In D.C., an Israeli employee was shot dead as a young couple got engaged
They were young, in love, and only a few days away from an event that would change their lives. The ring had already been purchased by Yaron Lischinsky. He intended to pop the question to Sarah Milgrim, his girlfriend, in Jerusalem the following week. However, the pair was shot dead outside a museum in Washington, D.C., before he had a chance.
Yaron and Sarah were both employed in Israel’s embassy in Washington, according to the Israeli Embassy in the United States. The couple was assaulted on Wednesday night after attending a diplomatic function at the Capital Jewish Museum. According to police, the shooter, who was later identified as Elias Rodriguez, yelled “Free Palestine” while being taken into custody.
Both the Israeli embassy and the larger Jewish diplomatic community have been shaken by the killings of Yaron and Sarah. Tal Naim, an embassy spokesperson who had been close to the couple, posted this painful reflection: We are accompanying you to your graves rather than down the aisle. What a heartbreaking loss.
The Israeli embassy posted a picture of the pair Thursday morning, confirming their identity and describing them as committed to peace, caring, and dedicated. In a statement posted on Facebook, the embassy stated, “Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues.” They were living their best lives.
Their murder has saddened and heartbroken the whole diplomatic personnel. The extent of our sadness and grief at this terrible loss is beyond words.
The American Jewish Committee threw what was called a “Young Diplomats Reception,” which was followed by the shooting. Young Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45 were to be brought together. In 2022, 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky relocated from Jerusalem to Washington, D.C.
He excelled in college and was elected “delegate of the week” after attending a Model UN event in Paris. On LinkedIn, he identified himself as a fervent supporter of the Abraham Accords and interfaith discussion, and he had written about the significance of “multilateral cooperation between countries.” “A warrior on our diplomatic front that fell just like a soldier in the battlefield,” said Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s foreign minister, in a direct address to Lischinsky’s father.
In late 2023, the 26-year-old Milgrim had relocated to Washington. She was employed by Tech2Peace, an Israeli nonprofit organization that promotes communication between Israelis and Palestinians, prior to joining the embassy’s public diplomacy division. She had a strong belief in unity, according to her former employer. The group wrote on Instagram, “Sarah was a very inquisitive individual who was constantly looking to learn and connect.”
Her commitment to creating a better future was clear in everything she did, and she united people with empathy and purpose. Her spirit and voice will be sorely missed. The couple had met Israeli President Isaac Herzog during his visit to the United States six months prior to their deaths.
Herzog called them “Flowers of our people who were plucked just before they were supposed to get engaged and build a life together” in a memorial he shared on Thursday. Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter revealed during a press conference that the couple was getting engaged, as many had feared.
He claimed that the young man bought a ring this week with plans to pop the question to his girlfriend in Jerusalem the following week. A ring intended for a fresh start is now associated with loss.
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