2025 D.C. Jewish museum shooting

2025 D.C. Jewish museum shooting
Crime scene blocked by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia three hours (May 22, 12:34 a.m.)
LocationLillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, Washington, D.C., United States[1]
Coordinates38°53′50″N 77°0′54″W / 38.89722°N 77.01500°W / 38.89722; -77.01500
DateMay 21, 2025 (May 21, 2025)
9:08 p.m. (EDT)
Attack type
Mass shooting[1]
Weapon9mm handgun[1]
DeathsSarah Milgrim (26) and Yaron Lischinsky (30)[1]
MotiveAntisemitism,[2] anti-imperialism[1]

At 9:08 p.m. EDT on May 21, 2025, a man reportedly opened fire at the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., where a Jewish event was held.[1] Two persons named Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were killed.[1][3]

The suspect reportedly shot Milgrim and Lischinsky 21 times[4] at point-blank until his gun jammed[3] or ran out of bullets.[3][4] Several media critics[a] called the shooting antisemitic,[5] while the FBI said on May 23 that the shooting was an act of targeted antisemitism.[2]

Victims

Sarah Milgrim

Sarah Milgrim was an American Jew while Yaron Lischinsky was a German-Israeli.[1] The victims had worked for the D.C. Israeli embassy.[1] They reportedly belonged to groups advocating for peace between Israel and Palestine.[1] Milgrim was hired by the Israeli embassy in late 2023.[1]

Yaron Lischinsky

Yaron Lischinsky moved from Germany to Israel at 16 years old before starting his job at the D.C. Israeli embassy.[1] The event attended by them was held by the American Jewish Committee,[1] aimed at discussing "how multi-faith organizations can work together to bring humanitarian aid to war-torn regions like Gaza".[1]

Suspect

The suspect Elias Rodriguez has been charged with murder.[3][6] There are claims that he belonged to the Marxist–Leninist party Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL)[7] and joined their events between 2017 and 2018,[8] and made posts on Twitter consisting of the phrases "zionazi", "Death To Israel" and sharing videos of the former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[8] The posts were made in the months following the October 7 attack[8] – seen by some scholars as the worst crime against Jews since the end of the Holocaust.[9] The PSL said that Rodriguez "had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017".[7]

Aftermath

42 Jewish organizations requested the U.S. government to address antisemitism in the country.[10][11] Their request includes:[10][11]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Including those of the Vox, The Atlantic and The Forward.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13
    • "Shooting victim Yaron Lischinsky had a German passport". NBC News. May 22, 2025.
    • Herb, Jeremy; Liebermann, Oren; Kent, Lauren; Marquardt, Alex (May 22, 2025). "They came from thousands of miles apart to DC and found love. Then tragedy struck". CNN.
    • "What we know about Israeli embassy staff shooting in Washington DC". BBC News. 2025-05-22.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "FBI says shooting of Jewish couple in Washington was an act of targeted antisemitism". Scripps News. May 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Indictment of suspect in D.C. attack, reveals chilling details". Ynetnews. May 23, 2025. Elias Rodriguez allegedly first shot Ron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim in the back before approaching and shooting repeatedly at pointblank; as Milgrim attempts to crawl away, he shoots again until his gun jams or runs out of ammunition
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Washington shooter fired 21 times in antisemitic double murder of Israeli embassy staff". The Jewish Chronicle. May 23, 2025. The gunman who murdered two Israeli embassy staff outside a Jewish event in Washington DC on Wednesday discharged his weapon 21 times [...] DC Department of Forensic Sciences subsequently found 21 used 9mm casings and the murder weapon in the area. The firearm was found "with its slide locked, indicating that no ammunition was remaining".
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Apparent manifesto of alleged DC shooter found, FBI raids Chicago home". Jewish News Syndicate. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025. Among the posts on a social-media account attributed to the suspect are statements that suggest that he holds far-left, violent, pro-Hamas and anti-Israel views [. ...] The Party for Socialism and Liberation, a revolutionary communist party that frequently organizes anti-Israel protests, stated on Thursday that Rodriguez "had a brief association with one branch of the PSL that ended in 2017."
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "In Latest Attack on Jewish Community, Suspect in Museum Shooting Posted Manifesto Calling to 'Bring the War Home'". Anti-Defamation League. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  9. ↑
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Jewish Community Security Needs Statement" (PDF). fedweb.org. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Rod, Marc (May 23, 2025). "Jewish community urges additional action from federal government following D.C. shootings". Jewish Insider.
  12. ↑
  13. ↑
  14. ↑
  15. ↑
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