Israeli aides Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim identified as victims of embassy shooting in Washington D.C.
A couple working at Israel’s embassy in Washington D.C, who were killed by a gunman, were about to become engaged.
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were attacked late on Wednesday night while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, police said. The suspect was heard shouting ‘Free Palestine’ after he was arrested by cops.
Diplomat Lischinsky, 30, was days away from proposing to his 26-year-old girlfriend, with embassy colleagues explaining he had already bought the ring.
Tributes have poured in for the pair after the Israeli embassy published a photo of them Thursday morning.
Follow the latest updates on the shooting here
Israeli ambassador Yechiel Leiter said at a news conference that the two people killed 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,” he said.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,” the embassy said later in a statement. “The entire embassy staff [is] heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss.”
The pair had been attending an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum, described online as a “Young Diplomats Reception”. The event was intended to bring together young Jewish professionals between the ages of 22 and 45.
Lischinsky was described as a “clever and inspiring person” by a friend, while Milgrim was a curious person with an “unwavering belief” in peace and equality, according to her former employer.
Friends, colleagues and Israel’s most senior officials are lamenting the loss of two promising young diplomats who appeared committed to interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Lischinsky was part of his university’s Model United Nations team in 2019, traveling to Paris in June of that year to meet embassy officials.
He was also voted delegate of the week. In his acceptance statement, he described the importance of providing “a platform for multilateral cooperation between countries”.
Lischinsky worked as a research assistant for Middle East & North African Affairs in the embassy’s political department, according to his LinkedIn page. He moved from Jerusalem in September 2022.
