Dozens gathered in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli embassy in Washington on Thursday to honor the victims of the terrorist attack in which two staffers were killed in May.
Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, both employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington, were shot and killed in May by a terrorist outside the Capital Jewish Museum. The attacker, Elias Rodriguez, said he carried out the shooting “for Gaza, for Palestine.”
“Now more than ever, we feel like part of a community,” Bob Milgrim, Sarah’s father, told The Jerusalem Post. “We’ve always felt a connection to our Judaism and to Israel, but now it’s stronger than ever. We all feel like one family. We all need to be strong, and we need to see this end in peace. I hope that happens soon.”
Hanan Lischinsky, Yaron’s brother, said: “We never thought something like this could happen. He wasn’t a soldier. So many soldiers and people have died recently in our country, but we thought he was safe. He was far away in Washington. It was a huge shock.”
Milgrim’s mother, Nancy, said it was still hard to accept that her daughter would not be coming back. “It’s a void that will never be filled,” she said. “The whole world lost someone truly special.”
Bob Milgrim said: “They [the terrorist] destroyed a beacon of hope – two people who fought with all their might to make things better”
Netanyahu addresses families of terror attack
At the ceremony, Netanyahu said: “We embrace you with all our hearts. Yaron and Sarah, beloved in life and inseparable in death.”
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, dedicated a memorial corner in their honor. It features a mezuzah made from the remains of an Iron Dome interceptor.
“Antisemitism is on the rise, and we’ve all felt it,” said Eliav Benjamin, Israel’s deputy chief of mission in Washington. “But this moment was deeply meaningful. We want to live by their example and continue their path.”
Benjamin thanked the security teams who work around the clock to protect embassy staff.
Embassy employees told the Post protests, threats, and fear would not deter them from continuing their work.