Charles van Heck's Woodhull Journal

The irrational challenges our common humanity and goodwill daily. Fear overwhelms in the dark atmosphere of hate. We fall silent because words fail to express the depth of fear and grief that weighs on our hearts.

On an evening intended for an interfaith dialogue, a group of young professionals gathered under the theme of “Turning Pain Into Purpose.” The purpose of one individual was to inflict pain in a terrorist attack that took the lives of two staff members of the Israel embassy, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, in Washington, DC, yesterday evening, May 21st.

“I’m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole,” Yaron Lischinsky, a Christian wrote on LinkedIn. “To this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.”

Sarah Milgrim wrote on LinkedIn, “My passion lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work.” She noted that she had conducted research on behalf of a nonprofit, Tech2Peace, that trains Palestinians and Israelis to work together in the tech sector.

Milgrim grew up in the Kansas City suburbs, where her family has been affiliated with Reform synagogues.

These voices of reason need to be heard in these disturbing (too weak a word) times.

There are those who blame Netanyahu for yesterday evening’s murders. There is no justification for the deaths of  Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim any more than there is justification for the continued attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. I stand with those who protest the ongoing war in Gaza, the bombing of hospitals, and the starvation of the Palestinians. I condemn Hamas for its oppression of the civilian population and its attack on Israel on October 7th. I support the free speech rights of those who protest and criticize the policies of the government of Israel. However, they should neither imply nor directly state it is justified to harass or kill Jews in the belief that justice will be the outcome. Though we must protect legitimate protest, we must guard against calls for and acts of violence that can never be justified.

I am deeply troubled by the ultra-Zionist gentiles/Christians who lecture Jews about antisemitism while attacking the liberal culture upon which American society is constructed that has allowed Jews to thrive.  Jews are slurred by calling them Zionists. Our Jewish community struggles with antisemitism on college campuses. Our Jewish community leaders receive threats and intimidation from both the far-left and far-right protestors.  Our synagogues enhance security to protect worshippers and young people attending congregational religious schools (Hebrew and Shabbat Schools). Security is enhanced at our arts and culture institutions and Israeli diplomatic missions. Our business owners are harassed. Christian nationalists want the federal government to declare the United States a Christian nation with laws based on Christian values. Classic antisemitic tropes are the underpinnings of Project Esther, which attacks “the strong strain of antisemitism that is running rampant through the progressive left” as well as a “dangerous complacency and indifference across America’s Jewish community” (https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/report/project-esther-national-strategy-combat-antisemitism).

The sickening murder of two young people who were soon to be engaged is an expression of bigotry that is growing more powerful in both rhetoric and action. Two voices for peace and understanding have been silenced at a time when we need such voices. I fear their murders are a harbinger of things to come.

With others, I say, may the memory of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky be for a blessing. Let us turn our pain into purpose in their memory.