Let's be Honest

Friday May 23, 2025/25 Iyar 5785/Parashat Behar-Bechukotai

IN MEMORY OF SARAH MILGRIM, Z”L, AND YARON LISCHINSKY, Z”L

Hevre/Friends,

Devastated? Heartbroken? Terrified? Yes to all of the above. Surprised? Sadly, no. How can we be?

Beginning on October 8 - weeks before Israel had a single pair of boots on the ground in Gaza - and ever since, we’ve heard protestors crying out to “globalize the intifada”; to bring “resistance by any means” to our cities, neighborhoods, and communities. Efforts to defend the core American right to freedom of speech are distorted by some to only encourage such incendiary slogans. But as we’ve been warning, and as we now painfully know, they’re not just slogans.

And, as we also know, they’re not just about the war in Gaza. 

Many have linked the world’s increasingly harsh condemnation of Israel’s military actions - including condemnation from Israeli civilians and political leaders - to the escalation of aggression against Jews and Jewish institutions around the world in the name of support for Palestinians. After all, after murdering Sarah and Yaron in cold blood, the gunman in DC declared “I did it for Gaza”. But let’s not be naive. This heinous murder was not about the war. 

It’s not hard to understand how the intensifying denunciation of Israel can embolden anti-Israel activists. But Elias Rodriguez, the suspect in Wednesday night’s shooting, did not direct his rage at Israel. He did not target the Israeli embassy or its employees. He targeted a Jewish event at a Jewish venue and pointed his gun at whoever walked out the door, assuming it would be someone Jewish - which it could easily not have been. That Sarah and Yaron happened to be employees of the Israeli embassy seems entirely coincidental. His aim was not to kill Israelis or their diplomats; it was to kill Jews. Period. And, of course, Sarah’s and Yaron’s murders do nothing to advance the cause of Palestinians or Pro-Palestinian activists. Even some of their own platforms have denounced his actions, while others on social media lauded them. 

Is it possible to criticize the policies and actions of the State of Israel without veering into antisemitism? Of course. But the real hatred seething under Rodriguez’s kaffiyeh and reverberating in his shouts of “Free, free Palestine” echoing the raucous shouts at pro-Palestine demonstrations, is one we know only too well. It’s as old as we are. It’s called antisemitism. 

Jewish agencies and leaders are responding to Wednesday night’s violence by deploying even tighter security measures. Demand for Krav Maga classes which has grown considerably since Oct 7 will likely continue to expand as Jews feel less and less safe. Until the world awakens to the dangers of so much of today’s anti-Israel rhetoric and hears it for what it is, we must indeed take every precaution to protect ourselves and our communities.

But therein lies the other sobering reminder from this week's tragedy, a reminder powerfully articulated by Yair Rosenberg in his latest Atlantic essay: no amount of our own defensive measures will change the antisemitism- or the antisemites - in our midst. Antisemitism is not a Jewish problem; it’s a societal problem. It will not be solved by the Jewish community. It will be solved by the world - by political, business, and communal leaders, law enforcement officials, and those in all kinds of positions of influence - beyond the Jewish community who name it, denounce it, and punish it by holding perpetrators accountable. No explanations. No contextualization. No hesitation. Zero tolerance. Just like they do for other hatreds and bigotries. They must do their jobs. What we can and must do is hold our leaders accountable to their responsibilities. We have to demand that Jewish civil rights are also protected with changes deeper and more enduring than additional police officers and bollards around our buildings.

Elias Rodriguez allegedly pulled the trigger, but words can also kill. “Death and life are in the hands of the tongue”, warns the Book of Proverbs. Our leaders must know and vigilantly guard the boundary between free speech and incitement to harm; between legitimate criticism and blatant hatred - without manipulating this tragedy for undemocratic purposes.

May we soon hear the words “Justice” “Peace” “Safety” more loudly than we hear words of hate - here and in Israel. And may the promise in this week’s Torah portion be fulfilled:

וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙ בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד וְהִשְׁבַּתִּ֞י חַיָּ֤ה רָעָה֙ מִן־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְחֶ֖רֶב לֹא־תַעֲבֹ֥ר בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃

I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone; I will give the land respite from vicious beasts, and no sword shall cross your land.

With deepest nechamah and condolences to the Milgrim and Lischinsky families, with continued prayers for our ability to bring home all the hostages, protect the soldiers, heal the injured, comfort the bereaved, and build a lasting peace in Israel and around the world, and with blessings for a Shabbat Shalom,

Dini

Photo Courtesy of Ronen Avisror