There are 2 Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C

Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Benjamin Netanyahu, and a Jewish Activist’s Call for Action Against Anti-Semitism

Police said that two people were shot and killed outside a synagogue during an event in Washington, D.C.

Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith told reporters a man was observed ” pacing back and forth” outside the building after an event for diplomats wrapped up at the Capital Jewish Museum.

The man approached a group of people and opened fire. A couple were killed, officials said. Afterward, the shooter entered the museum and was detained by event security, Smith said.

Smith said that the suspect chanted ‘Free, free Palestine’ while in custody. Police said they had identified the suspect as Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago. Smith said that he had no previous encounters with the police.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered an increase to security arrangements at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, his office said in a statement. “My heart aches for the families of the beloved young man and woman, whose lives were cut short by a heinous antisemitic murderer,” he said.

Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said the victims were a couple about to be engaged. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple who came to enjoy an evening in Washington’s cultural center,” Leiter said.

The ambassador said he received a call from the president. The president, Leiter said, told him the White House would do “everything they can possibly do to fight and end anti-semitism.”

President Trump stated on his social media site that there is no place in the USA for hate and radicalism. So sad, that such things can happen. God bless you all!

Ted Deutch, the CEO of the group, was quoted as saying that they were devastated by the incident. “Our attention and our hearts are solely with those who were harmed and their families.”

“We are actively investigating and working to get more information to share,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the social media platform X. “Please pray for the families of the victims. We will bring this depraved perpetrator to justice.

Steve Jensen, an official in the FBI’s Washington field office called the shooting “a heinous crime.” The FBI is investigating “ties to potential terrorism or motivation based on a bias-based crime or a hate crime,” he said.

American and Israeli politicians alike denounced the shooting. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X that there was absolutely nothing to justify the murder of innocents.

Added Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N.: “Attacking diplomats and the Jewish community is crossing a red line. Israel will act to protect its citizens and representatives around the world.

NPR’s Odette Yousef contributed to this report from Chicago, and NPR’s Jennifer Ludden contributed from Washington. Shir David contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel.

“Justice for Wadea”, a Palestinian-American who was killed in the Gaza war, and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office

Rodriguez was an employee of the American Osteopathic Association. An employee of the organization was arrested as a suspect in the attack, and they said that they were cooperating with the investigation.

The windows of an apartment believed to be his were covered with political signs facing the street below. Some signs were for politicians and causes but many of them addressed Israel’s war in Gaza. One called for a ceasefire, while another demanded “Free Palestine!” The letters stated “Justice for Wadea”, referring to Wadea Al-FAyoume, a Palestinian-American who was stabbed to death in his home by his family’s landlord. The Hamas-led attack happened in Israel.

He was taken into custody around the time of the shooting and was being interviewed by the FBI as well as the DC Metropolitan Police Department.

Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago and resided in the northwest neighborhood of Albany Park, in an apartment on a quiet, leafy residential side street.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he spoke with the parents of both victims, saying that he “shares in their great grief along with the entire people of Israel.”

In a post on X, Shoval Ronen said that he taught Lischinsky at the Argaman Institute in Jerusalem, saying he was “a Christian, a great lover of Israel, who immigrated to Israel, served in the army, and decided to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and Zionism.”

Source: Here’s what we know about the 2 [Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C.](https://www.npr.org/2025/05/22/nx-s1-5407572/israeli-embassy-staffers-killed-washington-dc)

Sarah Milgrim, the 21-year-old founder of the AJC, and the father of two Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C.

The mayor of Kansas City said that people in his area know the pain of religious-based violence. We pray for its end.” The site of a shooting that left three people dead, and was later deemed a hate crime by law enforcement, was a Jewish community center.

The statement said she paid the “ultimate price” for standing for something bigger than herself.

Milgrim grew up in Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City, and was a member of a reform synagogue nearby, B’nai Jehudah. In a statement, the temple called Milgrim “a devoted Zionist and a radiant presence in every space she entered.”

The public diplomacy department of the embassy had two employees, one of which was a researcher. Lischinsky wrote on his profile that he was an advocate for religious dialogue between Israel and Arab neighbors.

Ted Deutch, the AJC’s chief executive, said that Sarah and Yaron were taken from them. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and anguish as we attempt to comprehend the tragedy.

26-year-old Sarah Milgrim was an American born in Kansas, and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky was originally from Germany but immigrated to Israel when he was 16, according to his LinkedIn profile. He held citizenship in both countries, according to both the Israeli and German governments.

Source: Here’s what we know about the 2 Israeli embassy staffers killed in Washington, D.C.

Israel’s antisemitic attacks on the Gazan government are the latest in a string of US-Israeli attacks against Israel

The attacks were seen by both US and Israeli officials as the latest in a marked increase of antisemitic incidents, as Israel ramps up its offensive in Gaza, where the risk of famine looms for a population ground down by months-long blockade.