The grieving father of a young woman who was murdered along with her partner outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, revealed that his daughter had devoted herself to fostering Israeli-Palestinian cooperation and expanding humanitarian efforts to Gaza — only to be slain by a man who allegedly shouted “Free, free Palestine” after opening fire.
Robert Milgrim, 73, expressed outrage over what he described as the deeply antisemitic nature of the attack carried out by suspect Elias Rodriguez, calling it especially disturbing given that his daughter, Sarah Milgrim, 26, was committed to easing the plight of Palestinians.
“Last night, she was attending an affair to figure out how to get more aid into Gaza,” Milgrim told The Post. “The night she was killed, she was trying to help the situation – that’s the irony.”
Authorities are now investigating the possibility that Rodriguez authored an anti-Israel diatribe online shortly before carrying out the deadly shooting that claimed the lives of Sarah and her fiancé, 28-year-old Yaron Lischinsky.
According to her father, Sarah was deeply invested in her work at the Israeli embassy and had previously spent several summers in Israel, participating in programs aimed at reconciliation and cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians.
Her professional background includes a role in the embassy’s Department of Public Diplomacy, where she coordinated trips and initiatives promoting understanding of Israeli society, as outlined in her LinkedIn profile.
Sarah held two advanced degrees — one in international affairs from American University and another in natural resources and sustainable development from the University for Peace.
Before joining the embassy, she worked at Tech2Peace in Tel Aviv, contributing to research focused on joint peace-building efforts between the two peoples.
“My passion lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work,” Milgrim wrote on LinkedIn.
The double homicide has left Sarah’s family devastated, Milgrim said, and the heartbreak was compounded by the discovery that Lischinsky had planned to propose in the coming days.
“We didn’t even know about it. She was leaving on Sunday to Israel to meet his family. They were going together,” Milgrim said.
“She was happier now than she ever was in her life. She was truly in love with Yaron and vice versa,” he added.
Rodriguez, originally from Chicago, is accused of ambushing the couple outside the Capital Jewish Museum just as they were leaving a diplomatic event.
The attack occurred during a period of sharply rising antisemitic incidents, following the brutal Hamas assault on Israel on October 7, 2023.
{Matzav.com}