Op-ed: The murder of two Jews and the truth about extremism

Isn’t this exactly what we all hate? Two people targeted specifically for their ethnicity and support of a nation – not for anything they had done.

We are rightly repulsed when this happens to black and brown people, believing – in the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – that we should be judged “not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.”

The savage killing of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., in the name of “Free Palestine,” is nothing more than an act of terror against Jewish people everywhere.

It was a cowardly political statement made by an extremist.

Most people protesting Israel don’t consider the facts. A nation standing up for its own safety and right to exist is far different from a blatantly racist regime with no regard for minorities or political dissent.

Israel, in fact, offers substantial freedom and opportunity to millions of Palestinians. In addition to living in a democracy, Palestinians in Israel own businesses, go about daily life and even serve in the Israeli government. 

They are free to join the military if they choose, though they are not required to – unlike all young Israelis, who must serve. 

It’s not “hell on earth,” no matter what some media outlets claim. Many Palestinians recognize they are better off in Israel than under the control of regimes in Gaza or the West Bank. 

Is Israel perfect? No. But does it have a right to exist? Absolutely. And is it working to provide a fair life for Palestinians who want peace? Without a doubt. 

When you’re surrounded by enemies who have sworn to drive you “into the sea,” security is not optional – it’s survival. 

Most of us in the West have no idea what that’s like. From our safe homes and sanitized media feeds, it’s easy to criticize Israel’s military actions – whether major or minor. 

But the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, along with the senseless shooting of a young Jewish couple in Washington, highlights where the real threat lies. 

Extremism – in almost any form – is dangerous. 

Israel has made repeated efforts to compromise and accommodate the 2.1 million Palestinians living within her borders. Let’s not forget how it negotiated the return of Gaza and parts of the West Bank to Palestinian control, effectively reviving the concept of a Palestinian state. 

Yet despite these concessions, antisemitism rages on. 

The world is increasingly being asked to choose: Do you stand with the people who have the most historic connection to the land, dating back to biblical times – or with those calling for their extermination “from the river to the sea”? 

Killings such as that of Milgrim and Lischinsky reveal what “Free Palestine” truly means to some: not the liberation of a people, but the elimination of Jews – even those who provide more rights to Palestinians than many Arab nations ever have. 

Freedom doesn’t look like savage murder – not on Oct. 7, and not on the streets of Washington. 

Rest in peace, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. I pray your deaths will not be in vain but will shine a light on the divide between truth and lies, freedom and terror, life and the spirit of murder.