The killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were shot dead outside of the Capital Jewish Museum after an event at the venue on Wednesday night, sent shock waves through Jewish communities around the world.
But mixed in with the shock of Wednesday night’s tragedy was also a sense of inevitability, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said.

“Part of this is like people knew that something horrific like this was eventually going to happen” after other instances of antisemitic violence in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California in recent years, Preuss said.

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He added that sometimes he feels people “don’t take seriously” safety concerns raised by the Jewish community, despite the pattern of antisemitic attacks. Concerns about the rise of rhetoric like “globalized intifada,” Preuss said, are often brushed off as “just language.”

“But what we saw last night was an enactment of globalized intifada, of people attacking the Jewish community — people who were leaving an event that was about bridge-building and peace and how do we solve problems in the Middle East,” he said, noting that the museum hosting the event is also currently showing an exhibit spotlighting the local LGBTQ+ community in D.C.