Rabbi Weill's Blog

Dear Friends,

We mourn with heavy hearts the deaths of two young ohavei Yisrael, lovers of Israel and lovers of the Jewish people. A terrorist murdered Sarah Milgrom and Yaron Lischinsky, Israeli Embassy staffers, as they departed from an American Jewish Committee event in Washington, D.C.

Murder will never change the world for the better.

Yaron recently purchased an engagement ring. He and Sarah were to be engaged during an upcoming trip to Israel. Sarah Milgrim graduated from University of Kansas in 2021 and then received a masters degree from American University. She worked in the Embassy’s department of
public diplomacy and organized visits and missions to Israel. Her LinkedIn bio notes that her passion “lies at the intersection of peace building, religious engagement, and environmental work.”

She previously worked in Tel Aviv for Tech2Peace, which provides high-tech and entrepreneurial training and conflict dialogue to Palestinians and Israelis. She had obtained a certificate in religious engagement and peace building from the United States Institute of Peace. Her Instagram account featured a yellow ribbon for the hostages and a passage from Deuteronomy, “Justice, justice you shall pursue.”

Yaron Lischinsky was a German Christian who immigrated to Israel. He served in the IDF and loved living in Jerusalem. At the Israeli Embassy, Yaron was responsible for keeping the political department up to date on “important events and trends happening in the Middle East & North Africa,” according to his LinkedIn profile. Lischinsky was, he wrote, an “ardent believer” in deepening Israel’s ties with the Arab world through the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements between Israel and several Arab nations. Like Sarah, Yaron’s Instragram profile included the yellow ribbon.

Sarah and Yaron were not only lovers of Israel; they were bridge-builders, believing in a better future for all of humanity. They dedicated their lives to work toward that vision.

I worked for American Jewish Committee for six years and have a student at American University, where I also attended graduate school. In other words, this tragedy should feel close to home for all of us.

May Sarah Milgrom’s and Yaron Lischinsky’s memories be a blessing and motivate each of us to pursue justice and seek peace, as they did throughout their too-brief lives.

Rabbi Jeffrey Weill