A Legacy of Hope: Late SM East alumni Sarah Milgrim is remembered for her impact at SM East and beyond

The Gaza Strip is 6,577 miles away from SM East. Yet, with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, 2015 graduate Jacob Milgrim is reminded of something he wishes his late sister and 2017 SM East alumna Sarah Milgrim could’ve seen.

“I am, of course, hopeful there will be an end to the war but also saddened that [Sarah] will not get to see it,” Jacob said. “We are all still [reliving] Oct. 7, as was Sarah when she was killed, and I think about the loss of what she could’ve done when the war is over and we see the morning after.” 

Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire on Oct. 8 after two days of negotiations, according to CNN. Conversations Sarah, former Embassy of Israel Director of Civil Society Affairs, was consistently pushing for since the attack occurred.  

Sarah was murdered in Washington, D.C. outside of the Capital Jewish Museum on May 21. She was 26 years old. The shooter was protesting Israel’s actions in Gaza, targeting Milgrim and her boyfriend, Yaron Lischinsky, as they left an event at the museum.

“The irony of the situation is she was at an event to work on bringing more aid into Gaza,” Jacob said. “[Sarah], who, for the past two years at the Embassy, had been working to help all these people who were at a disadvantage. She was someone who was working to help Palestinians.”

Sarah’s death, like many others amidst political turmoil, was quickly buried by other global news. Executive orders, attacks, revolutions and foreign policy ran to the top of the page and on everyone’s screens.

“People forget [others’ deaths], and even I forgot until all of this happened: it’s not just stuff on the internet,” Emma Chalk, Sarah’s best friend and SM East art teacher said. “100% we are [desensitized to violence], and it’s really heartbreaking because [Sarah] was filled with so much care and tried her best to do what she believed was right.”  

Sarah lived by the motto “Tikkun Olam,” Hebrew for “Repair the World.” At SM East, Sarah’s actions reflected this pledge, and were carried all the way to the embassy. She was involved in both Environmental and Recycling Club, Jewish Student Union, Young Democrats Club and many other organizations.

“She was as involved as you can get,” Chalk said. “She always loved to take care of people, fix problems, see where the root causes of things were and figure out better ways of taking care of people [and] making them happy.” 

After graduating from SM East, Sarah went on to get her bachelor's in environmental science at the University of Kansas, her master's in international affairs at American University and another master's in resource development and sustainability from United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. 

Sarah began working at the Embassy of Israel in 2023, where she had little time off to return to KC.

“I’m just glad [Sarah] was able to come back [to the SM East area] and take a break from her job [before her death],” Chalk recalls. “She was a busy, busy girl for sure.” 

Sarah wanted to do whatever she could to help everyone, according to Chalk. 

At SM East, Sarah worked to help her community through caring for the community and her peers. Her extracurriculars would ignite the interest for her first degree in Environmental Science at KU. Nearly all the activities had one goal, hinting back at her motto: “Repair the World.”

On top of endless clubs and activities, Sarah would frequently babysit for then-third-grader Morgan Beedle, and her 2025 SM East graduate sister Sophia Beedle. Sarah would educate the sisters about current events and national news, making sure to keep them in the loop at a young age. 

“She really focused on people’s rights and women’s rights, and I feel like I’ve always been that way,” now-senior Morgan said. “I feel like the influence from her and then throughout my family has stuck with me.”  

Morgan has often discussed politics and her views on women’s rights and equality with her friends and family, doing research and staying informed — exactly what Sarah had been pushing her peers to see: the potential for global justice.

Morgan’s mother, Liz Beedle, recalls Sarah’s influence on her children, attributing it to Sarah’s person as a whole. 

“People who are doers and go out and try to make a change [are impressive],” Liz said. “Morgan was in third grade, and I went to her [parent-teacher] conference and I guess the kids, third graders, were talking about the [2016] election a lot. I [hadn’t] even talked to my kids about any of [that]. That was Sarah all summer. I thought it was great.” 

While also being a part of the SM East’s Young Democrats Club, Sarah worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. She went door-to-door to garner votes and support for a cause she truly had faith in. 

Sarah always fought for her beliefs. 

“Sarah wasn’t going to be 18 in November to vote for the election, but she felt very strongly about it,” Liz said. 

Along with her goals, Sarah’s Jewish identity was just as important to her. She belonged to Congregation Kol Ami while attending SM East — a synagogue focused on inclusion and giving back to the community — fit for Sarah’s personal aspirations. 

In late February 2017, SM South students vandalized SM East’s Track and Field shed with three spray-painted swastikas and a message: “East loves Nazis.”

Sarah was disgusted. 

“I remember Sarah being very upset about [the vandalization],” said Liz. “[She explained] to my girls why that was upsetting, and rightfully so.”

Less than a month after the incident, SM East held an informative assembly titled “United Against Hate: Past, Present and Prevention,” to inform students about antisemitism. 

Being a part of the Jewish Student Union at SM East, Sarah was directly involved with the planning and execution of the event. Sarah wanted others to see the potential the world around her had, from third graders to her high school peers. 

Now, eight years later, current JSU President senior Alex Benditt reflects on Sarah’s work, and what SM East can learn from it. 

“[Sarah] left a fantastic legacy, and I think the biggest thing [to take away] is [her] trying to put [herself] out there,” Benditt said. “I would say about 90% of our club is non-Jewish students; my vice president is Catholic. So you get a diverse group of people who are learning something, which is a very useful skill that I think we can all try and appreciate [from Sarah].” 

Jacob attributes this open-mindedness to some of these core values from her lessons in Judaism, which encouraged her to ask questions of herself and the world around her to truly take in all perspectives.

“A lot [of] Judaism is questioning and asking yourself ‘why?’ and discussion and debate,” Jacob said. “[Sarah made] sure that she was someone who always [asked] “why” and [investigated].” 

Alongside her work in Judaism and social justice, Milgrim had an affinity for all living things. Growing up, she had a beta fish, a hamster, a rabbit and two dogs. In college, Milgrim was involved with Operation Wildlife, where she would help animals injured by humans. 

“[Operation Wildlife] feels it’s their duty to help these animals get back out into the wild,” Jacob said. “All of her interests and things like that [show that] she’s just a very caring and selfless person.” 

Years later, Sarah would work long hours and late nights at the Embassy, according to Jacob, working so hard that lunch and rest weren’t ever a priority. Sarah’s friend and roommate in D.C. had a disability and she took care of her in between the day-long shifts. 

“I would tell her ‘You’ve got to take time to yourself. You’ve got to take a break and eat lunch and all that,” Jacob said. “And she was like, ‘No, there's stuff to be done,’ and she knew how important it was. She's just so driven, because there was so much to do, and there wasn't enough time in the day.”

It takes many people who share the same outlook as Sarah to make a peace deal. Sarah's efforts didn't directly lead to peace between Israel and Hamas. But it does remind those who knew Sarah how she lived with compassion and was driven by the pursuit of peace: repairing the world.