‘We are all Jews.' Murders in DC call for moral clarity and action

Miami Herald

2 days ago

Earlier this month, while accepting an American Jewish Committee (AJC) award given to distinguished members of the legal profession, Miami trial lawyer Peter Prieto shared the story of Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, the highest-ranking soldier in a German POW camp during World War II.
When the camp commandant ordered that Jewish POWs be separated from the rest, Edmonds — a Christian — responded by commanding all 1,275 U.S. prisoners to stand together. He told their captors: 'We are all Jews.'
Edmonds put everything on the line to show that targeting Jewish soldiers was an attack on all POWs. His bravery and moral clarity feel all the more poignant and necessary this week, after two beloved friends of AJC, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21.
They, like those POWs, were targeted because they were Jewish — leaving a Jewish event at a Jewish museum. The accused gunman was heard shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' while he was detained and now faces two counts of first-degree murder that could lead to the death penalty.'
That night's AJC Young Diplomats Reception was focused on humanitarian diplomacy and building bridges across seemingly intractable divides to help those in need in the Middle East and North Africa.
But it did not matter to the shooter that Sarah, an American Jew from Kansas, was committed to peace-building between Israelis and Palestinians and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations.
It did not matter that Yaron — whom one AJC colleague called 'one of the best'— had worked with us on numerous occasions to broaden and strengthen Israeli-Arab engagement.
We cannot allow our community here in Florida — or leaders around the world — to treat their murders as simply another tragic incident and move on. And we cannot separate this violence from the dangerous rhetoric that fuels hatred and conspiracies against Jews. Since the double shooting, synagogues and Jewish organizations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and across the country have heightened security.
Then last Sunday, less than two weeks after the Capital Jewish Museum tragedy, a man launched a firebomb attack on a pro-Israel march in Boulder, Col., injuring a dozen people — including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. The accused attacker, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his U.S. visa, confessed he had planned to carry out a mass shooting but switched tactics when he was denied a gun permit because of his immigration status.
His vile, cowardly act is another example of Jews targeted simply for being Jewish. It is yet another urgent reminder that unchecked hatred does not remain isolated — it escalates, and it spreads.'
When people chant about murder, when they side with terrorists, when they march through the streets calling for violence — this is the outcome.
From universities to city streets and across social media, antisemitism is surging — not just in whispers or coded language, but in clear threats and shameful silence.
And to be clear: silence is complicity.
Antisemitism has never been just a Jewish problem. The hate that starts with Jews inevitably spreads, threatening not only people, but also the pillars of democracy on which our nation is built.
This moment demands moral leadership — not only from elected officials and clergy, but from our neighbors, business leaders, educators and everyone who believes in a shared future of dignity and safety for all. Thoughts and prayers — while appreciated — are far from enough.
Everyone has a role to play in making sure this never happens again. Each of us must help build a society that rejects antisemitism completely — no excuses, no exceptions.
When someone dies, it is traditional for Jews to say, 'May their memory be a blessing.'
In honor of Sarah and Yaron, let us embody the moral clarity shown by Master Sgt. Edmonds — who saved all his fellow soldiers —and stand firmly together on the side of humanity.
Stand with us and say: 'We are all Jews.'
Brian Siegal is director of the American Jewish Committee Miami and Broward regional office. Susan Greene Pallot is president of AJC Miami and Broward.