‘This Is a Scar for America’: AJC Director and Israeli Lawmaker Say Global Incitement Led to Washington Killings
Two young Israeli embassy officials were murdered in Washington. AJC’s Avital Leibovich and MK Boaz Bismuth warn: Antisemitic terror is rising, and the world’s silence is enabling it.
By Gabriel Colodro/The Media Line
It was meant to be an evening of purpose. The annual Young Diplomats Reception, organized by AJC ACCESS—the American Jewish Committee’s young leadership division—brought together Jewish professionals and members of the diplomatic corps to discuss humanitarian cooperation and regional partnerships. The theme: “Turning Pain into Purpose.”
Instead, the evening ended in tragedy.
As guests exited the Capital Jewish Museum, a man in a black suit and white shirt opened fire. In widely circulated video footage, the suspected attacker is seen shouting “Free Palestine,” echoing protest slogans heard across the US in recent months. The two victims—Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26—were both staff members at the Israeli Embassy in Washington and a young couple preparing to get engaged.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, reportedly approached a group of four people near the museum and began shooting at close range. He then entered the museum, where he was detained by security personnel. According to DC Police Chief Pamela Smith, Rodriguez was unknown to law enforcement prior to the attack, and no specific threats had been received in advance.
“This is a scar for America,” Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich, director of AJC Jerusalem, told The Media Line. “It’s not just a day of pain for the Jewish community. It’s a sad day for humanity. A sad day for the United States.”
Leibovich emphasized that the purpose of the AJC event was peacebuilding. “One of the panels was about bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza,” she said. “So the murder of these two souls—outside an event focused on coexistence—is horrifying in its contrast.”
The reception, held by invitation only and not promoted on social media, featured speakers from IsraAID and the Multifaith Alliance. Its focus was on providing aid to civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza.
“This was a hate crime. Antisemitic in nature. Let’s name it for what it is,” Leibovich said.
She rejected the idea that Jewish institutions should retreat into silence. “We shouldn’t hide. We should face reality and confront antisemitism, not cower from it,” she told The Media Line.
Leibovich said the AJC has been active in pushing for concrete policy responses. “We need education. We need legislation. And we need enforcement. Antisemites must pay a heavy price for their actions,” she said. “We’ve led training programs with companies, schools, even police forces. People need to understand that a joke about a ‘rich Jew’ isn’t harmless—it’s a gateway to hate.”
She also cited a striking figure from AJC’s latest poll: “Seventy-seven percent of American Jews reported feeling less secure since October 7. That changes how you live—whether you wear a kippah, a Magen David, whether you even attend Jewish events. That’s what we’re up against.”
Lischinsky, born in Germany to an evangelical Christian family with a Jewish father and Christian mother, moved to Israel at 16. A practicing Christian, he was deeply committed to Zionist ideals. He served in the IDF and earned degrees in international relations and diplomacy from Hebrew University and Reichman University. Fluent in German, Hebrew, and Japanese, Lischinsky joined the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022 as a research assistant in the political department. He previously worked at Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority.
Milgrim, an American citizen, joined the embassy’s public diplomacy team in late 2023. She held multiple master’s degrees, including one from American University and another from the University for Peace, and had earned a peacebuilding certificate from the US Institute of Peace. She had previously worked at Tech2Peace in Tel Aviv, an Israeli-Palestinian organization that fosters reconciliation through technology. Her focus, according to her online profiles, was on the role of friendships in peacebuilding. KU Hillel, a Jewish student group at the University of Kansas—where she earned her undergraduate degree—described her as someone whose “bright spirit and passion for the Jewish community touched everyone fortunate enough to know her.”
They had just begun building a life together.
In an emergency press briefing, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the shooting as a direct consequence of global incitement. “There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli incitement to this murder,” he said. “These modern blood libels—about genocide, about murdering babies—paved the way for this crime.”
Sa’ar warned that Israeli diplomats now serve under direct physical threat. “I have been worried for the past few months that something like this would happen—and it did,” he said.
“All Israeli missions will lower their flags to half-mast,” he added. “We will not surrender to terrorism. Since October 7, Israel has been engaged in a battle on multiple fronts—and we will not be broken.”
MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), who leads the Israel–US Parliamentary Friendship Group and chairs the Knesset’s NATO Relations Committee, spoke to The Media Line from the United States, where he is currently on an official visit.
“Just two hours before the murders, I was meeting with representatives of Jewish federations and US officials. The topic was the rise in antisemitism,” he said. “Then two Jews were assassinated outside a Jewish museum. The symbolism is unbearable.”
Bismuth blames months of international incitement. “Two days ago, major outlets claimed 14,000 babies were going to die in Gaza. Two days later, two Jews are murdered in Washington. This is the climate they are creating.”
He warned that diplomatic campaigns rewarding terrorism with political recognition only embolden extremists. “What are we telling the world? That October 7 deserves a prize? That Hamas slaughter leads to statehood? This is not peace. This is surrender.”
He went further, criticizing European leaders for fueling incitement without acknowledging the consequences. “Governments calling for embargoes on Israel, promoting statehood after a massacre—don’t they see how this legitimizes violence?”
“What message is being sent to young radicals? That killing Jews gets international attention? That terrorism pays? That’s the most dangerous message of all,” he said.
When asked what Israel must do next, he was resolute: “Win the war. Regain deterrence. Defeat Hamas. Free the hostages. Deter Iran. Stop the Houthis. A strong Israel is the best remedy for antisemitism.”
Official updates on the investigation came through FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who posted a series of statements on X following the attack.
“The subject is currently being interviewed by DC Metro in conjunction with our FBI JTTF team,” he wrote. “This act of terror has the full attention of your FBI.”
Bongino stated that the shooting occurred just steps from the Washington Field Office and that FBI police officers responded immediately. “Early indicators are that this is an act of targeted violence,” he said, adding, “Targeted acts of antisemitic violence are typically carried out by spineless, gutless cowards. And the penalties will be harsh.”
He confirmed the FBI is reviewing materials possibly linked to the suspect and that no further threat to the public is currently known.
Both Leibovich and Bismuth agree: the attack marks a turning point.
“This wasn’t just an attack on diplomats,” said Bismuth. “It was an attack on the idea that Jews can be safe anywhere—even in the capital of Israel’s greatest ally.”
For Leibovich, the response must be global. “Jews are part of the societies they live in. They flourish. They contribute. Governments must understand: protecting Jewish communities is not charity—it’s national interest.”
She concluded, “We are resilient. We’ve been through tough times. And we will pass through this one, together.”
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