World
Washington Jewish community ‘shaken but resilient’ following shooting
Security has been stepped up in the aftermath of the killing of a young couple
May 25, 2025 11:42
Security has been stepped up in the aftermath of the killing of a young couple
May 25, 2025 11:42The Washington Jewish community is “shaken but resilient” following the fatal shooting of a young couple as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night.
Sarah Milgram, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, who both worked at the Israeli Embassy, were killed as they were leaving a reception for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder on Thursday. He was heard telling police officers at the scene, “I did it for Palestine”.
Alan Ronkin, regional director of AJC’s Washington office, told the Allgemeiner: “We are going to revisit our security protocols, and make sure we follow the recommendations of the experts,” adding that the Jewish community was “shaken but resilient”.
He said that security had been tight at the event, despite the suspect managing to enter the museum in the aftermath of the shootings, where he was then arrested.
Ron Halber, chief executive officer of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, said that since the killings, there had been an increase in police patrols around Jewish institutions.
“A lot of us are looking over our shoulder today,” said Halber. “But we have to keep leading proud open Jewish lives. I’m certainly not going to let it deter me from any public or private event.”
While most Jewish organisations in the city already have robust security in place, including armed guards at most synagogues, according to Halber, the discussions were now about “How long does the perimeter extend? One block? Two blocks?”
About 50 Jewish organisations issued a statement on Thursday calling on the US Congress to increase funding under the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion, more than double the current figure.
“Every Jewish organisation is increasing their security, whether it’s having more guards standing outside during more hours of the day, or if they didn’t have any, adding them,” said Gil Preuss, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
“Right now, it’s short term, and we’ll see whether there’s a permanent change in the level of security. My guess is yes.”
There’s a real desire to be together, and to be in a place where people can mourn and grieve and express everything they’re feeling and feel safe and held
Jewish families have also expressed increased anxiety following the shootings.
Adam Zimmerman, 43, who, just hours before the shooting, had been chaperoning his son’s fourth-grade class on a trip to another Washington museum, said the killings were “a horrific reminder for me – as a Jewish parent in this city – that we all have to be looking over our shoulders all the time”.
“The same seeds of antisemitism that led to Europe in the 1930s and 1940s are still killing people on the streets of Washington, D.C. in 2025,” said Zimmerman, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors.
In the meantime, Rabbi Sarah Krinsky from the Adas Israel congregation in Washington, said on Friday, there were D.C. Metropolitan Police Department cars outside her synagogue, at the end of the block and in the car park.
She was also expecting a significant turnout during this weekend’s Shabbat services. “There’s a real desire to be together, and to be in a place where people can mourn and grieve and express everything they’re feeling and feel safe and held,” she said.