2 Israeli Embassy staff were killed. It's not about 'free Palestine.' | Opinion
It's terrifying that an attack on a young Jewish couple happened in our nation's capital. If Jews serving in Washington, D.C., where security should be robust, can be gunned down, where are they safe?
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were devoted, according to their colleagues, to promoting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. They also were in love − Yaron had reportedly purchased an engagement ring and planned to propose to Sarah next week in Jerusalem.
Now, they are the latest victims of antisemitic violence in America, gunned down on May 21 outside a Jewish museum in our nation's capital as they left an event for young diplomats.
Police say the suspect accused of killing the couple shouted, "Free, free Palestine" after he was taken into custody.
"It strongly appears that this was an attack motivated by hate against the Jewish people and the Jewish state," Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, said in a statement. "This senseless hate and violence must stop."
Yes, it must stop. But this kind of hate crime targeted against Jews in our country and around the world is sadly not unusual.
The attack on Lischinsky and Milgrim was not about a "free Palestine" or ending the war in Gaza. It was about targeting two young people because of their faith and heritage.
Antisemitic violence is all too common
Murder is, of course, always horrifying. But to see a young couple representing Israeli interests on American soil, on the cusp of spending their lives together, gunned down in the seat of our democracy is especially tragic.
Yet, it's not shocking. Not after Hamas' terrorist attack on innocent civilians in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Not after violent antisemitic protests at many of our nation's most elite universities. Not after a prominent political leader, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and his family were targeted by an arsonist in their home during Passover.
Now, a young couple is dead − and for no apparent reason other than the fact they were Jewish.
Where are Jewish people safe in America?
It is terrifying that such an attack happened in our nation's capital. If Jews serving in Washington, D.C., where security should be robust, can be shot and killed in public, where are they safe?
We must do better as a nation to ensure that people of all faiths, ethnicities, races and nationalities are safe. We must make clear that antisemitism has no acceptance in America.
And all of us − Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals, Jewish and non-Jewish − must clearly and forcefully speak out to condemn such hatred and violence.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with Paste BN. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.