What It Means to Be a Jew Today: After the Darkness in D.C.

On their way out of a conference at the Jewish Museum in Washington DC, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim were shot at close range by a terrorist who yelled “Free, free Palestine’ after he was arrested.

Sarah Lynn had devoted her life to advocating for the Jewish people and for Israel. Yaron was a non-Jew born in Germany who had devoted his life to fighting antisemitism and speaking up for Israel all over the world. The meeting that they were attending in DC that night was focused on turning “pain into purpose” and was an interfaith discussion with both Muslims and Christians present as everyone gathered together to try to bring more light and goodness into the world. Instead of being able to share that light, Yaron and Sarah were killed, and the world is faced again with an all too familiar darkness.

What it means to be a Jew anywhere today is to be devastated by this darkness but not surprised. It means that you have heard an echo of what the terrorist yelled after his arrest – “Free, free Palestine” – on your college campus or on the street outside of your office, wondering if you should cover your Jewish star necklace.

What it means to be a Jew anywhere today is to watch people fight for justice and kindness and then watch as the world’s anti-Israel rhetoric rips those people to shreds solely because they are Jewish.

Being a Jew anywhere in the world today means praying for the rest of the hostages to come home safely. It means reading the news and being speechless with the distortions, the lies and the senseless hatred. And after you stop yourself from scrolling endlessly through more horrifying headlines, you wonder: when will this end?

Because being a Jew anywhere in the world today means that your life will never be the same after October 7th. It doesn’t matter where you live or what you do. The essence of who you are was attacked that day, and the pain of the Jewish people over the last year and a half has been relentless and heart-breaking.

Being a Jew anywhere in the world today means believing that the power of good can outweigh the forces of evil.

But being a Jew anywhere in the world today also means being inspired by leaders like Sarah and Yaron who wanted to find a way to turn pain into purpose. It means taking some of the light that they left behind and bringing that hope back into the world.

Because being a Jew anywhere in the world today means believing that the power of good can outweigh the forces of evil. It means being kind and patient even when you are busy. It means giving to those less fortunate and strengthening your values that bring light to the world.

Being a Jew in the world today means searching for more of what connects us instead of what pushes us apart, knowing that the Jewish people have one heart and even when it is breaking, it can heal when it is united.

Being a Jew anywhere in the world today means that Israel will always be your home and your family. It means feeling alone in a crowd but knowing that you are inextricably tied to your faith and to your roots.

Being a Jew in the world today means knowing that those who attack us can never take away our essence. They can never destroy the kindness, the hope, the unity and the light of the Jewish heart.

In response to the tragic murders in D.C., let’s bring a little more light into the world.

The post What It Means to Be a Jew Today: After the Darkness in D.C. appeared first on Aish.com.