- 5/29/2025
The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum holds a ceremony on Thursday ahead of its reopening.
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00:00Ose shalom bim romav
00:14Huya ase shalom aleinu
00:23Ve'al kol Yisrael v'yimeru amin
00:39A prayer for peace
00:41Ose shalom bim romav
00:50Huya ase shalom aleinu
00:59Ve'al kol Yisrael v'al kol Yashvetevel
01:07Ve'yimeru amin
01:17Ose shalom bim romav
01:26Huya ase shalom aleinu
01:35Ve'al kol Yisrael v'yimeru amin
01:50Ve'al kol Yisrael v'al kol Yashvetevel
02:05Ve'al kol Yashvetevel v'yimeru amin
02:14Ose shalom bim romav
02:20Ose shalom bim romav
02:29Ose shalom bim romav
02:35Ose shalom bim romav
02:37Ose shalom bim romav
02:38Ose shalom bim romav
02:40Ose shalom bim romav
02:42Ose shalom bim romav
02:44Ose shalom bim romav
02:46Ose shalom bim romav
02:48Ose shalom bim romav
02:50Ose shalom bim romav
02:52Ose shalom bim romav
02:54Ve'imeu, Amen.
03:02O se shalom b'ibrom av,
03:10Cuyas e shalom aleinu,
03:19Ve'alko Yisrael,
03:23Ve'alko Yushvei Teivel,
03:28Ve'imeu, Amen.
03:40O se shalom b'ibrom av,
03:44Cuyas e shalom aleinu,
03:50Ve'alko Yisrael,
03:55Ve'imeu,
03:58Eimeu, Amen.
04:01O se shalom b'ibrom av,
04:07Cuyas e shalom aleinu,
04:13Ve'alko Yisrael,
04:19Ve'imeu, Eimeu, Amen.
04:25O se shalom,
04:29O se shalom,
04:31Shalom aleinu,
04:35Ve'alko Yisrael,
04:37Yase shalom,
04:41Yase shalom,
04:43Shalom aleinu,
04:47Ve'alko Yisrael,
04:49Yase shalom,
04:51Yase shalom,
04:53Yase shalom,
04:55Yase shalom,
04:57Shalom aleinu,
05:01Ve'alko Yisrael,
05:03Yase shalom,
05:05Yase shalom,
05:07Yase shalom,
05:11Shalom aleinu,
05:13Ve'alko Yisrael,
05:17Yase shalom,
05:19Yase shalom,
05:21Yase shalom,
05:23Yase shalom,
05:25Shalom aleinu,
05:27Yase shalom,
05:29Yase shalom,
05:31Yase shalom,
05:33Yase shalom,
05:35Yase shalom,
05:37Yase shalom,
05:39Yase shalom,
05:41Yase shalom,
05:43Yase shalom,
05:45Yase shalom,
05:47Yase shalom,
05:49Yase shalom,
05:51Yase shalom,
05:53Yase shalom,
05:55Ya se shalom, ya se shalom, shalom aleinu ve'alko Yisrael.
06:09Ya se shalom, ya se shalom, shalom aleinu ve'alko Yisrael.
06:25toomó
06:28yalai lai ya hilay lai
06:35yi lai hilay lai liaiä»–i lai
06:43yi lai hilay lai lai
06:48If you want to join us when you catch on to the melody,
07:04please feel free to sing with us
07:06so we can hear our voices together today in community.
07:09Yai, lai, lai, yai, lai, lai, lai, lai.
07:39Yai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, lai, la
08:09Yeah, yeah
08:16Yeah, yeah
08:23Yeah, yeah
08:31Yeah, yeah
08:37Good morning. I'm Chris Wolfe and I have the privilege of serving as the
09:07Board Chair of the Capitol Jewish Museum and on behalf of the Board and the staff, I welcome you here today and thank you for being here.
09:17We gather today under the shadow of immense grief. Our hearts are heavy with sorrow and disbelief. Just a week ago, a senseless, senseless act of violence took from us to bright lights.
09:31Two individuals dedicated to the ideals this museum stands for, Jeroen Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram.
09:41Sarah and Sarah were young, full of life, and deeply committed to building bridges of understanding and promoting peace.
09:51Passion and dedication were evident in all they did. And their loss is an immeasurable tragedy for their families, for their friends, and for all of us who believe in the power of connection and shared humanity.
10:07I ask you now to take a moment of silence in their memory.
10:19In these difficult days, we have grappled with profound sadness and search for meaning in the face of such reckless violence.
10:29We recognize the shock and grief that has rippled through our community, and we want to extend our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of Jeroen and Sarah.
10:41And yet, even in this darkness, we must also find strength. Today, as we mourn, we also gather to reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the Capitol Jewish Museum to its founding mission,
10:57to preserve history, to foster understanding, and to build bridges with diverse communities that make up our community.
11:06This commitment is now more important than ever. Our newly opened exhibit, LGBT Jews in the Federal City, reflects that commitment.
11:16As the Board President and on behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to state unequivocally that we will not be deterred from this vital work.
11:27Last week's senseless act of violence, violent anti-Semitism, sought to sow division and fear.
11:35But we, the Capitol Jewish Museum, represent a celebration of Judaism and a testament to the power of unity.
11:43Our celebration of Judaism and all it has contributed to society is perhaps the best antidote to anti-Semitism.
11:54Today's reopening is not simply a return to normal. It is an act of resilience. It is a declaration that we will not allow hate to silence our voices or diminish our commitment to building a better future.
12:09The memory of Jeroen and Sarah will not be a cause for retreat, but rather a powerful inspiration to redouble our efforts.
12:17Their dedication to peace will fuel our resolve.
12:21Therefore, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to announce that we dedicate our future work to the enduring memory of Jeroen Lashinsky and Sarah Milgram.
12:31In the days, weeks, and months ahead, we will continue to process this tragedy and to heal as a community.
12:39We invite you to join us in this journey.
12:41Let us honor the memory of Jeroen and Sarah by recommitting ourselves to the values they held dear.
12:47Values of peace, understanding, and the unwavering belief in our shared humanity.
12:53I want to acknowledge and thank Councilmember Allen for being with us and for Police Chief Smith.
13:03And I especially want to thank Mayor Muriel Bowser for not only being with us, but offering to speak to us today.
13:11Mayor Bowser has been a stalwart supporter of the museum from the very beginning, was here at our opening.
13:17And in the face of this tragedy from that very evening and with the press conference, has offered words of comfort and support and resolve.
13:27And so, Mayor, thank you very much for being here.
13:41Good morning.
13:43I want to thank the entire staff here at the Capitol Jewish Museum for bringing us together.
13:51I also want to thank them for the work that they have done over the last week with their own staff, who I'm quite sure has been traumatized.
14:03Their work with the city and their neighbors to get to this day.
14:09I also want to thank the entire board, the small family who had a vision for celebrating not only the American Jew, but the Washingtonian Jew.
14:22And I was very captivated by that vision that they would invest and saw the value of making sure that the Jewish experience of Washington was acknowledged, celebrated and never forgotten.
14:41A week ago, the chief called me and she told me that she was responding to the scene of a heinous crime, an unbelievable tragedy.
14:52In an instant, a young couple had their lives cut short, two families were left out, as stated, and the fear and grief, of course, has transcended the entire Jewish community, our entire city and the world.
15:09I want to thank our faith community here in Washington for coming together in D.C.
15:16As unfortunately, we have practiced, we have practiced because we have had to respond to other incidents of hate, anti-Semitism and the fear that it causes in our city.
15:32The morning after the shooting, 180 faith leaders and community leaders joined a call to offer prayers and to stand shoulder to shoulder in solidarity with our Jewish community.
15:49I believe strongly and I have said often, it is not up to the Jewish community to say, support us.
15:56It is up to all of us to denounce anti-Semitism in all forms.
16:01I see so many leaders gathered here today and I want to thank you for your support.
16:10I want to thank you for your good ideas and our own declaration to continue to work together.
16:19This is the first and only museum focused on local Jewish history and the culture in our city.
16:26In three years and after three prior moves, we were proud to bring the historic Addis Israel Synagogue to be a part of the site and to be a part of the teaching of history of Judaism in D.C.
16:40I was heartened last week when I stood with the United States Attorney for D.C.
16:51in talking about our investigation with the FBI and our march towards justice in this case.
17:01But what struck me in Judge Pirro's remarks was her knowledge about this museum and about Addis.
17:10And it made me feel good that the small family and this whole community came together to make sure that that history was preserved here.
17:22We know that one of the goals of the museum is to inspire visitors to think about our own place in history and each day we all have a choice about how we show up.
17:34For people of faith, we make choices every day about how we live our faith out loud and how we seek a more just world.
17:41So one of my messages to our community here in D.C. is for people of all faiths to keep showing up for the Jewish community and to keep showing up for the Capitol Jewish Museum.
17:57Spaces like this that teach us history, that allow us to connect, inspire, reflect, people coming together of all backgrounds, faiths, ages, coming from different places in the world and different places in the city,
18:13can talk about important ideas and ways that we move together for a better collective future.
18:20That's part of why my administration has been committed to providing grants to institutions like this one and we will stay focused.
18:30Unfortunately, that work is not done.
18:33And how we can continue to provide that support going forward.
18:39While I am saddened by the circumstances, outraged actually, that bring us together today,
18:46I am grateful to look around and see the values of our city represented here and the resiliency that we heard described in getting open.
18:58So it sounds like, you know, part of my charge to my team in every difficult circumstance is that we have to get open.
19:07We have to get open.
19:09We have to get back to normal.
19:10We have to allow people to come to work.
19:12We have to allow people to grieve.
19:15We have to allow people to talk.
19:18And we have to live our missions.
19:20So thank you for getting open.
19:45It's an honor to be up here with my colleagues and to be with all of you here today as one of the senior clergy at Addis Israel.
20:08It is a gift to be, as the mayor said, reopening the doors of this important museum.
20:15The psalmist says in Psalm 147,
20:18Healer of the brokenhearted, binder of our wounds, be with us in our anguish.
20:28Help us to transform the darkness to light.
20:33One week ago, anti-Semitic rage took two of the brightest lights from us, Sarah and Yaron.
20:41Sarah, a lover of nature, of animals, committed to peace, diplomacy, building bridges and seeking to cultivate empathy in the world.
20:51And her beloved, Yaron, born in Israel, knowing at a young age that he wanted to be a diplomat, a master of languages with a deep desire to build bridges across cultures.
21:04They were beloved to their families, to their friends, to their community.
21:10And each of them is a world that was taken from us.
21:14So how do we transition from this tragedy to reopening the doors of this museum today, to the staff, to the board, to the security team of this awesome museum?
21:27This reopening is exactly what our city, our country, and our world needs.
21:34To keep telling our stories.
21:38Who we are as a people, to have us be known.
21:43What our values are, what we are to the city, what we contribute, and the intricacies of what make us who we are.
21:50Not only so that we don't shrink from fear, but also because it is the path to better understanding each other.
22:03Through our storytelling, may we turn our lament into building bridges, and once again, to finding joy.
22:10Amen.
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24:45of their terror their hate or their violence we pray that we value god's mercy his creation
24:55and god's ways being mindful that god does not want us to be cruel to each other nor to be the
25:02victim of cruelty but to treat all humans as a sacred creation of the almighty creator this
25:10opening today highlighting the history of the jewish community here in the district of columbia
25:18it's an invitation it's an invitation to embrace our shared original identity as fruits of the first
25:26human adam from which came the many wonderful beautiful diverse expressions of human life
25:34that have contributed to the strength and beauty of our nation e pluribus unum we are all under one
25:41roof the sky and the natural order of life is driving us as we're here today to work together
25:48for there is no path to peace as our board of director chris said no path to peace peace is the
25:54path and it's the hope of every human soul may we all be a credit to our race the human race
26:03and as this invitation says to value our intrinsic nature to live together intelligently and
26:11peacefully in the spirit of universal kinship working to build bridges of faith over fear
26:21hope over despair love over hate and peace over violence
26:33thank you for allowing us to stand with you in this moment of grief and resolve
26:45the more we learn about your own and sarah the greater our collective grief and that their beautiful
26:52purposeful lives met such a violent end and that their families and friends their co-workers and
26:58allies committed to peace and goodwill will not only forever mourn and miss them we all must wonder how
27:06the world could have been had their lives not ended so so i will just briefly offer a prayer
27:18gracious and merciful god of all we are here
27:20we are here we are here in great sorrow to consecrate this place as a memorial to your own and sarah
27:29and to and in common cause to commit to the work to which they felt called
27:37may we all do our part to rid our communities of hatred and violence
27:42help it to see help us to see one another with your eyes and to live in hope of that day
27:51when there will be peace in this and every land and that no one need live in fear
27:59until that day help us to do all that we can to protect and cherish life create sanctuaries of peace
28:08and safety and safety and serve the good of all
28:17may your tender mercy surround those who grieve and may the memories of our loved ones not only be a
28:23blessing but a source of inspiration to us all in your name amen
28:38dr gerwitz chairman wolf thank you thank you for reopening these doors thank you mayor bowser and
28:50members of dc council for your leadership and determination to fight hate protect our values
28:57and declaring that hate has no place in washington dc
29:02this museum stands today as more than than bricks and glass it's a reminder that history must be
29:12remembered that stories must be told and that communities must be protected the opening is more
29:21than a ceremony it's a defying act of hope a declaration that memory matters that culture still endures
29:32and that justice is still worth pursuing in moments of grief and trial the strength of this city
29:42and dc math eight equals one many faiths equal one and our strength has always been found in this
29:51people faith leaders the mayor's interfaith councils civic leaders neighbors shoulder to shoulder
29:59different voices different voices but one purpose we are one city washington dc and we are at our best we show up
30:12for each other we knock down two times you get up a third time and we not only show up for each other we will
30:23speak out together and when we move forward not as scattered strangers but as one people bound by a common calling to repair
30:35the world and as the prophet isaiah declared you shall be called the repair of the breach
30:43the restore of the streets to dwell in
30:46let us live up let us lean in to that call and let's do it together
31:03good morning
31:22first of all i'd like to thank the museum for allowing me
31:26to briefly talk about my friendship with sarah milgram
31:36from the very first moment that i met sarah
31:40i knew that she was a special person
31:43her warmth and her smile could light up any room
31:48when we first met a couple years ago
31:50i knew that i had met a true mensch
31:54someone who embodied integrity
31:57kindness
31:58and a deep sense of purpose
32:02over the years we have had the privilege of partnering on several events together
32:07focused on pride and lgbtq inclusion
32:12sarah wasn't just a colleague in that work
32:15she was a passionate advocate
32:17she made it her mission to ensure that lgbtq voices
32:23were heard and celebrated within our local local jewish community
32:29her advocacy was deeply rooted in her values and her unwavering belief in dignity for all
32:38i will always remember sarah for how she made space for everyone
32:42whether it was the lgbtq community
32:47women or people of color
32:51sarah always made sure that there was space at the table
32:56she made people feel seen
32:59valued and embraced
33:03as we heard from many over the reflections of the last
33:07week we know that sarah was a true public servant
33:10she approached her work not just as a job but as a calling
33:17she was a peace builder in the truest sense
33:21someone who lived out our values our jewish values of
33:24tikkun olam or repairing the world
33:27she did this both in her professional life
33:31and the way she treated everyone around her
33:33this tragedy is even more painful by the loss of her beloved yaron
33:44sarah and yaron were to be engaged this week in israel
33:48and looked forward to building a future together
33:52our hearts continue to be with their families and their loved ones
33:56for our colleagues at the israeli embassy and for all of us who saw in them
34:00a future that was bright
34:04their lives were intertwined in love service and the shared vision of peace
34:10and now they are together in memory
34:14even in this deep grief we hold on to the light that sarah and yaron shared freely
34:20their warmth their commitment and the love that they spread through community
34:27and connection that is what they stood for and that is what we must carry forward
34:34and so as i close i would like to share this prayer of peace
34:39and healing written by nancy krisman
34:41to the one who blessed our ancestors and the one who blesses all beings here on this earth
34:52bless all those who are suffering the grief of someone they loved
34:57may they find solace in their memory and may their love find a resting place in their hearts
35:04may they have patience and strength as grief can come in waves throughout their lives
35:12may they find the courage to share their grief with others
35:16no matter how many years have gone by
35:19while they can be shattered by loss they can be healed by the love from others
35:25sacred one help them find ways to open their hearts to love and to hope
35:33bless all those who are grieving for it is an honor to have lived
35:37blessed make both life and death a blessing amen
35:44the sarah and yaron were taken from us at this museum museum that we heard is meant to celebrate our
35:50shared heritage we must not let that act dim the light of what this museum represents
35:58which is a testament to jewish resilience
36:00a place to tell all of our stories and a beacon of hope for our jewish community
36:08may the memories of sarah and yaron be a blessing
36:13may we find strength in each other as we honor their lives and may
36:18and may their legacy inspire us to keep building a more compassionate and inclusive world
36:30of the american jewish community washington region
36:48i was here that evening because i was asked and honored to be the closing speaker
36:55at the ajc young diplomatic reception i was really honored to be asked because as you can see i'm
37:02much older than most of the people that were at the event so it was very very special for me
37:10and when i looked around the room that night it was filled with the beautiful faces of young people
37:18people talking sharing lively engaged and then suddenly it wasn't
37:29that an attack could happen like this in our nation's capital is truly a wake-up call
37:37we've been shouting it out for a while we know from the annual american jewish committee survey
37:4491 percent of american jews believe anti-semitism in the u.s is increasing and 73 percent including myself
37:55feel less secure living in the u.s than they did a year ago and after what happened here that number will
38:03likely go up the young people attending this event were targeted because they attended a jewish event
38:12or because they were jewish or they were perceived to be jewish there has been a dramatic increase in the use of rhetoric
38:23demonizing jews and jewish organizations and this has got to stop
38:31we cannot separate this violence from the rhetoric that fuels hate and conspiracies against jews
38:38they are just words but this is what globalize the intifada means it means that you or you or you
38:49could get shot and killed leaving this building right now because you are simply in a jewish institution
38:59everyone who is here that night will have their own story including myself
39:05for me i left the building at five minutes to nine by myself in the dark i had parked a block and a half away
39:17it was dark it was wet i'm 67 years old and i didn't want to slip on the pavement i was looking down at the floor
39:28as i walked i i didn't think for a minute well i thought to myself here i am again by myself in the dark
39:40walking down a dark street in dc going to a pretty empty parking garage and i thought to myself well i didn't
39:49think i'd get shot because i was jewish i did think the possibility exists that i would get mugged
39:58i was probably not a good target in retrospect i've got gray hair and i was alone why shoot one person
40:11when you can shoot more i may have walked past the shooter i don't know because i was looking at my feet
40:19six minutes after i passed that spot two people were dead it could have been me by standing up today
40:31we honor the memories of sarah milgram and yaron leshinsky two beautiful souls who believed in bridge
40:38building and a better future one thing i will remember about sarah and if you watched the funeral you
40:46probably would have noticed this too that every time she had a choice in her life or made a decision
40:53she always chose hope she was committed to peace building and passionate about sustainability and
41:01people-to-people relations she traveled with ajc on a fellowship where she joined other american israeli
41:09french and moroccan leaders focused on advancing relations in the middle east and north africa
41:17yaron always had a smile on his face and a welcoming presence he was passionate he was intelligent
41:25he was a hard worker and always willing to go the extra mile and before he left the museum that night
41:32he shared how excited he was to be going back home to spend the jewish holiday of shavuot
41:38with his family in israel and as josh mentioned he had bought a ring and was planning to propose to sarah
41:48it's a beautiful love story with a very unhappy ending may their memories be a blessing
42:08good morning i'm bea gerwitz and i'm the executive director of the lillian and albert small capital jewish
42:20museum from the bottom of our hearts thank you for being here with us to remember sarah and your own
42:29to support the jewish community and to stand with us as we rededicate ourselves to the important work
42:36of the museum i specifically want to thank mayor bowser police chief smith council member allen and all
42:44the first responders in the room for your support over this past week and in this room today in case you
42:50were wondering we feel the embrace of so many overlapping communities our closest neighbors our museum
42:59colleagues our jewish community our interfaith community the outpouring of support from all of
43:05you has strengthened our whole team in the past week we have come to know sarah and your own through
43:12their friends families co-workers and then the many remarks today today uh thank you so much everyone
43:23for sharing your tributes with us even as you are grieving i have come to learn that sarah and your own
43:30represented the best of us pursuing the peace that we all yearn for through their work at the israeli
43:38embassy and their connections with the local jewish community they wanted to bring forward a better
43:42future they collaborated with other jewish groups synagogues and leaders in the region to strengthen
43:48our community for example just last week as we heard a little sarah was helping to coordinate
43:53activities related to world pride and dc their story was part of dc's jewish story and therefore
44:03part of the museum's story we are interested here in all facets of jewish life in the region
44:10from jewish baseball teams to political buttons to board meeting notes but as a jewish museum focused
44:17on washington dc we have a special interest in the ways people come to dc to change the world
44:25so many young people like sarah and jerone arrive in our nation's capital from across the globe ready to
44:32get down to work for us all they want to make a difference build bridges work in diplomacy they
44:41organize marches they lobby their representatives they go to mixers happy hours and networking receptions
44:49to meet other young people and to build community these are jewish stories representing jewish lives and they
44:57need to be told deserve to be shared and we as a museum are taking up that unique responsibility
45:08we always hope that the stories we tell in this museum will continue to aspire inspire our visitors
45:13to find their own way forward through our exhibits and programming we strive to build connections
45:20identify points of commonality encourage civic engagement and always educate the public about the
45:27richness diversity and vibrancy of jewish life that work will not stop last week's anti-semitic attack
45:38cannot be our last chapter so we reopen today and we dedicate ourselves to honor your own and sarah and
45:47their commitment to repairing the world and building bridges and we take strength and all of you as we
45:54go forward and fulfilling that mission thank you for being in community with one another this morning
46:01we look forward to welcoming you back many many times
46:15a house for all people gather us in hope for all people surround us
46:45in peace for all people in wholeness and in love
46:59of korea israel am cho to see lee
47:08israel am cho ta's
47:19him
47:21Make of us a house for all people.
47:28Gather us in hope for all people.
47:35Surround us in peace for all people.
47:42In wholeness and in love.
47:47And let us sing, Amen.