When Will It Be Enough?

I am not okay. None of us are.

Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky should still be here. They should be preparing for their upcoming trip to Israel. Yaron should be planning out the details of his proposal to Sarah in Jerusalem. They should be on the brink of starting a beautiful life together.

Instead they’re in bodybags.

When will it be enough?

I find myself asking this question a lot. But who am I even talking to?

I’m certainly not talking to other Jews, because believe me—it was enough a long time ago. We’ve been sounding the alarm on antisemitism for a year and a half, shouting into the abyss and straight into the echo chamber of those it already resonates with—other Jews (and maybe a handful of allies).

And I’m definitely not talking to anyone who has uttered the words “Free Palestine.” If you’ve been paying any attention at all, you know this catchy slogan is much more about killing Jews and destroying Israel than freeing anything—intentionally crafted to deceptively check the “humanitarian” box, and not so much the “Nazi death cult” one. No, I’m not talking to them…they’re too far gone.

I’m talking to everyone else in between.

I’m talking to the sane, rational people who know right from wrong. People who can distinguish between the good guys and the terrorists, but who haven’t been bothered enough to speak up since nobody’s coming after them. Yet.

At school pickup last week, I took stock of my surroundings as I waited outside the building for my kids to come out.

Are the security guards paying attention?

If bullets start to fly, where will I run?

How will I keep my kids safe?

When’s the last time questions like these ran through your mind? This cannot be normalized.

Since October 7, 2023 we’ve seen an astronomical spike in violence against Jews. When we asked you to condemn antisemitism, your fear of offending made you more concerned about Islamophobia.

We’ve seen them shatter the windows of Jewish-owned businesses, set fire to our synagogues and homes, and hunt us down in a coordinated, premeditated pogrom. You didn’t notice.

We’ve seen two children stolen from their home and barbarically strangled to death. You demanded more aid be sent to those who danced around their coffins.

We’ve seen a song titled “Heil Hitler” rack up millions of views in the year 2025. You brushed it off as a mental illness, ignoring the droves of people he emboldened with his actions.

We’ve seen the survivor of a massacre show incredible resilience, proudly representing her country and earning second place in an international song competition. You questioned the validity of the results and suggested Israel be banned from future competitions.

We’ve seen them give the Nazi salute, motion to slit our throats, threaten students walking to class, and call for a violent intifada. You stood up for their free speech, and now the intifada is here.

We’ve seen mainstream media reach a dangerous level of irresponsible journalism, parroting propaganda provided by terrorists. You believed their blood libels and amplified them, endangering the lives of Jews with every re-post.

And now? We’ve seen two innocent people murdered in cold blood outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. We’ve seen a man from Chicago become radicalized into believing murdering people leaving a Jewish event was the right next move to make in his life, helping to “free Gaza” by executing people who have nothing to do with the conflict in the Middle East. People who, in fact, wanted to help build bridges in an effort to achieve peace.

When will it be enough?

This could have been me and my husband. It could have been my parents or my kids. It could have been your childhood friend, or your college roommate, or the coworker you had lunch with last week. It could have been any of us.

For the families of Sarah and Yaron, it was their world—now shattered, another casualty of an age-old hatred that can’t seem to die.

And the response? They’re cheering the murder of two Zionists as a victory. They’re calling for more violence. They’re flooding the comments of social media posts with vile hate as we try to grieve the tragic loss of two innocent lives.

Meanwhile, what’s the call to action I’m seeing across the board from the Jewish community? To perform a mitzvah in honor of Sarah and Yaron. To do a good deed. To plant a tree, or make a donation to a non-profit, or volunteer your time to help others. To embrace our Jewish values and put some good into the world.

This dichotomy should tell you everything you need to know about this issue. It’s not complicated. It’s not nuanced. It’s crystal clear.

Your Jewish friends are hurting. After the news of this shooting, the collective despondence felt by our community is palpable. Social media is filled with fear and anger that this completely preventable tragedy we’ve been warning about for a year and a half has hit so close to home.

On my personal account, I posted a very clear SOS to my friends: This is not normal. Please speak out against hate. Please check on your Jewish friends.

And again: Today is a good day to check on your Jewish friends.

One person bothered to reach out. One.

You might be thinking, “What could I possibly do to solve the conflict in the Middle East?” Let me be very clear—we’re not asking you to do that.

We’re asking you to acknowledge our pain.

We’re asking you to condemn the hate and violence against us without qualification.

We’re asking you to show up for us the way we showed up for you when your community needed support.

We’re asking you to help turn the tides—to influence public opinion by vocalizing outrage at the injustice we’ve been facing every single day for the past nineteen months.

We’re asking you to reach out to your friends and say, “I’m so sorry this is happening—it’s not right. How can I help?”

We’re asking you to have our backs.

I’ve watched as my friends practically raced to speak up for other minority groups they themselves are not a member of. But for some reason, their advocacy doesn’t apply to Jews. I don’t know why…all I know is that it hurts.

Why is it so hard to stand up for us? Why do the same rules not apply? If you’re waiting for an invitation, this is it.

We need you. We need allies.

We can’t do this alone. At just 0.2% of the world’s population, we’re a tiny tribe that still hasn’t returned to our pre-Holocaust numbers.

Please don’t wait for more of us to be slaughtered before you start to speak up.

We need you right now.

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“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.”  —Albert Einstein