By Fabienne Perlov
SAN DIEGO — We are deeply saddened and outraged by the horrific shooting in Washington, D.C., in which Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, a beautiful young couple dedicated to their work at the Israeli Embassy, were senselessly murdered outside an AJC event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
Our deepest sympathies go out to their families, the AJC team, and the entire community. This attack was not just against the Washington, D.C. Jewish community, but an assault on all Jews and all Americans. Terrorism, violence, and hatred will not stand.
This was not a spontaneous act. It was premeditated, ideologically motivated, and part of a disturbing trend of terrorism targeting Jewish institutions and individuals. Words have consequences. When antisemitic rhetoric is normalized, tolerated, or even amplified in our public discourse, it creates an environment where violence against Jews becomes more likely.
When we allow lies about the Jewish state run rampant, when we dismiss graffiti that says “globalize the intifada” as youthful free speech – it has consequences. Already, it has led to an unprecedented spike in antisemitic incidents across the country, including a 379% increase in San Diego County over the last five years. And now, we have this tragic murder of two innocent young people in the prime of their lives.
Our community is sad and angry because in so many ways this tragedy was inevitable. As ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt shared in this op-ed in Time, “this attack must serve as a wake-up call for our nation to deal once and for all with this rising tide of hate.”
Almost immediately after the attack, ADL’s Center on Extremism mobilized its response and compiled this briefing on the attack and its alleged perpetrator. We are working closely with local law enforcement and security partners and, though the community is outraged and shaken, there are no known active threats in our region.
We will not be deterred in our mission to fight antisemitism and hate, and we will continue our work on the ground sounding the alarm on rising antisemitism in San Diego and around the country.
As we head into this Memorial Day weekend, we will remember and celebrate the lives of Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim. We encourage you to lean into spending time with loved ones, friends, and community.
Together, we will overcome these dark times. Together, we fight hate for good.
*
Fabienne Perlov is the San Diego regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
It has long been apparent that in the current atmosphere that “pro-Palestinian” has become indistinguishable from antisemitism. Regardless of the mental state of the D.C. shooter or the denials of responsibility of anti-Israel groups, violence against Israelis and Jews was always the inevitable next step. Those who chant for Jewish genocide cannot disavow their role in legitimizing violence against Jews. The response from the U.S. government and decent people everywhere should be to isolate this movement and to take whatever measures are needed to ensure that such assassinations, coupled with the targeting of Jewish students on college campuses, come to an end.