Joplin grieves with family of slain diplomats

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Members of a family with Joplin ties grieving the fatal shootings of 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, 30, say there is no healing to be accomplished for victims of terrorism while lives are taken because of hate.
Robert Milgrim, formerly of Joplin, said he and his family are still processing the deaths May 21 of his daughter and Lischinsky as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The two had attended a discussion involving young professionals on ways to get humanitarian aid safely to Gazans.
The pair worked for the Israeli Embassy and planned to have careers in diplomacy. When they emerged from the museum, they were shot by a man identified as a far-left activist who shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was taken into custody at the scene.
The Milgrim family has been left in 'total devastation and loss. We were so close' to Sarah, her father said. She was a young woman who was devoted to faith, family and helping those in the Middle East toward stability and peace.
'We have to get rid of this hate that's in the world,' Robert Milgrim told the Globe by telephone on Thursday. 'Killing somebody does not accomplish anything.'
Palestinians are starving and without other necessities in the wake of hostilities that started Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas, an Arab/Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, attacked Israel.
'The reason Israel is trying to control aid (sent for Gaza) is that a large portion was hijacked by Hamas and they sell it on the black market,' Robert Milgrim said.
His wife, Nancy Milgrim, said in an interview of the family aired Wednesday on CBS that she didn't know anything about the support expressed for the shooter from pro-Palestinians in the U.S.
'I don't know anything about that, but Sarah wasn't against the Palestinians; she wasn't against the people in Gaza. She was in all her heart working towards finding a way for everyone to live together peacefully,' the mother said.
Sarah Milgrim's brother, Jacob Milgrim, said 'There's nothing more important in Judaism than life and the sanctity of life, and to what end is this fighting and sacrifice? What does it accomplish taking my sister from me? It's not going to accomplish anything.'
Roger Gladden of Joplin, founder of Christians for World Peace, visits the Middle East as part of his organization's mission to provide charitable support for the region.
'Christians have a great relationship with both Israel and Arabs,' Gladden said, although people need to be respectful of the political and religious differences. The Holy Land is a significant holy site for a number of religions. There is a small population of Arabs who are anti-Israel.
The city of Bethlehem is Joplin's sister city. Gladden said a former longtime mayor of Bethlehem was Christian, but the population there has changed and the city is now overseen by Muslims.
'The answers (to violence) in the region are complex. It's such a long-standing, deep cultural situation and, frankly it's very difficult to eliminate that,' Gladden said. 'But we pray that it will become peaceful. The old city of Jerusalem is divided into four sectors and we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.'
Paul Teverow, a retired Missouri Southern State University history professor who is a member of United Hebrew Congregation of Joplin, said the murders were devastating.
'First of all when you read about something like what happened in Washington, D.C., to Sarah Milgrim and her partner, how can you not be both devastated and appalled? and then, when I saw the name Milgrim I realized that might be someone I know or in my circle of associates. That was really devastating to me.'
Robert Milgrim grew up in Joplin, one of three sons of Ben Milgrim, a well-known businessman who operated Milgrim's Pawn Shop on Main Street. Milgrim's was a popular store, often drawing tourists and people from other areas to shop and find treasures.
Ben Milgrim died in 2010 at the age of 100. He was a member of the United Hebrew Congregation, B'nai B'rith, Joplin Elks Lodge #501 for over 65 years, Joplin Masonic Lodge, a 32nd-degree Mason and was a life member of the National Rifle Association and the Joplin Pistol Club.
Teverow said of the Hebrew Congregation, 'We have received overwhelming support from the community over the years and never had any threats or messages of hostility here.' There have been Jewish families in Joplin for about 150 years and the Hebrew synagogue has been here more than a century, Teverow said.
Robert Milgrim, known as Bob, grew up in Joplin and graduated in 1970 from Memorial High School. After graduating college and earning his law degree, he moved to the Kansas City area where he worked in the ERISA division of the U.S. Department of Labor. ERISA regulates retirement and health insurance funds.
He said he and his family have received much support from his Joplin classmates and friends as well as people across the country.
'We have gotten many, many cards. The mailman has brought bundles' nearly every day since the tragedy. 'Many are from people I went to high school with and people I was very close with in Joplin. And many are from people we don't know. We are getting flowers and meals from people we don't know too.'
'A lot of people are mourning' with the family, he said. 'The embassy has received thousands of messages, cards and emails, and they are compiling something,' to celebrate the lives of the two lost to a hate crime.