Sharoni: Tragedy in Washington a wake-up call for all of us

Wednesday night a devastating tragedy struck at the heart of the American democracy a fatal shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D C We are shocked and horrified by the news of the barbaric terrorist attack that claimed the lives of two of our Embassy staff members in Washington Yaron Lischinsky of Israel and Sarah Lynn Milgrim of the United States Both were young dedicated members of the Israeli Embassy just beginning their journeys in diplomacy and general provision This was not a random act of violence It targeted a gathering of young diplomats men and women dedicated to fostering understanding building bridges and promoting dialogue across cultures and nations The lives of Yaron and Sarah were taken in a moment of senseless violence next to a powerful symbol of Jewish heritage and resilience We feel the pain of this loss deeply both as Israelis and as fellow diplomats representing the country we love The death of colleagues is consistently personal But losing two such vibrant and committed individuals full of strength optimism and purpose is especially heartbreaking Israeli diplomats and representatives around the world stand on the frontlines of our nation s diplomatic efforts defending the nation with their very lives This is more than a tragedy It is a wake-up call We are all witnessing the rising cost of unchecked hate of inflammatory antisemitic rhetoric Toxic anti-Israel incitement is not merely words as we unfortunately saw Wednesday night it is a call to violence that leads to antisemitic terror attacks The bullets that ended Sarah and Yaron s lives were not fired in a vacuum They are the consequence of a context where hatred is tolerated and too often ignored The unfettered delegitimization of an entire people and country are not without consequences Throughout our history the Jewish people have become all too familiar with where this can lead and sadly we were confronted by these pernicious evils once again It is our collective responsibility to say Enough We must stand up and speak clearly Hate and antisemitism are not welcome here Not in Washington Not in New England Not anywhere May the memory of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky be a blessing Benny Sharoni is Consul General of Israel to New England The exterior of the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday in Washington DC Photo by Tasos Katopodis Getty Images This undated handout photo provided by the embassy of Israel in the U S shows staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky right and U S citizen Sarah Milgrim Embassy of Israel in the U S via AP