem.
The killing of young idealists who shared a commitment to the cause of diplomacy, peace and coexistence – and following an American Jewish Committee event with a focus on humanitarian aid – is especially shocking and painful.
I’m beyond devastated that these two public-spirited young people have had their lives and futures so brutally robbed. Our hearts go out to their families, friends and colleagues as they grapple with this senseless loss.
We recognize also that this was not just an attack on two individuals – it was an act of political terror and antisemitic violence that strikes fear into a deeply shaken community.
Today, there are staff at Jewish organizations and synagogues, parents at Jewish schools, colleagues in the diplomatic corps, and many who wear a yarmulke, Magen David or other visible signs of their faith who will be grappling with very real fears for their safety.
Let’s be crystal clear: There can be legitimate opposition to the government of Israel and deep anguish over the suffering of innocents in Gaza – indeed most in our community share these views – but nothing can justify the targeting of Jews, Israelis or Jewish institutions in the United States, nor can such acts possibly hope to further the pro-Palestinian cause.
We condemn this attack without equivocation, and call on all Jewish and pro-Palestinian groups to do the same. Fears of anti-Israel political violence on the left are real, and last night that threat became deadly. We urge all those in the pro-Palestine movement to take stock of this moment and recognize the danger of extreme rhetoric as it hits the ears of unhinged individuals.
We continue to be deeply disturbed by the rising antisemitism at the extremes of American politics – right and left – and around the world. I’m dismayed, though hardly surprised, to see some political agitators already seeking to exploit this tragedy for their own causes and narratives. We must refuse to accept this, and should ask that all commentators respect the victims, their families and the broader community in this difficult time.
At J Street, we’re convening community gatherings with our staff in DC and around the country. Our work will go on, including continued pressure on Congress and the Trump Administration to ensure the Nonprofit Security Grant Program is fully funded so synagogues, Jewish schools and other places that Jews gather in the United States are properly protected.
This is a terrible event growing out of terrible circumstances, and all of it makes the work we do to find a pathway out of perpetual violence, terror and bloodshed that much more relevant and important.
Rededicating ourselves to the cause of peace and conflict resolution is the only way to give meaning to the new wave of horror and loss we feel today, and have been grappling with for far too many years now.
Yours in grief,
Jeremy Ben-Ami
President, J Street
