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Engaged couple killed in DC ‘Free Palestine’ shooting identified

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Yaron Lischinsky and his fiancée-to-be, Sarah Milgrim, both of whom were employed by the Israeli embassy, were shot and murdered during an antisemitic terrorist attack in Washington DC. 

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The two victims gunned down outside of an event held at a Jewish museum in Washington D.C. have been identified as Yaron Lischinsky, an employee of the Israeli Foreign Ministry serving as a staffer at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C, and his girlfriend, Sarah Milgrim.

Lischinsky and Milgrim, who also worked as a staffer at the Israeli embassy, were shot dead Wednesday night at approximately 9:15 p.m. as they exited the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington D.C., accompanied by two other people.

The gunman, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was detained by museum security personnel shortly after the shooting when he attempted to enter the building.

Police arrived on the scene soon afterwards and placed Rodriguez under arrest.

Video footage of the arrest shows Rodriguez shouting “Free, free Palestine” while being handcuffed.

Eyewitness Sara Marinuzzi told CNN that Rodriguez confessed to police who arrived to place him under arrest, telling them he was motivated by Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“I did it, I did it for Gaza. Free Palestine!”

According to a statement by embassy spokesperson Tal Naim, Rodriguez shot the two staffers at point-blank range.

An immigrant to Israel who moved from Germany at the age of 16, Lischinsky, 28, worked as a research assistant in the Israeli Embassy in Washington’s Middle East and North Africa Affairs office.

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Milgrim worked in the Foreign Ministry’s public diplomacy department at the Washington embassy, after previously working with Tech2Peace, a group promoting Arab-Jewish coexistence via technology.

Lischinsky and Milgrim, who were planning to get engaged according to Israeli Ambassador to Israel Yechiel Leiter, were murdered after they attended an American Jewish Committee event for young diplomats.

“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” said American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”

One for Israel, a messianic organization “with the express goal of reaching Israelis with the Good News of Yeshua, training and equipping the Body of Messiah in Israel, and blessing our community with Yeshua’s love,” according to its website, posted on social media after the attack:

“We are deeply saddened and appalled by the devastating news of the violent terrorist attack that took the lives of two of our dedicated Embassy staff in Washington — Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim,” One for Israel, a messianic organization “with the express goal of reaching Israelis with the Good News of Yeshua, training and equipping the Body of Messiah in Israel, and blessing our community with Yeshua’s love.

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“Both were Messianic believers. Yaron was well known among the believing community in Israel and will be deeply missed.

“Our hearts go out to their grieving families in this time of sorrow, and we remain steadfast in our support for them. May their memories be a blessing.”


American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch responded to news of the shooting, calling it an “unspeakable act of violence.”

“We are devastated that an unspeakable act of violence took place outside the venue,” Deutch said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the shooting as a terrorist attack, declaring that “Israel will not surrender to terror.”

“Horrified by this morning’s terrorist attack, in which two of our Embassy staff in Washington D.C. were murdered. Israeli representatives around the world are constantly exposed to heightened risk – especially in these times. We are in close contact with American authorities. Israel will not surrender to terror.”

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Ambassador Ron Prosor, who taught Lischinsky at Reichman University, wrote:


“A young couple with a bright future planning their life together. Yaron, born in Nuremberg, wasn’t just a colleague. I had the privilege of having him as my master’s student at Reichman University.

“Bright, curious, engaged. He was a Christian, a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause. He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide. I paid my condolences to his parents this morning.

“Israeli diplomats don’t just represent a flag. They stand on the front line, defending the shared values that we all cherish in democratic societies. They serve publicly, proudly—and far too often, at great personal risk. This didn’t happen in a warzone. It happened in the capital of the free world, in the heart of Washington D.C.

Chanting ‘Free Palestine’ is not just a slogan, it’s a call to action to target Jews wherever they are. We will not let terror win. May the memory of Yaron and Sarah be a blessing.

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