- 9 months ago
Congressional leaders hold a vigil for the Jewish Museum attack victims.
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00:30We've got a big crowd for this.
01:00Well, we want to thank you all for joining us this evening.
01:13We gather tonight to honor the memory of two precious souls, Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lashinsky.
01:22Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Sarah and Yaron, and all those who have
01:27come from the Israeli Embassy tonight and the AJC to honor their memory.
01:32We want to thank you all for being here.
01:35We took every precaution to arrange this evening and ensure the safety of everyone in attendance.
01:41And it's sadly, that's because it's a dangerous time to be a Jewish American.
01:47The two innocent lives we honor today should still be with us.
01:51Sarah and Yaron were young, and they were in love.
01:55They led honorable lives of advocacy at the Israeli Embassy.
02:01And they devoted themselves to peace in the land that they so loved.
02:06The monster who murdered them was not motivated by peace, but something very different.
02:11He went to a Jewish museum to hunt down Jewish people.
02:17And we want to be crystal clear tonight.
02:19This is targeted anti-Semitic terrorism.
02:23There are no shades of gray.
02:25There is no other way to describe it.
02:28As we've seen in the weeks since, this violence is sadly not isolated.
02:33Just ten days after these murders, a group of Jewish Americans, most of them elderly and one, a Holocaust survivor, were pelted with Molotov cocktails in Boulder, Colorado.
02:46In Colorado, and in our capital city, we see two cold-blooded monsters separated by 2,000 miles but united in their sick hatred of the Jewish people.
02:59It just defies understanding.
03:03Both individuals chanted a slogan that is all too familiar on college campuses and city streets since the wars of October 7th, Free Palestine.
03:12It's the chant of a violent movement that has found common cause with Hamas.
03:16And it's a movement that has lost hold of the difference between right and wrong, between good and evil, between light and darkness, barbarism.
03:24The chants of the terrorists who pillaged Israel on October 7th are almost indistinguishable from those of Hamas sympathizers here on our own shores.
03:34They proclaim that violence is righteous, that rape is justice, and that murder is liberation.
03:41They have created a culture of lies that puts a bounty on the heads of peace-loving Jewish Americans.
03:49And the insidious spread of this violent ideology has emboldened the evil worldview of people like the one that took the lives of Sarah and Yerom.
04:01Where is the outrage for these two young victims?
04:06There have been no national protests for them or the many victims of anti-Semitic violence all around this country.
04:11No calls in the streets to say their names. No chants for justice or peace.
04:16We cannot let these depraved anti-Semitic terrorists silence us.
04:20We must stand up and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters.
04:25The Republicans and the Democrats here today stand united in that cause,
04:30in condemning the violence and the rhetoric that directly aids and abets it.
04:35We have a responsibility to recommit ourselves to the cause for which Sarah and Yerom lived,
04:42and for which they literally gave their lives.
04:45That is the cause of peace.
04:47I'm reminded of the scripture that says,
04:49Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
04:54Tonight we honor two of God's children, tragically lost too soon.
04:59I end it over now to my colleague, the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffers.
05:06Thank you, Speaker Johnson, to all of my colleagues in Congress,
05:15to my good friend and former colleague, AJC leader Ted Deutsch,
05:20members of AJC, to Ambassador Leiter, members of the embassy, to Noah, Saucin,
05:29and all those who have joined us to honor the lives of two innocent young people
05:35taken from us prematurely by an act of domestic terrorism.
05:41Sarah and Yerom were a beautiful couple, murdered in cold blood.
05:49Victims of the same deadly anti-Semitism that fueled the attacks in Boulder,
05:58the attacks at Governor Josh Shapiro's home in Pennsylvania,
06:03and in synagogues, yeshivas, businesses, and communities all across America.
06:10We are here to honor the memory of two people who are committed to building riches,
06:16to making the world a better place, to fighting for the Jewish community and the state of Israel.
06:25Two people just starting their lives together on the verge of an engagement.
06:35Their deaths are a heart-wrenching tragedy, and we grieve with the family and with the entire community.
06:47Anti-Semitism has been a painful reality of Jewish life throughout the world for thousands of years.
06:58But now, too many of our Jewish brothers and sisters here in America fear for their safety.
07:07In this country, anti-Semitism has been metastasizing like a malignant tumor.
07:15And we must all work together to eradicate this cancer.
07:22More than a year and a half since the October 7th Hamas attack,
07:27our determination to fight anti-Semitism, our resolve to bring home the hostages,
07:34and our support for the special relationship between the United States and Israel remains ironclad.
07:43This week's Torah portion tells the story of the Israelites finally leaving the foot of Mount Sinai.
07:51As they journey through the desert, the people make difficult demands, and Moses cries out to God for help.
08:03God then instructs Moses to appoint 70 elders to help shoulder the burden of leadership.
08:14The Torah portion teaches us that moments of challenge requires more of us to step forward and lead together.
08:27In that spirit, we stand here with the families of Sarah and Yerom and stand with the Jewish community.
08:35We will not let you shoulder this burden alone.
08:41We must come together in good faith as Democrats and Republicans.
08:48Standing shoulder to shoulder to defeat anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it may be found.
08:57Until we bury it in the ground, never to rise again.
09:04That's a moral necessity here in the United States of America.
09:13May the memories of Sarah and Yerom be a blessing at all times.
09:19And may God bless and watch over the Jewish community and the United States of America during this challenging time.
09:31It is now my honor to yield to Ambassador Lider.
09:38Speaker Johnson, Minority Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for bringing us together.
09:50It's an honor.
09:55Members of Congress, President of the American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutsch, family and friends, ladies and gentlemen.
10:05We gather here in sorrow, remembrance and strength to honor the lives of Yerom and Sarah.
10:12They were not only our colleagues and friends, they were bridges between the people of Israel and the United States of America.
10:21Two young diplomats, soon to be engaged, one Israeli, the other American.
10:27They represented the unbreakable bond between our two great nations.
10:32They devoted their lives to the values our two countries share.
10:37That humans are created in the image of God and charged with the task of pursuing justice and freedom.
10:45As we confront the rising tide of anti-Semitism together, I am reminded of the question that Abigail Adams asked her husband John, America's second president.
10:55What is America?
10:58She was asking for an idea, a conviction.
11:02Remember, she wrote, all men would be tyrants if they could.
11:07That warning applies not only to lords and kings, but also to silence and indifference.
11:14Those who built America were men and women of action, not complacency.
11:21The people of Israel, too, are a people of action, not complacency.
11:27We did not collapse in the face of tragedy, but turned pain into perseverance, angst into action, hopelessness into hopefulness.
11:38Sarah and Yerom believed that America and Israel each hold a unique place in the world.
11:44They saw America as the shining sitting on the hill, and Israel as a light unto the nations.
11:51But Sarah and Yerom did not just preach these values.
11:55They lived by them.
11:57We have too many high-sounding words, Abigail wrote to John, and too few actions that correspond them.
12:05Ladies and gentlemen, our mourning must not end in words alone.
12:12Let it awaken in us a fierce defense of what we hold dear, of the virtues that guided the founders of both our great nations.
12:22We must demand and tirelessly endeavor for the release of our hostages, kidnapped by Hamas and held in their dungeons.
12:32We must not hesitate to condemn those calling for violence against Jews and against all those lovers of Zion.
12:41The Intifada has been globalized, and like Orwell's 1984, free, free Palestine means death, death, Israel.
12:56It is now incumbent upon all of us to confront it.
13:00Today we are challenged to act, to honor the fallen not just with words, but with a renewed commitment to fighting the scourge of hate,
13:10fighting the demonization and delegitimization of the State of Israel.
13:15The partnership between Israel and the United States is about the belief that justice and freedom must be defended
13:22in every synagogue, in every church, mosque, and on every university campus.
13:29In Judaism, we say that one's memory shall be for a blessing.
13:33On the steps of this hallowed hall, I recall the timeless words of President Abraham Lincoln.
13:40It is for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us.
13:46That from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion.
13:56That we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.
14:03That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom.
14:08May the memory of Sarah and Yaron be for a blessing, for a renewal of our bond in full measure and devotion.
14:17I'm honored to call my good friend, Ted Deutsch, the American Jewish Committee.
14:26Speaker Johnson, thank you for bringing us together.
14:32Leader Jeffries, members of Congress, Ambassador Lighter, and your team.
14:42Thanks everyone for being here.
14:44Thanks for standing with the Jewish community at this moment of deep pain and fear.
14:51I stood on these steps for many events as a member of Congress.
14:55This is not, this is not how I want to come back here.
15:00And in the immediate aftermath of the slaughter of two beautiful young souls,
15:08and the attack against peaceful marchers calling for the release of hostages who were set on fire.
15:16It's not why I want to be here, but I know I speak for the Jewish community when I tell you that my heart is full with gratitude for this event and your participation in it.
15:29I'll try to keep this brief.
15:31There are a few things that must be said.
15:34Three points I will make.
15:37First of all, anti-Semitism is anti-Semitism, period.
15:43There should be no more debate about which kind of anti-Semitism is more dangerous or which we need to be more afraid of.
15:51After what happened to Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lashinsky outside of AJCDC's event on humanitarian diplomacy,
16:00and what happened in Boulder, Colorado, it is clear.
16:04Every, every anti-Semitism is and has been deadly from the extreme left to the extreme right.
16:13There is anti-Semitism on the far left.
16:16These two attacks and the arson on Governor Shapiro's residence show that, and we all must condemn it.
16:23There's anti-Semitism on the far right.
16:25Poway, an attack on Tree of Life show that, and we all must condemn it.
16:31Both must be condemned by everyone.
16:34No excuses, because if you can only see anti-Semitism when it is convenient, then we're not seeing it at all.
16:45Point two, this is not normal.
16:50The obsession with demonizing Israel and blaming Israel for every injustice in the world is the current socially acceptable form of anti-Semitism.
17:02It has sanitized hate.
17:04There is a straight line from the demonization of Israel, the dangerous lies that people peddle about the one Jewish state, to the anti-Semitic violence that impacts real people.
17:17We are grateful for everything Congress is doing right now in a bipartisan manner to bolster security for our community.
17:26But that cannot be the total answer.
17:29It just isn't normal for any group in America to have to pray and gather and mourn behind armed guards, checkpoints, and metal detectors.
17:44No community in America should have to live like this, but this is reality for the entirety of the American Jewish community.
17:53Point three, this cannot be partisan.
17:57When calls to globalize the Antifada and chants from the river to the sea are screamed at protests, these must be called out for what they are.
18:08They are not slogans for a social justice movement.
18:12They are incitement to violence.
18:14Everyone must call that out forcefully and with clarity.
18:21Words matter.
18:23For generations they've had deadly consequences for me, for my family, for my people, for Sarah and Yerom.
18:32This shouldn't be hard.
18:35The fight against Jewish hate cannot be political.
18:40We cannot allow vigils like this to become the norm.
18:45We must act now.
18:49May Sarah and Yerom's memory be a blessing.
18:52May the world know no more sorrow.
18:57And may the hostages come home now.
19:01I'm now honored to invite up Noah Guinnessar, Yerom's supervisor and Yerom's friend.
19:20On behalf of the Leshinsky family, Yerom's parents, Ruth and Daniel, his brothers, Hanan, Gavriel and Ben-Ami, and his sister Yudit.
19:31Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for coming together this evening to honor Yerom and Sarah.
19:37It is still hard for us to believe that Yerom is no longer with us.
19:41We miss the beautiful soul that he was, the wonderful son and brother, the loving uncle he was across the ocean.
19:50In the days since the vile terrorist attack, we have heard from so many people who knew Yerom.
19:55We learned of different aspects of his personality, the way in which he developed professionally at the Embassy of Israel.
20:02We heard what a loyal friend and trusted colleague he was.
20:06Most of all, we learned of the strong love he and Sarah shared and their plans for their future together.
20:14We collect these stories of his life, and we are heartbroken that we will miss seeing his plans come into fruition.
20:21Yerom accomplished so much in his 30 years.
20:25He had an unending thirst for knowledge and was willing to spend hours to better understand and analyze any issue he tackled.
20:33He loved soccer, had an appreciation for art, and was an avid photographer.
20:38He was of deep faith and knew how to find beauty and order in every occasion.
20:44He was the first to volunteer for any task, and he wanted to give of himself for a life of purpose and service.
20:53Yerom loved the three years he spent at the Embassy of Israel, which he hoped would be his first step towards a career as an Israeli diplomat.
21:00These years in Washington, D.C. were for him a chance to live his dream.
21:05Here, he spread his wings and learned to fulfill his potential.
21:10He appreciated every interaction, every person he met.
21:14He collected all these moments as memories, which he and Sarah were supposed to recall many years later.
21:22We, Yerom's family, are grateful for all the good this city brought out in Yerom.
21:29We want to remember Washington, D.C. as Yerom saw it.
21:33A city devoted to the pursuit of justice and peace.
21:36A platform to connect between people and nations.
21:40Yerom loved this city and the time he spent here.
21:44He took in all the monuments, breathed in the history and culture that D.C. offers, waiting each year for the cherry blossoms.
21:53He was proud of every meeting he attended at the State Department and here at the U.S. Congress.
21:58They came conferences and diplomatic receptions.
22:02This was the beautiful backdrop for his final three years.
22:07We will not allow Yerom's vision of D.C. to become tainted by the horrific anti-Semitic and anti-Israel attack that took him and Sarah from us.
22:16We will hold the Washington, D.C. Yerom loved close to our hearts.
22:21Please continue your important work in their honor and may their light shine upon us all.
22:27In closing, we share with you these two verses, the first from Isaiah, which represents so well what Yerom stood for.
22:35He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples.
22:52They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
22:56Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
23:02And this verse from the book of Revelations, in hope of eternal comfort for all.
23:08And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying.
23:15Neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.
23:21Thank you, and God bless you all.
23:24I now invite Sousan Husson, a dear colleague from the Amnesty of Israel, Sarah's supervisor, who will speak on behalf of the Mildred family.
23:46Nancy and Bob Melkren, the parents of our beloved Sarah and her brother Jacob, wanted to convey their
23:50Sarah and her brother Jacob wanted to convey their gratitude for the memorial service here
23:56in the capital for Sarah and Yaron. Although they are both, and Jacob as well, not here with us in
24:03person, they are honored to be with us in spirit as we all gather under the shadow of their
24:09heartbreak. In the wake of the unimaginable tragedy and the unspeakable pain, Sarah's presence
24:17continues to be felt among all of us. The values she advocated for and the light she brought into
24:24the world live on. As the director of civil society outreach at our embassy, Sarah was a bridge builder,
24:33a believer in human dignity, and a strong advocate for inclusion. She believed that diplomacy is not
24:40simply about policy, it is about people. She opened new doors, fostered dialogue, and built bridges
24:49that few people before her dared even to cross. In college, Sarah gave the following advice to her
24:57fellow students. I think it is really important to do things that make you uncomfortable,
25:04for things that may not be the easiest route. That's exactly what Sarah did. She took responsibility
25:14for those whose voices were not always heard, for helping to carry the burden when others could not.
25:21Her mission, including connecting with young adults, LGBTQ+, diverse community and ethnic groups,
25:28women's organizations, legal professionals, climate advocates, and many more. Far beyond the walls of
25:34the embassy, even beyond her portfolio. Sarah enhanced partnerships with the White House, State
25:40Department, and countless advocacy groups, and arranged dozens of delegations to and from Israel.
25:47Perhaps her most difficult and most noble mission was making sure the world heard the stories of
25:53Israeli women who were raped and murdered on October 7th. She ensured the truth was told, even when others
26:02stayed shamefully silent. Sarah made sure the officials at the highest levels in Washington DC and that the United
26:09Nations knew their stories. Sarah embodied the spirit of Tikkun Ulam. When Sarah assumed her position at the embassy,
26:20it cost her many familiar friendships. Nonetheless, from that void, she built a new resilient circle of young
26:28leaders who shared her values. And in that circle, her love story with your own blossomed. In Nancy's words,
26:38Sarah, as your mother, I taught you to have poise and grace, to stand up for what you believe in,
26:45and to do what you know is right. I am so very proud of all you accomplished in your much too short life.
26:54And her father, Bob, continues saying, Sarah, your life was dedicated to Tikkun Ulam,
27:00repairing the word. As your father, you taught me the true meaning of those words.
27:06We will carry on Sarah's legacy, not with slogans or statements, but with action, consistency and care.
27:17Thank you for giving us the space to remember Sarah, not only for how she died, but also for how she truly lived.
27:24With courage, with compassion, and with a heart wide enough to hold the whole world.
27:31May her memory be a blessing, and may we each be a blessing in her name.
27:44Would you join us now in a moment of silence for Sarah and your own?
28:00Thank you all.
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