Washington’s Jewish cultural and religious centers are emphasizing the need for security following the killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers — but say they will not be cowed by acts of violence.
The killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were shot dead outside of the Capital Jewish Museum after an event at the venue on Wednesday night, sent shock waves through Jewish communities around the world.
Understanding the Community’s Response
Mixed in with the shock of Wednesday night’s tragedy was also a sense of inevitability, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said.
“Part of this is like people knew that something horrific like this was eventually going to happen” after other instances of antisemitic violence in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California in recent years, Preuss said.
Wednesday’s shooting follows other recent attacks that have been condemned as antisemitic violence, including the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, being set ablaze last month.
Personal Impact on the Community
The attack was deeply personal to the local community, Preuss said, as the young couple was involved in numerous D.C.-wide activities. Milgrim, in particular, was heavily embedded in D.C. life, after graduating with a master’s in international affairs from American University in 2023.
Community members are reeling from the loss of their friends and contending with the “disbelief that something like this happened in our own community, and to people who we know,” Preuss said.
Ensuring Community Safety
He added that sometimes he feels people “don’t take seriously” safety concerns raised by the Jewish community, despite the pattern of antisemitic attacks.
“But what we saw last night was an enactment of globalized intifada, of people attacking the Jewish community — people who were leaving an event that was about bridge-building and peace and how do we solve problems in the Middle East,” he said.
The shooting comes amid heightened tensions following the Hamas terror attack on Israel in October 2023.
Call for Vigilance and Action
Elias Rodriguez, who was “tentatively” identified by law enforcement as the suspect, chanted “free, free Palestine,” while in custody, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith said during a press briefing Wednesday.
Preuss said D.C. officials “dramatically increased security” around the city’s Jewish organizations Thursday morning, and called for increased vigilance, though he noted that upping security practices “doesn’t guarantee that it won’t happen.”
The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on if there are broader plans to bolster security for Jewish institutions in the city.
Community Unity and Resilience
Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, called the shooting a “senseless act of political violence” on Fox News Thursday morning.
“It was clearly a shooting simply because they were Jewish and because they were Israeli,” Halber said, adding that despite the violence, the Jewish community “cannot and will not and doesn’t want to put themselves in a sealed bubble,” but will instead “continue to live proud, strong Jewish lives openly and publicly.”
“What is needed right now is for the federal government to step up and to not haggle and pass a large bill providing billions of dollars to institutions that are at threat,” to increase security hiring and widen protections around Jewish cultural and religious centers, Halber said.
