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I Met Yaron Lischinsky the Day before He Was Murdered

(Tablet) Armin Rosen - Israeli diplomats are inevitably Jews among the nations, a tiny sub-tribe that serves as the official foreign representation of the world's only Jewish state, the first in 2,000 years and one of the most hated and lied-about countries in the entire history of humankind. To carry out this mission for fairly low pay, in places far from home where spies and activists and journalists and local Jews are circling you or even actively targeting you at any given moment, requires a typically Israeli mix of creativity, resourcefulness, and optimism. An American or even an Egyptian diplomat can coast on the prestige of their government, but an Israeli one cannot. I met Israeli diplomat Yaron Lischinsky 30 hours before his murder. When we parted ways I noticed how typical Lischinsky was of the country he represented. This was a smart kid, I thought, one who is evidently dedicated to his thankless, indispensable work. Security, and the constant expectation of catastrophe that inspires our vast and expensive infrastructure of safety, are among the defining characteristics of American Jewish life in the 21st century. It's considered normal that Jewish and explicitly Israel-related events are conducted in quasi-secrecy, with their times and locations withheld until the last second. Yet total safety is an illusion. At no point in the past 5,000 years has it been risk-free to be a proud representative of the Jewish people. There are inherent risks to being who we are that no amount of caution or care can eliminate.
2025-05-25 00:00:00
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