Two Israeli embassy staffers killed amid a rise in antisemitism

Summary

Consider This from NPR: Two Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed Amid a Rise in Antisemitism

Introduction to the Tragic Incident

On the evening of May 22, 2025, a peaceful gathering turned tragic when Israeli embassy staffers Jeroen Leschinsky and Sarah Milgram were fatally shot in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The couple, who had come to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center, were en route to Jerusalem, marking Milgram's first meeting with Leschinsky's family. According to Israeli Ambassador Yahiel Leiter, Leschinsky had recently purchased a ring and was planning to propose to Sarah, adding a poignant layer to the loss.

Background on the Victims

Jeroen Leschinsky and Sarah Milgram were not just diplomats; they were a beautiful couple with deep personal connections and professional commitments to fostering international relations. Their untimely deaths have sent shockwaves through both the diplomatic community and those who knew them personally.

Context of the Event

The couple was attending an event organized by the young professional group of the American Jewish Committee, aimed at bridge building in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The theme, "Turning Pain into Purpose," sought to promote unity and understanding among young professionals from various embassies. Jojo Drake Kalin, the event organizer, explained the focus on fostering collaboration despite ongoing regional tensions.

Rise of Antisemitism in the United States

The shooting of Leschinsky and Milgram comes at a time when antisemitic incidents in the United States have reached unprecedented levels. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the number of antisemitic acts surged, with a majority connected to criticism of Israel or Zionism for the first time since the ADL began tracking such incidents. Mary Louise Kelly highlights this troubling trend, underscoring the increasing security concerns within Jewish communities across the country.

Interview with Daniel Shapiro: Insights from a Diplomatic Veteran

To delve deeper into the implications of this attack and the broader context of rising antisemitism, NPR's Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Daniel Shapiro, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel during the Obama administration and a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Shapiro's Immediate Reaction (00:53)

“I was in a hotel room in Chicago and immediately started to hear from friends and family all over the United States, in Israel, of course, I completely condemn the murders of these two innocent people and extend sympathy to their families,” said Shapiro (03:22). He expressed profound sadness and highlighted the personal impact of the tragedy on the global Jewish community.

Antisemitism in the United States (03:22)

Shapiro discussed the alarming increase in antisemitic sentiments in the U.S., noting, “It's hatred, it's anti Semitism. This was an anti Semitic hate crime for sure, but it was also an act of terrorism” (04:27). He emphasized that antisemitism in America, once perceived as primarily a European issue, now poses a direct threat to the safety and well-being of Jewish communities nationwide.

Terrorism and Antisemitism Intersection (04:27)

Shapiro elaborated on the convergence of antisemitism and terrorism, stating, “Terrorism is the use of violence to advance a political agenda... This has become much more common and unfortunately, too often associated with violence as well” (04:27). He underscored the dangerous trend of extremist ideologies fueling violent acts against Jewish individuals and institutions.

Confronting Antisemitism: Shapiro's Recommendations (05:52)

When asked about strategies to combat antisemitism, Shapiro provided a multi-faceted approach:

1. Enhanced Security: “The community itself will need to harden security of our institutions, and law enforcement will need to be more attentive and will need funding for those security requirements” (05:52).

2. Moral Clarity and Leadership: “We need moral clarity and strong political and communal leadership... that completely rejects anti Semitism and political violence of any kind” (05:52).

3. Education: “We need education to our young people of the history and the insidiousness of this persistent hatred” (05:52).

4. Community Resilience and Alliances: “We need to double down on our commitments to and our involvement in Jewish communal life and strengthen our ties to allies of all faiths” (05:52).

Shapiro emphasized the importance of collective action, stating, “The vast majority of Americans utterly reject this hateful violence. But we're now all called upon to express that and then, of course, to defeat it” (05:52).

Balancing Free Speech and Antisemitism (07:28)

Kelly raised the issue of balancing legitimate political protest against Israel with the need to reject antisemitism. Shapiro responded by acknowledging the right to peaceful protest while condemning actions that cross into hatred and violence: “Peaceful protest, expressing oneself about policy views always allowed, tying it to these ancient and persistent hatreds, and obviously any expression of it through violence, completely unacceptable” (07:28).

Impact on Israeli Efforts for Peace (08:46)

Shapiro addressed the potential impact of such attacks on peace efforts in the region, noting that the prolonged conflict since October 7th has already resulted in significant loss and suffering on both sides. He expressed concern that antisemitic violence could further entrench divisions: “When the ideology that spawned the war... is replicated around the world against Jewish targets... it raises the concern that this is going to be a long running theme of Israeli life and of Jewish life” (08:46). Shapiro called for clear denunciations from global allies to prevent the perpetuation of hate-fueled violence and to pave the way for a peaceful resolution.

Conclusion

The tragic deaths of Jeroen Leschinsky and Sarah Milgram serve as a stark reminder of the rising tide of antisemitism in the United States and its devastating consequences. Through insightful analysis and recommendations, Daniel Shapiro highlighted the urgent need for enhanced security, education, community resilience, and moral leadership to combat this pervasive hatred. As the nation grapples with these challenges, the loss of these two embassy staffers underscores the critical importance of unity and decisive action in the face of growing antisemitism.

Production Notes

This episode of Consider This was produced by Megan Lim and Kira Wakim, edited by Patrick Jaranwadanan and Courtney Dorning, and executive produced by Sami Yenigun. For those interested in supporting NPR and accessing sponsor-free content, consider subscribing to Consider This+ at plus.npr.org/considerthis.

Transcript

[Daniel Shapiro]

They were a beautiful couple who came to enjoy an evening in Washington's cultural center.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

That's Israeli ambassador to the United States Yahiel Leiter at a press conference Wednesday night. And the couple he is talking about is Jeroen Leshinsky and Sarah Milgram. The pair was gunned down and killed in front of the Capitol Jewish Museum on Wednesday night. Leschinsky and Milgram were headed for Jerusalem on Sunday. Their trip to Israel would have been the first time Milgram met Lashinsky's family. And according to the Israeli ambassador, Leschinsky had bought a ring and was planning to propose. The event they were attending at the museum was for young professionals from different embassies focused on bridge building in the Middle East North Africa region. Event organizer Jojo Drake Kalin told Sky News the theme was turning pain into purpose.

[Tanya Moseley]

So it's painfully, painfully ironic that at a time when we were speaking about bridge building that someone came in with such hate and destruction. We were wanting to counter the us versus Them narrative and come together in humanity and shared humanity.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Ayelet Razin Baytur, a friend of Milgram's, says she joined the embassy after Hamas's attack on Israel.

[Tanya Moseley]

Sarah told me that she she joined the Embassy shortly after October 7th, after she felt a high rise of antisemitism around her unlike anything she experienced before.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

But building bridges seems to be getting harder, not easier. A year and a half into Israel's war with Hamas, with tens of thousands of people dead and humanitarian relief efforts under stress, consider this a horrific attack at an event aimed at overcoming differences has only ended up highlighting them. From npr, I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

[Tanya Moseley]

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[Mary Louise Kelly]

It's Consider from npr. The shooting of Sarah Milgram and Jerome Leshinsky comes amid a record number of anti Semitic incidents In the United States. That's according to the Anti Defamation League. And that is something I spoke about with Daniel Shapiro. He was U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Obama administration. He now serves as a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council. Where were you when you heard this news last night? And may I ask what your first thought was?

[Daniel Shapiro]

I was in a hotel room in Chicago and immediately started to hear from friends and family all over the United States, in Israel, of course, I completely condemn the murders of these two innocent people and extend sympathy to their families. But what hit me, I think, was the tragedy and outrage that we are living in an era of an explosion of antisemitism. The statistics you just cited and anti Semitic violence, and the thing I never thought I would say was not my experience growing up in the United States. I associated that more with what Jewish communities in Europe lived with. But now Jews in the United States do have to fear for their physical safety, certainly if they appear Jewish or they're taking part in Jewish communal activities. We go through magnetometers in our synagogues. Our Jewish students are harassed on college campuses. And then yesterday, these two innocent young people were gunned down at a gathering at the Capitol Jewish Museum.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Does it feel fundamentally different to you, the safety, the security of Jews here in the US and worldwide? Does it feel fundamentally different since the start of the war?

[Daniel Shapiro]

Certainly that has that period of time, we've seen a more intensification of those kinds of events. But, you know, let's call it what it is. It's hatred, it's anti Semitism. This was an anti Semitic hate crime for sure, but it was also an act of terrorism. Terrorism is the use of violence to advance a political agenda. And we now see people expressing themselves not just with outrageous chants, chants that call for violence and terror against anyone who's Jewish or Israeli. Things like globalized intifada or blaming Jews generally, or maybe they say Zionist, but that's most Jews for policies related to Israel or calling for Israel's destruction, saying from the river to the sea. This has become much more common and unfortunately, too often associated with violence as well.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I will inject that the FBI says they are investigating this shooting as an act of targeted violence. There are still, of course, many questions about how this all came to be and what charges may be filed. I will also note this couple, they were leaving an event organized by the young professional group of the American Jewish Committee, which is a pro Israel advocacy group that confronts antisemitism. Dan Shapiro, how should we think about confronting anti Semitism in a moment like this, right?

[Daniel Shapiro]

The American Jewish Committee does a lot of advocacy on behalf of the Jewish community, but on behalf of interfaith cooperation, that was one of the themes of last night's event as well. Look, we need, first of all, the community itself will need to harden security of our institutions, and law enforcement will need to be more attentive and will need funding for those security requirements. But we really need moral clarity and strong political and communal leadership from within and without the Jewish community that completely rejects anti Semitism and political violence of any kind. We need education to our young people of the history and the insidiousness of this persistent hatred, which just has no place in our society. And then, of course, the Jewish community, we need to be strong and resilient and proud. And we need to double down on our commitments to and our involvement in Jewish communal life and strengthen our ties to allies of all faiths. I strongly believe that the vast majority of Americans utterly reject this hateful violence. But we're now all called upon to express that and then, of course, to defeat it.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

And we are now seeing this uptick that I mentioned in antisemitic incidents here in the US Last year. A majority of those incidents were related to Israel or Zionism. That's for the first time since the ADLs started tracking this kind of thing. Understanding, obviously, an event like last night is categorically horrific. How do you think about the act of protest against the state of Israel or its political leaders? The sort of protest that is part of a healthy democracy, while rejecting antisemitism?

[Daniel Shapiro]

If someone wants to peacefully protest Israeli policy or US Policy toward the Middle east, obviously that's permissible and acceptable. I personally strongly disagree with many policies of the current Israeli government. So do many Israelis, by the way. And I of course, support finding a path for Palestinians to achieve a state of their own. But, you know, far too often Jews are being harassed and intimidated now, even attacked in the name of some cause related to the Palestinians. And nothing does more to undermine and really delegitimize that cause than to tie it to anti Semitism and violence. Nothing does more to delegitimize that cause than to express sympathy for the murderous terrorist organization Hamas that started this war or its goals of destroying Israel. So peaceful protest, expressing oneself about policy views always allowed, tying it to these ancient and persistent hatreds, and obviously any expression of it through violence, completely unacceptable.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

I do want to draw on your experience as a veteran of diplomacy in the Middle east, speak to the impact, the potential impact of this on hearts and minds in Israel. I guess I'm thinking of efforts to try to get back to a ceasefire in Gaza and the extent to which this may hardened positions.

[Daniel Shapiro]

Israelis have been dealing with this war since October 7th. That's when Hamas launched this brutal attack, killed 1200 innocent people, kidnapped 250 hostages, and the war has been going on too long. Of course, we all want to see it end. I think most Israelis want to see it end. They obviously want their hostages released. We know Palestinians have suffered. Many civilians have suffered as well. And they need the war to end. But you know, when the ideology that spawned the war, the ideology that led Hamas to carry out the murderous attack in the first place is replicated around the world against Jewish targets, against Israeli targets, against Israeli diplomats, obviously it raises the concern that this is going to be a long running theme of Israeli life and of Jewish life. We certainly need our non Jewish friends and allies in the Arab world, in Europe, in the United States to speak clearly that whatever your views about policy questions, this can't be the way. And if that we have that, then we have a better path toward a way out of this.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

Ambassador, we'll leave it there. Daniel Shapiro, thank you.

[Daniel Shapiro]

Thank you.

[Mary Louise Kelly]

He was U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Obama. This episode was produced by Megan Lim and Kira Wakim. It was edited by Patrick Jaranwadanan and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Mary Louise Kelly.

[Tanya Moseley]

I'm Tanya Moseley, co host of Fresh air. At a time of sound bites and short attention spans, our show is all about the deep dive. We do long form interviews with people behind the best in film, books, tv, music and journalism. Here our guests open up about their process and their lives in ways you've never heard before. Listen to the FRESH AIR podcast from NPR and whyy. Hey, it's Sarah Gonzalez. The economy has been in the news a lot lately. It's kind of always in the news and Planet Money is always here to explain it. Each episode we tell a sometimes quirky, sometimes surprising, always interesting story that helps you better understand the economy. So when you hear something about cryptocurrency or where exactly your taxes go, Yas Aves. Listen to the Planet Money podcast from npr. Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get consider this [e-mail] that's plus.NPR.org.