They were called Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky. They were in their thirties, worked at the Israel Embassy in Washington, were in love and spoke of engaging. Last Thursday, they were killed in the street, at the exit of the Jewish museum, a stone’s throw from the Capitol. The author of the shots? Elias Rodriguez. He is 30 years old, comes from Chicago. When the police arrived, he released a keffiieh and shouted: “Free, Free Palestine”. He didn’t know anything about them. He did not know that the event organized that evening by the American Jewish organization American Jewish Committee (AJC) focused on humanitarian aid, which was discussed in the way of helping the inhabitants of Gaza and Israel and to work together Jewish, Christians and Muslims, in the service of civilian populations. Sarah and Yaron believed this idea. They worked on dialogue programs between young Palestinians and Israelis.
Inconvenience
“Injustice is immense”says Dana Steiner, director of AJC Access, the network of young professionals committed to the American Jewish Committee. She knew Sarah well. They went to Morocco in September as part of an intercultural dialogue program. She remembers a young woman “Warm, kind, of a rare commitment. Sarah sincerely wanted to make the world better. »» Johanna, member of AJC in France, keeps the memory of an active young, invested. “She brought an immense hope for the Middle East. »» Yaron was not Jewish, but a practicing Christian. A talented linguist, he spoke of Hebrew, German and Japanese. His relatives describe him as “Brilliant, kind and infinitely thoughtful”. “They found themselves around common values”summarizes Johanna.
With the exception of LFI, solidarity reactions
In France, the reactions to their assassination were numerous, unanimous, united. With a few exceptions. The deputy LFI Éric Coquerel, rather than expressing his compassion, said: “My reaction is that the genocide in progress must be very quickly stopped in Gaza, that’s what I mean. »» Anne-Sophie Sebban, director of AJC Paris, sees it as an illustration of what she has denounced for a long time. “These statements reflect a form of anti -Semitism which suggests that Jews can be targeted, simply because Israel is at war. »» As for the elected rebellious Thomas Portes, a few hours after the assassination of Sarah and Yaron, he published on X, in capital letters: “Free Palestine!” »»before deleting your message. The timing leaves no room for doubt. Is it really amazing? Their mechanics are now well known: an accusation inversion that seeks to divert attention, justifying an anti-Semitic crime by the invocation of the war in the Middle East.
