We Liberals Can Learn a Lesson from Charlie Kirk

Dear friends,

Violence is never acceptable.

The murder of Charlie Kirk is another dangerous milestone and a warning sign for us all about the risks of political violence.

No matter one’s politics, the loss of life in such a violent way leaves a wound in society that should trouble us all. As someone who also faces attacks for his social and political activism, this meets me personally.

On behalf of LIBRAEL's board of directors, team, and the entire LIBRAEL community, our hearts go out to Mr. Kirk's family and loved ones as they endure unimaginable pain.

Kirk dedicated himself to a mission he believed in - a seemingly impossible mission. At LIBRAEL, our mission is extremely different, but the challenge feels familiar.

At LIBRAEL, our mission is extremely different, but the challenge feels familiar.

First and foremost, let us be clear: this murder is appalling and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. We’ve seen too much political violence in recent years - against President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, Governor Shapiro, Governor Whitmer, the late State Rep. Hortman, and many more. We’ve also seen political violence in Israel.

This has to stop now.

As a liberal, I disagreed with many of Mr. Kirk's views, but that only makes this moment more outrageous. Violence has no place in democratic life.

It cannot replace debate, it cannot replace persuasion, and it certainly cannot replace the ballot box.

The very reason we have democratic systems, in Israel and in the U.S., is to enable different groups in society to manage our differences without resorting to violence.

As New York Times’ Ezra Klein wrote: “Kirk... was showing up to campuses and talking with anyone who would talk to him... When the left thought its hold on the hearts and minds of college students was nearly absolute, Kirk showed up again and again to break it. Slowly, then all at once, he did.”

Kirk dedicated himself to a mission he believed in - a seemingly impossible mission.

At LIBRAEL, our mission is extremely different, but the challenge feels familiar. We, too, seek to engage young people - particularly on the American left - with difficult conversations, to connect them to Israel’s story, and to do so through respectful dialogue, not division; through building bridges, not “lecturing” or finger-pointing.

If there is one thing we, liberal Zionists who work to reconnect Israel and the American left, should learn from Kirk's life - even as we disagreed with him - is his conviction and dedication.

This tragic moment reminds us of the urgency of civility. We must remain committed to listening, to disagreeing without hatred, and to preserving democracy as the sacred arena where our differences are resolved through words, not weapons.

Am Yisrael Chai. God Bless America.

Rotem Oreg-Kalisky

Founder and Director, LIBRAEL