Landsman: 'I have a hard time getting the image of being shot and killed out of my head'
(Editor's note: The following is a statement released Wednesday, May 28, 2025, by Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH-01) concerning the two Israeli Embassy staff members who were shot and killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. last week. The statement has been edited for clarity.)
Last week, outside the Capital Jewish Museum, two innocent young people were executed. For many of us, this was deeply personal and profoundly unsettling.
First, let me be as honest and as personal as it gets.
I have had a hard time getting the image of being shot and killed out of my head. It happens almost every time I'm in a big crowd now.
More: What is the Capital Jewish Museum? What to know about site of fatal DC shooting
Last Saturday at a rally back home, I decided not to have police protection. Standing in a crowd talking to constituents, I had the most vivid image: All of a sudden, I saw myself on the ground, dead from a gunshot. This is what actually happened a few days later to Yaron Lischinsky and his girlfriend Sarah Milgrim.
Anti-Israel protesters have followed me around for the past year and a half. They don't just protest. They get in my face, screaming about the "genocide" I'm causing. They threaten me and my family. "You will pay for this," they say.
They slept outside our house for days.
Many other Jewish members of Congress and local advocates who have also been vocal about Israel and the war deal with similar safety issues. Some members have constant police protection when they're home. We worry about being on Capitol Hill, too. Without going into specific security concerns, we know that what happened to Yaron and Sarah could happen to one of us as we move around the Capitol. We think about it every time we leave our offices, leave a committee hearing, or cross the street.
To be clear, most of the protestors aren't violent. They hate the war and the suffering of innocent people. I hate the war and the suffering of innocent people.
Most just want Palestinians to be safe and healthy, and to be in a position to rebuild. They want self-governance and self-determination for Palestinians. I do too.
So, how does someone execute two innocent people outside of a Jewish event in D.C. about supporting humanitarian diplomacy in the Middle East?
One answer is that what happened last Wednesday is similar to the outrageous murder of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American child outside of Chicago in 2023. "Otherization" is very real and refers to the process of treating a person or group as different and alien, and it can lead to marginalization, exclusion and murder. The tragedy of war throughout the globe should never lead to violence against its diaspora communities.
We allow people to "otherize" and demonize folks, and we forget to appreciate that it often turns violent. Everyone has to do a better job of ensuring disagreements don't lead to this disturbing and dangerous process.
A second explanation has to do with blood libels, which are core to understanding antisemitism. A blood libel is a lie about Jews killing innocent people, usually children. Ancient in its form, it spreads, Jew hate follows, and usually, Jews are killed.
What happened to Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, was barbaric. Kidnapping Israelis, holding them hostage in Hamas tunnels, some of whom were executed, is also barbaric.
The war in Gaza against Hamas has also been awful. Hamas cannot remain in power. Neither Israelis nor Palestinians are safe with Hamas in power. But innocent Gazans have been killed in this war. It's terrible, and I want this war to end. I'll continue to push for a ceasefire that brings every hostage home and a surge in humanitarian aid.
Israel has gone after Hamas, and because of the tunnels and Hamas's tactic of using civilians as human shields, innocent people and children have been killed. Israel has gone after Hezbollah in Lebanon, too, and there have been very few civilian casualties. The difference is Hamas.
Hezbollah allows civilians to flee.
Some people have convinced themselves that Israelis are genocidal and evil; that Jews associated with and supportive of Israel are also genocidal and evil. That's a blood libel, and it's been spreading like wildfire for 18 months. I believe it's why Yaron and Sarah were executed.
The antisemitism bill that has stalled in the Senate would help. It establishes a definition that would be profoundly informative for people. It offers education and training.
The bill doesn't say it's antisemitic if you criticize the policies of Israel. Israelis criticize the policies of Israel. But denying Jews self-determination is seen by some as antisemitic, including me.
Denying Palestinians self-determination is anti-Palestinian.
More: Pope Leo calls for ceasefire in Gaza, laments 'cries' of parents of dead children
President Donald Trump's actions on campuses have not helped. Some campuses have become hotbeds of antisemitism, but his actions could have a chilling effect on speech.
Colleges that explained to students the difference between free speech and hate speech, and the difference between protest and chaos, and held their students accountable accordingly, did well. They protect speech and their students. It was pretty straightforward.
To fight antisemitism, we should pass the antisemitism bill and have colleges work with groups like the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The AJC and similar groups partner with organizations on how to identify and combat antisemitism without infringing on anyone's First Amendment rights.
I would encourage my colleagues on both sides to stop politicizing this. Our safety and well-being are at stake, and antisemitism should be a nonpartisan, noncontroversial issue. The same must be true for all forms of hate. Fighting hate should be nonpartisan and noncontroversial.
Those protesting the war, even the policies of Israel, should be intentional not to slip into blood libels and violent rhetoric. That requires some learning as to what would be considered a blood libel and violent.
I understand the desire for this war to end and for Gazans to be free. I hope people understand that Israelis and Jews desperately want security for themselves and their neighbors. They want peace. Either way, we should all advocate for what we believe in − and do so peacefully and without violence or hate.
We should also commit ourselves to being the generation that achieves a sustainable peace in the Middle East. It's not inevitable, nor is it impossible. It's up to us and others to fight for it.
U.S. Rep. Greg Landsman, a Democrat, represents Ohio's 1st Congressional House District and is a former Cincinnati councilman. He has traveled to Israel and the Middle East over a dozen times, including four times in his first term as a member of Congress. Landsman also worked in Israel from 2015-2020, prior to becoming a member of Congress, supporting philanthropic efforts.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Shooting at Jewish museum in DC fueled by hate, demonization | Opinion
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