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J'Accuse

Above: Newspaper title of Emile Zola 'J'accuse' - Below: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim Mamorial
Newspaper title of Emile Zola 'J'accuse' and Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim Mamorial

By Professor Mark Meirowitz

We are all heartbroken at the news of the senseless and brutal murder of two young Israeli diplomats, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim at the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. on Wednesday night, May 21, 2025.

Listen to what the madman who killed them said – “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza…free, free Palestine” (CBSNews.com). Sound familiar?

This horrific occurrence was the inevitable outgrowth of the endless anti-Semitism, blood libels, protests and calumnies against the State of Israel and the Jewish people since Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Is there any doubt that like the Dreyfus affair, the killing of this beautiful young couple was caused by this endless cacophonous screed against Israel and the Jewish people which has created an atmosphere of Anti-Semitism. Emile Zola wrote “J’Accuse” in the newspaper L’Aurore in January, 1898 to protest against the Anti-Semitism that had led to the Dreyfus Affair. So to try to bring this idea forward to our current situation:

J’ACCUSE:
THE UNITED NATIONS AND ITS LEADERS

  • Where endless UN meetings and actions focus on condemning only Israel (the victim of October 7th), accusing Israel of “genocide”, “ethnic cleansing” and deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza; UN Under-Secretary-General Tom Fletcher On BBC Radio on May 20,2025, Fletcher said that “[t]here are 14,000 babies that will die in the next 48 hours unless we can reach them” which was walked back by the UN;
  • UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini “and his colleagues knowingly allow[ed] Hamas and other terrorist groups to infiltrate UNRWA’s employee base, indoctrinate impressionable Palestinian children to pursue a path of terrorism against Israelis and Jews and install military infrastructure underneath or next to UNRWA facilities,” December 2024 report “The Unholy Alliance: UNRWA, Hamas and Islamic Jihad” from UN Watch, based in Geneva. (Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, “UNRWA ‘knowingly’ let Hamas infiltrate, per UN Watch report UNRWA ‘knowingly’ let Hamas infiltrate, per UN Watch report” 1/8/25).
  • UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese
  • In August 2024, Albanese likened Israel’s war on the Gaza strip to the Holocaust, calling it a “concentration camp of the 21st century.”
  • In February 2024, in response to French President Emmanuel Macron referring to the October 7 massacre as “the largest antisemitic massacre of our century,” Albanese tweeted: “The greatest antisemitic massacre of our century? No, @EmmanuelMacron. The victims of 7/10 were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.” For this statement, the governments of France and Germany condemned Albanese for her antisemitism, making it the first time in UN history that both France and Germany condemn a UN rapporteur for antisemitism.  (See: “Why Germany & France Condemned UN’s Francesca Albanese for ‘Disgraceful’ Antisemitism”, March 26, 2024, UNWatch.org). C which have, through misinformation and disinformation, vilified the Jewish State – Israel – whose right to exist is endlessly challenged – For example,
  • M. Gessen– who in the New Yorker magazine likened Israel’s actions in Gaza to the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto by the Nazis --- and won the Hannah Arendt Prize and the George Polk Award for Opinion Writing! Welcome to the upside down world we are living in.
  • NPR – On Friday May 23rd, NPR’s Morning Edition devoted (so far as one could tell) under 2 minutes to reporting the murder of the young diplomats in DC, yet had endless time to discuss the proposed retirement of the US Penny! – Coincidence? For example – “Israeli attacks shut down hospitals in north Gaza, leaving the wounded without care” (NPR.ORG, 5/21/25), “Gaza’s hungry and malnourished kids suffer under Israeli blockade”, (NPR.ORG, 4/29/25), Mass graves dug up at Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital as survivors search for closure”, (NPR.ORG, 3/13/25);
  • AL JAZEERA – here is a nugget – “The Israeli military is in effect controlling 77 percent of the Gaza Strip through “continued genocide, ethnic cleansing”, the enclave’s Government Media Office says, calling on the UN and the international community to take action to stop “blatant defiance of all international laws and norms”. (AlJazeera.com, May 25, 2025). Imagine quoting Hamas’ media office as a source for an article!

VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

Where there were human chains on campuses to stop Jewish students from attending classes. Encampments. Vandalism. Response - The Columbia University President at the May 2025 Graduation Ceremonies said - “I know many in our community are mourning the absence of our graduate, …” , referring to a student who organized anti-Israel protests at Columbia. “Mourning”? “Mourning”!

Protesters in Boro Park targeting Jews in Jewish communities. How is this tolerated in 2025 America? Said New York Governor Hochul “We saw protesters in Boro Park targeting Jewish New Yorkers with hateful rhetoric and antisemitic chants. This is unacceptable.”

“According to recent findings from ‘AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report’, the anti-Jewish hate that engulfed the world at the end of 2023 wasn’t just a moment in time. It is still present and threatens the freedoms of American Jews daily. A large majority of American Jews – 77% – said they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the U.S. because of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, the report found. Nine in 10 (90%) American Jews say antisemitism in the U.S. has increased since Hamas’ October 7 massacre of Israelis”. (AJC.ORG)

AJC CEO Ted Deutch explained how widespread anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric — chants, slogans, and online hate — create the conditions for real-world violence. What begins as words can lead to murder. And this latest attack is a devastating example. (AJC.ORG)

Our leaders need to do more – and the Jewish community must unite to push back against these mortally dangerous developments. Anti-Semitism is all around us now. We all feel it!

AND - BRING THE HOSTAGES HOME – NOW!
AM YISRAEL CHAI!