DHS Sec. Kristi Noem Honors Slain Israeli Embassy Staffers In Jerusalem

Forbes Breaking News

DHS Sec. Kristi Noem visited the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem to honor the two slain staffers of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Transcript

00:00Good morning. I want to thank Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Naum, for her important

00:22visit to Israel. This visit, after the horrific murder of Yaron Lishinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim

00:31in Washington, shows solidarity and demonstrates the close relations between our people. Our

00:39hearts break for this loss of young, promising lives. I want to thank you personally, Secretary

00:48Naum, and all the branches of the administration involved, for the intensive investigation

00:54underway. Secretary, I also thank you for your long-standing support for Israel. President

01:02Trump and his administration show great commitment to fighting terrorism and antisemitism. I believe

01:10your visit here is part of it. We truly appreciate that.

01:17Israel has no greater friend and ally than the United States. We thank you for your support.

01:24And the U.S. also has no partner more effective than Israel. No other country in the world has

01:33achieved more impressive results in the fight against those who are also the declared enemies

01:40of the U.S. Thank you. Sorry.

01:50To our enemies, I say today once again, Israel will never surrender to terrorism. Please, Secretary.

01:59Well, thank you. Good morning and thank you, Minister. I appreciate your hospitality and your

02:05focus on recognizing those that we have lost. Following the horrific terrorist attacks in

02:12Washington, D.C. that took the lives of Sarah Milgram and Yaron Linczewski, President Trump

02:19asked me to come here to Israel, to stand with all of you and to honor Sarah and Yaron. Today,

02:26we stand together with profound grief, and our hearts are heavy with the loss of these two radiant

02:33souls that we will no longer have with us. Their lives were so full of promise and love and dedication,

02:41and may they be an inspiration to us of how to live our daily lives as well. They were people

02:46who recognized they were created to serve others, and they did that in a way to take straight on the

02:53face of other people that seek to divide us and that hate us. Yet in this moment of sorrow,

03:00we also ask that you would gather with us to honor their light and the unbreakable spirit

03:05of the Israeli and the American people. Yaron was known for his infectious smile and his unwavering

03:11commitment to peace and the vision of the Abram Accords, but he believed in peace and goodness.

03:18Friends and family shared of Sarah that she glowed with warmth and compassion, dedicating her life

03:24to fostering peace and understanding. Her work for initiatives like Tech to Peace and her career

03:30in public diplomacy were incredibly important to her. Their love for each other, a bond that was so

03:36strong that Yaron had already chosen a ring to propose to Sarah here in Jerusalem, it reminds us of

03:43the dreams that terrorism seeks to destroy every single day. But we will not let hatred have the final word.

03:50Sarah and Yaron's lives are a testament to the power of love and service. They stood for something that

03:56was much larger than themselves, and their memory calls us to do the same. They have lived a life of

04:02significance that has forever changed us. Together they embody the very best of Israel, courageous,

04:10hopeful, and dedicated to peace. Yesterday at the Western Wall I prayed Jeremiah 31.

04:16Jeremiah 31 says,

04:19Thus saith the Lord,

04:21A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children. She

04:28refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Thus says the Lord to us,

04:36Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward in your work, declares the

04:42Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the

04:48Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country. I ask that God may bless Israel and that

04:55God may continue to bless their families, wrap his arms of comfort around them during this time.

05:00President Trump extends his greetings and his grief to all of you and he stands with you as we fight

05:10this hatred in the world and know that Iran and Sarah's lives will be of significance and will matter

05:16and will bring a unity among us that will help us defeat our enemies. May God bless Israel and may God

05:23continue to bless the great United States of America. Thank you, Minister.

05:35We're so very honored that the Secretary is here. To our knowledge, it is the first time

05:42that a Cabinet Secretary has been here on Yom Yerushalayim, a very significant day here in Jerusalem.

05:51And we're grateful for her presence and the fact that the President has asked her to come,

05:56not only to be here to represent him and the United States, but also to offer personal condolences to

06:04the families of Yerushalayim and Sarah. Their lives were taken from them last week. Their lives should have

06:12been celebrated this week as they were going to become engaged here in Israel and plan for a life

06:20together. Instead, because of an act of hateful terrorism, their lives were taken from them.

06:28But their memories will not be taken from any of us. And we should always be mindful that there are

06:35people who pay an incredible price to simply be Israelis and Jews. And it's why the United States must always

06:44stand. And it's why it's so very important that we welcome the Secretary here to the State of Israel

06:52as she comes to offer in person an extraordinary sense, not just of condolences, but also a sense of

07:01confidence that the relationship between our nations will never waver or will it ever falter.

07:08And so, Madam Secretary, thank you. Thank you for being here in person, for identifying the United

07:16States back home. This is Memorial Day, which means we honor those who died giving their lives for the

07:23service of the United States and giving us our freedom. We come on this day to recognize that every day

07:32someone in the service of Israel falls in the battle to keep your nation free. We will not forget that.

08:02We will not forget that.

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