What are the key details surrounding the May 21, 2025, murder of Israeli diplomats Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C., and how are authorities framing it amid rising antisemitism?
On May 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C., two young staff diplomats–Yaron Lischinsky (30) and Sarah Lynn Milgrim (26)–were murdered. They were shot outside of the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum.
Lischinsky served in the Israeli Defense Forces and then earned degrees in international relations and diplomacy. He championed the Abraham Accords and interfaith dialogue and was a Christian convert to Judaism.
Milgrim holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas and dual master’s degrees in international affairs from American University and the United Nations University for Peace. She researched peacebuilding with Tech2Peace, then joined the embassy’s Department of Public Diplomacy in 2023. She was active in a Reform Jewish synagogue.
They came from the “AJC ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception” of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). AJC is intended to foster unity amongst young Jewish professionals. Yaron Lischinsky, a German-Israeli, served as a policy research assistant at the Israeli Embassy. Sarah Lynn Milgrim, an American from Kansas, worked in the embassy’s public diplomacy department. Both are working for peace and dialogue in the Middle East.
The suspect is Elias Rodriguez (30) from Chicago, Illinois. He was apprehended at the scene. He shouted “Free Palestine” upon arrest, among other slogans. Court documents reveal Rodriguez saying, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree in English (2018) from the University of Illinois Chicago. He worked at the American Osteopathic Information Association and was an oral history researcher for The HistoryMakers. Past affiliations include the Party for Socialism and Liberation and ANSWER. He bought a 9 mm handgun five years ago.
He arrived in Washington on May 20, 2025. He purchased tickets to the reception shortly before the event. He was pacing outside the museum. Surveillance shows several shots fired as the couple departs. There was a pause for reloading. He discarded the weapon. He entered the museum. Event security detained him.
Investigators examined an alleged manifesto online by Rodriguez. It condemns Israeli actions in Gaza and praises prior protests. Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, murder of foreign officials, and multiple firearm-related offenses.
Authorities are investigating the incident as both an act of terrorism and a hate crime. Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro characterized it as a “death penalty‑eligible case.” Preliminary court hearing is June 18, 2025.
Some reports indicate wide condemnation as an antisemitic act. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attribute the murders to rising antisemitism. President Donald Trump condemned the killings. He described them as ‘antisemitic’ and calling for an end to hate-driven violence. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labelled the act as a “brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence.”
Israeli embassies are reported to heighten security measures globally. Concerns intensified for the safety of diplomatic personnel and Jewish institutions with escalations in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The Anti‑Defamation League reported over 9,300 antisemitic incidents in 2024, which is a 344% increase over five years. U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI continue to investigate.
With files from Reuters, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is Secretary of, and Chair of the Media Committee for, The New Enlightenment Project. He is the publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978-1-0692343) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369-6885). He writes for The Good Men Project, International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN 0018-7399; Online: ISSN 2163-3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), A Further Inquiry, and other media. He is a member in good standing of numerous media organizations.
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