Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were identified as the two Israeli embassy staffers killed in a shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025. They had attended an embassy event to mark Israel’s 77th Independence Day on May 10. (X)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cYaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,\u201d the Embassy of Israel in the United States posted on social media. \u201cThe entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The embassy shared a photo of the couple together that Lischinsky had posted on Twitter earlier in the month. It appeared to have been taken during an event at the embassy to mark Israel\u2019s 77th Independence Day.<\/p>\n
The couple both said they were working toward peace in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Lischinsky was a German immigrant to Israel who served in the Israeli army before studying international relations and diplomacy at multiple Israeli universities, according to his LinkedIn profile. He had worked at Israel\u2019s embassy to the United States since September 2022 and was currently a research assistant focusing on Middle East and North African affairs, according to the profile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m an ardent believer in the vision that was outlined in the Abraham Accords and believe that expanding the circle of peace with our Arab neighbors and pursuing regional cooperation is in the best interest of the State of Israel and the Middle East as a whole,\u201d Lischinsky wrote on LinkedIn. \u201cTo this end, I advocate for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lischinsky was a Christian whose support for Israel was entwined with his religious identity, according to his own social media posts and that of a friend after his death. (He said on his LinkedIn page that he made aliyah, or immigrated to Israel under the Law of Return, at 16; aliyah is open to Jews and the children and grandchildren of Jews who do not subscribe to religions other than Judaism.) \u201cIsrael is the only place in the ME where Christians can thrive,\u201d he tweeted in 2021. \u201cNot perfect, but livable (speaking as a Christian myself).\u201d<\/p>\n
Milgrim graduated from the University of Kansas in 2021 and earned two master\u2019s degrees, in international affairs from American University and from the United Nations\u2019 University for Peace, before beginning a role in the embassy\u2019s Department of Public Diplomacy in 2023, according to her LinkedIn profile.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy passion lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work,\u201d she wrote on LinkedIn, noting research that she had conducted research on behalf of a nonprofit, Tech2Peace, that trains Palestinians and Israelis to work together in the tech sector.<\/p>\n
Milgrim grew up in the Kansas City suburbs, where her family has been affiliated with Reform synagogues, and was a teenager when a white supremacist shot and killed three people at Jewish institutions in that city. In her senior year of high school, she was active in responding after swastikas were painted at her high school. \u201cI worry about going to my synagogue and now I have to worry about safety at my school and that shouldn\u2019t be a thing,\u201d she told a local news station at the time.<\/p>\n
The couple was on the verge of becoming engaged and a proposal had been planned for next week in Jerusalem, Ambassador Yechiel Leiter said at a press conference after the shooting. \u201cThey were a beautiful couple,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWords cannot begin to describe the heartbreak and sorrow. Just this morning, we were still laughing together by the coffee corner \u2014 and now, all that remains is a picture,\u201d tweeted Tal Naim, the spokesperson for the embassy. \u201cInstead of walking you down the aisle, we are walking with you to your graves. What an unbearable loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/DC_murder_victims-1.png\")