J7 Task Force issues statement on deadly shooting at Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
New York – The J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, representing the seven largest Diaspora Jewish communities, issued the following statement in reaction to Wednesday’s deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
We are devastated by the antisemitic terrorist shooting targeting the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., killing two young people at the prime of their lives who had been attending an American Jewish Committee event for young leadership on diplomatic humanitarian projects.
The threat of antisemitic violence and terrorism targeting Jewish institutions and Jewish people is a daily reality for our communities. Particularly in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, we have seen the exponential rise in antisemitic actions and threats along with a continual drumbeat of rhetoric that incites and justifies this hate.
This heinous attack is yet another wake-up call that governments, law enforcement and societies worldwide need to take language and threats directed against the Jewish community seriously and ensure our communities have the security they need.
In the past decade, Jews have been killed in their synagogues, kosher grocery stores, and their homes. Antisemitic attitudes, stereotypes, and conspiracy theories have become more normalized. They are a threat not only to Jewish communities but also to the freedoms and rights of all people.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli-German and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an American from Kansas, who were staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
May their memories be a blessing.
J7 members include:
Argentina: Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA);
Australia: Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ);
Canada: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA);
France: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF);
Germany: Central Council of Jews in Germany;
The United Kingdom: Board of Deputies of British Jews; and
The United States: ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
The J7 Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism was formed in July 2023 response to increasing rates of antisemitism around the world and comprises major Jewish organizations in Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.