Two weeks after the horrific murder of Sarah Milgrim and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, the Kansas City Jewish community is still grieving.
Mourners from around the world attended Milgrim’s funeral, held on May 27 — in addition to family and community members, leaders including Kansas Governor Laura Kelly; Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas; Jewish Federations of North America Chair Julie Platt; American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch; and Israeli Embassy staffers who worked with Milgrim all were in attendance. Notably, 50 members of KU’s Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, of which Milgrim’s brother was a member, also attended to support the family. Congregation Beth Torah’s sanctuary was filled to capacity, and many more watched the livestream of the funeral. Still more attended shiva at the Milgrim home in the days following.
The funeral followed a vigil on May 22, one day after the murder, rapidly planned and assembled by community leaders ahead of a screening that night of “October 8,” a film about the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel in 2023. Milgrim’s close friend Amanda Birger and two former KU Hillel leaders — former executive director Jay Lewis (now Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City president and CEO) and Rabbi Neal Schuster (who came from Des Moines, Iowa) — spoke in memory of Milgrim.
Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the United States, also arrived in Kansas City on May 25 to be with the Milgrim family. Community leaders quickly organized media interviews and a briefing in addition to Leiter’s multiple visits to the family home.
That same day, Jewish Agency for Israel leaders — including Chairman of the Executive Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, Chair of the Board of Governors Mark Wilf and CEO & Director General Yehuda Setton — sent a letter to local Jewish Federation leadership extending their condolences and support.
The Milgrim family requested that donations in Sarah’s honor be made to Jewish Federation, which has already received nearly 150 contributions.
The nature and circumstances surrounding her death resulted in a flood of media coverage from countless news outlets — locally, nationally and globally. Federation President and CEO Jay Lewis was contacted for an interview by more than a dozen news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Associated Press. Local TV news stations KMBC, KCTV, KSHB and Fox4 KC joined outlets like The Kansas City Star and KCUR in their frequent coverage.
Additionally, editors of the Omaha Jewish Press and St. Louis Jewish Light offered their support and reprinted The Chronicle’s initial article.
On social media, the coverage and condolences were even more plentiful, with many Jewish organizations in Kansas City sending out statements on Facebook and Instagram. Jewish organizations at KU that Milgrim was involved with, including KU Hillel, KU Chabad and KU Jewish Studies shared statements mentioning her “bright spirit and passion” and calling her “a shining light” and a “woman of valor,” respectively.
The synagogues with which the Milgrim family is affiliated — Congregation Kol Ami, Congregation Beth Torah and The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah — as well as other congregations all sent out condolence emails to their congregants. Kol Ami noted that there will be Mourner’s Kaddish for Sarah during its weekday morning Zoom services (8 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.) through Wednesday, June 18, as long as there are 10 adult participants (us02web.zoom.us/j/86547062122).
Local leaders including Gov. Kelly and Mayor Lucas made statements, and world leaders weighed in on social media, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, among others.