JCC holds vigil for local DC Jewish Museum shooting victim
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Hundreds packed the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park Thursday night for a vigil honoring victims of the Capital Jewish Museum shooting, .
The local Jewish community is no stranger to hate and violence and has seen it before with the shooting that killed three in 2014, two on the Jewish Community Center campus, a third victim killed at nearby Village Shalom. But when people found out who one of the victims was in Washington D.C. they say it hit directly in their hearts.
Local Jewish community reacts to Sarah Milgrim killing: 'A moment of pain'
Friends say Sarah Milgrim learned to stick up for Jewish values when her high school, Shawnee Mission East, was the target of an antisemitic vandalism attack in 2017.
She'd go on to KU where she joined the executive board of KU Hillel while still a student. Staff spent Thursday sharing memories.
'All of them shared there was a moment that it clicked in which she was able to convey that this was a priority for her and her Jewish community and identity and caring about the community around her was important,' Ethan Helfand, KU Hillel, said.
'She stood out as someone who shone as a bright light, who went on to great things in her all too short life,' Derek Gale, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City vice president said.
Milgrim was killed Wednesday night outside the museum along with boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky.
At a packed vigil Thursday Milgrim's college roommate described Lischinsky as intelligent and empathetic after meeting him. She shared how Milgrim knew he planned to ask her to marry her after she met his family on an upcoming trip to Israel. They met working at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C.
Search underway in south central Kansas for missing Overland Park woman
'She was the ultimate peacemaker in her personal life and her professional life. Her whole life was devoted toward promoting peace in Israel,' friend Amanda Berger said.
A peace Jewish community members say they hope will come, but for now they are grieving yet another tragedy hitting close to home.
'Tomorrow we can talk about resilience, tomorrow we can talk about healing, tomorrow we can try to make sense of this tragedy and maybe even talk about hope. All we can do tonight is come together to mourn, cry and hug each other,' Jay Lewis, Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City President, told the crowd that gathered.
'It will take time, we'll move forward together. We are taking this time to really grieve and mourn, but we'll heal together,' Gale said.
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Attendees included former Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Johnson County Commission Chairman Mike Kelly and Maor Elbaz-Starinksy, the Consul General of the State of Israel, who flew in to be with the grieving Kansas City-area community.
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