PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS

May 23, 2025

Palm Beach rabbis decry killing of Israeli embassy staffers in Washington

By Jodie Wagner (Government Reporter)

Religious leaders in Palm Beach voiced shock and grief following the murders of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, were fatally shot as they exited the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, authorities and officials said. They had been leaving the American Jewish Committee’s annual Young Diplomats reception.

The couple had been about to get engaged, according to reports.

Authorities acted quickly following the shooting, charging 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez with two counts of first-degree murder in what is being investigated as an antisemitic crime, according to USA Today. He is also facing several firearms charges and counts of killing foreign officials.

Jeanine Pirro, the interim U.S. attorney for the district, said authorities may pursue the death penalty if Rodriguez is convicted. Rodriguez allegedly chanted, “Free Palestine, Free Palestine,” after being taken into custody by event security after the shooting, USA Today said.

“Our hearts go out to the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim,” New Synagogue Rabbi Barak Bar Chaim told the Daily News in a statement. “May God comfort their families among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.  Our prayers are also with those who were injured, and their families. We stand in solidarity with them, and with all who refuse to let hatred have the final word.”

Bar Chaim said the shooting serves as a “stark” reminder that antisemitism and hatred remain present today.

These belief systems “demand our vigilance and our unity,” he said.

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