News reached us this week of a tragic act of violence, not in the streets of Jerusalem or the borders of Gaza, but in Washington, D.C. At the Israeli Embassy, Yaron Lischinsky and his fiancée, Sarah Milgrim, who were messianic believers were murdered by pro-Palestinian activist, Elias Rodriguez who according to a court document filed on Thursday said, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza”.
Although shocking, this kind of hatred is sadly no longer surprising.
Since Hamas’s brutal attack on Israel on October 7th, we have seen a disturbing rise in antisemitic rhetoric, violence, and intimidation, not just in the Middle East, but across Europe and North America. Jewish people, Israeli citizens, and even Christians who stand with Israel have increasingly become targets of hatred simply for existing or expressing solidarity. What was once often subtle or socially unacceptable antisemitism has now erupted into public displays, verbal assaults, vandalism, and as we saw in D.C. murder.
This week’s attack struck close to home for one of the congregations we support in Israel, LechL’cha Discipleship Ministry. Yaron was the older brother of Judith Lischinsky, a counsellor and long-time member of the LechL’cha community. Their response captures the weight of the grief many are carrying:
“Our LechL’cha family was devastated this morning to hear about the terror attack in DC that tragically took the lives of Yaron Lischinsky and his fiancée Sarah Milgrim. Yaron is the brother of Judith Lischinsky, who has been a counsellor with LechLcha for the past two years and completed the LechLcha Discipleship course herself several years ago.
We are mourning with Judith over the loss of her older brother and her future sister-in-law, and ask you to stand in prayer with us as we ask God for comfort for Judith and her family at this difficult time.”
In the face of such loss, we are left with difficult questions. How could this happen in a ‘secure’ diplomatic space? What drives a person to such hatred? And what does it say about the times we are living in?
For believers, it is a sobering reminder that the spiritual and political battle over Israel is not bound by geography. The attack in Washington is not isolated; it is a symptom of the global war of narratives and ideologies that is increasingly turning against Israel and the Jewish people. Where truth is replaced by propaganda, and moral clarity is abandoned in favour of slogans, we should expect the rise of violence. When mobs shout “from the river to the sea,” the real-world implications become increasingly clear.
But even as we mourn, we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We believe in a God who sees, who comforts, and who will ultimately bring justice. In the midst of hatred, He still calls us to love, not naively, but powerfully. We do not close our eyes to the darkness, but we respond with prayer, truth, and unwavering support for those who suffer unjustly.
Yaron and Sarah should have been planning their wedding. Judith should have been preparing a speech as a proud sister. Instead, we stand alongside her in mourning and lifting up her arms in prayer, as Aaron and Hur did for Moses on the battlefield (Exodus 17:12).
The global Church must not be silent in this hour. We must speak truth. We must recognise the signs of the times. And we must grieve with those who grieve.
May the Lord bring comfort to Judith, to the LechL’cha community, and to all who knew and loved Yaron and Sarah. And may we be bold in both our prayers and our convictions, as the light in an increasingly hostile world.
