Washington Post asked "Where do Jews belong?" after DC shooting. The internet went stir-crazy.

The Washington Post faced fierce backlash on Friday for a tone-deaf and widely criticized article that many have branded as blatantly antisemitic. The piece, titled “For U.S. Jews, D.C. Museum Killings Deepen Resolve – and Fear,” included a subheading and promotional tweet that insensitively questioned “where Jews belong” following the tragic shooting of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday evening.

The phrasing, left unedited at publication time, sparked outrage across social media, with reactions ranging from incredulous dismay to fiery defiance, including one user’s retort: “wherever I damn well please.”

The shooting claimed the lives of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, a young couple on the verge of engagement, gunned down as they left an American Jewish Committee event for young diplomats. The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 31, from Chicago, was charged Thursday with federal and local murder offenses, including first-degree murder and murder of foreign officials.

Witnesses reported Rodriguez shouting “Free Palestine” and proclaiming “I did it for Gaza” as he was taken into custody, statements he later repeated to police, according to the New York Times. The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential hate crime and act of terrorism.

The Washington Post’s decision to frame the tragedy with a headline suggesting uncertainty about “where Jews belong” was met with amost immediate (and well deserved) condemnation. Social media erupted with accusations of antisemitism, with one user sarcastically questioning if the Post was channeling Nazi-era rhetoric, while another called the phrasing “putrid evil” and a display of “vile bigotry.”

Critics argued the Post’s wording not only trivialized the targeted killing of two Jewish individuals at a Jewish institution but also perpetuated harmful tropes questioning Jewish belonging, especially in the wake of a violent act widely condemned as antisemitic by U.S. and Israeli officials, including President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, announcing the charges, explained the gravity of the loss: “Our community is reeling. Because of one person’s actions, two families are left to grieve for dreams that will never be realized.”

She vowed to hold accountable those who inflict harm, emphasizing unity against such violence. The Post’s ill-judged headline, however, was seen by many as undermining this unity, fueling division at a time when the Jewish community is struggling with heightened fears amid a global surge in antisemitism.

The Capital Jewish Museum, where the attack occurred, denounced the shooting as an “act of horrific antisemitic violence,” with executive director Beatrice Gurwitz affirming the institution’s resolve to continue sharing the story of Washington’s Jewish community despite the tragedy.

Not that the Post has an especially good track record on issues of hate and violence- it doesn't .... But this clumsy and offensive framing took it too far. Not only did it fail to capture the gravity of this targeted attack but it also deepened the pain of a community already on edge.

It's high time Bezos had a serious intervention with his staff (and firing whoever wrote this would be a boss move, too).