May 23, 2025
The Central Conference of American Rabbis is horrified and heartbroken by the murders of two employees of the Israeli Embassy to the United States. Sarah Milgrim, ז״ל, and Yaron Lischinsky, ז״ל, died על קידוש השם (al kiddush ha-Shem), “for the sanctification of the Divine Name,” the traditional Jewish idiom for those who are murdered because they are Jews.
The murders of these two extraordinary young adults, on the verge of becoming engaged to be married, is an inestimable loss for their families, their friends and communities, for the State of Israel, and for the Jewish people. Lischinsky and Milgrim were murdered as they were leaving an American Jewish Committee event for young diplomats at Washington, DC’s Capital Jewish Museum, where, according to AJC, they “heard from members of the Multifaith Alliance and IsrAID on humanitarian diplomacy and how a coalition of organizations—from the region and for the region—are working together in response to humanitarian crises” in Israel and Palestine.
The murderer shouted, “Free Palestine” and told police, “I did it for Gaza,” making clear his intent to strike mortal fear in the hearts of the vast majority of American Jews regardless of their views on Zionism. This horrific crime is a harsh reminder that extremists on the left, as well as those on the right, perpetrate violent antisemitism.
We learn in Proverbs, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”[1] Our Talmudic sages explain: “Actually, a person’s tongue is more powerful than his sword. A sword can kill somebody who is nearby; a tongue can cause the death of one who is far away.”[2] This murder can be traced to anti-Israel activism that has too often veered into antisemitism and has incited violence by deploying slogans such as “Globalize the Intifada.”
Reform rabbis grieve with the families and friends of Milgrim and Lischinsky, including members of communities served by CCAR rabbis, and all those who strive with us for peace. המקום ינחם אותם ואותן (HaMakom yinachim otam v’otan), “May they be comforted among all who mourn among our Jewish people and all the world.”
Rabbi David A. Lyon, President
Rabbi Hara E. Person, Chief Executive
Central Conference of American Rabbis