Legal Defense Fund (LDF) President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement in response to the deadly shooting late last night outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC.
“We are devastated and outraged by last night’s horrific shooting of two Jewish people outside the Capital Jewish Museum. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, and the broader Jewish community, who are now left to bear unimaginable grief in the wake of this senseless tragedy.
“Hate, antisemitism, and bigotry have no place in our country. We must stand united against the forces that seek to divide us through violence and terror.
“This tragedy is a chilling reminder that antisemitic violence is a clear, present, and growing danger that must be confronted head on. That means not only condemning acts of hate unequivocally when they occur, but also dismantling the conditions that allow hate to fester in the first place.
“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community as we mourn the loss of Yaron and Sarah and recommit to the work of building a country where no person fears for their safety because of their faith or identity.”
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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation’s first civil rights law organization. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.
