Two Israeli embassy staff members, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were shot and killed while exiting the Capital Jewish Museum following an American Jewish Committee event, May 21. The suspected shooter, Elias Rodriguez, chanted “Free, free Palestine” before killing Lischinsky and Milgrim. It’s still unclear whether Rodriguez was targeting them specifically, or if he knew they were working for the Israeli embassy.

The AJC event was a Young Diplomats Reception, where international embassy staff gathered to discuss peace and humanitarian aid in the Middle East. Milgrim, an American, advocated for peace between Israel and Palestine, working to encourage dialogue among both groups before moving on to promote peace through the Israeli embassy.

Lischinsky and Milgrim planned to visit Israel a few days after the event, and Lischinsky had bought a ring and was set to propose, according to the Israeli embassy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, “My heart grieves for the families of the young beloveds, whose lives were cut short in a moment by an abhorrent antisemitic murderer.”

The shooting follows a surge of antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military offensive. The Anti-Defamation League recorded over 10,000 antisemitic incidents one year after the initial attacks. In April, the ADL reported a 344% increase in antisemitic incidents over the past five years. In 2022, Whitman was vandalized with graffiti reading “Jews not welcome.” Congress held hearings in May 2024, where they called on many school districts, including Montgomery County, to testify about reports of antisemitism. Whitman administration and individual clubs have organized walkouts and “One Whitman” social justice lessons in light of antisemitic incidents.

Junior Cate Dickstein said she remembers the increase in antisemitism in the years preceding Oct. 7 as well. This killing was part of another trend of growth, she said.

“I know it sounds terrible, but I was not even surprised by it,” Dickstein said. “It seems like every day, you are hearing about some new antisemetic incident.”

Antisemitism frequently spikes after Israel enters a military conflict. During the Israel-Palestine crisis in 2021, the ADL reported a 30% increase in antisemitic incidents since 2020, with around 2,717 acts.

Freshman Jasper Batty noted that many related occurrences have happened since the start of the 2023 Israel-Hamas War.

“I was surprised by the incident, but sadly not as much as I would have been if not for the other awful incidents related to the Israel-Palestine war,” Batty said. “The conflict needs to be ended.”

Some students, like Batty, thought the killing was a political act representing a protest of the war in Israel as a whole, while others felt that the shooter used the phrase “Free Palestine” to announce a random attack.

“What is important to note is that this was not a political killing. The suspected killer, Elias Rodriguez, had no idea who he shot at,” Dickstein said. “He did it for hatred and because he knew he was shooting into a group that had Jewish people. Anyone claiming this was political is just condoning antisemitic acts.”

The Israeli government’s actions in Gaza have killed over 50,000 Palestinians, leading to some pro-Palestine supporters using the shooting as an opportunity to post on social media. Dickstein said a friend of hers posted online, “If you’ve been supporting a genocide for 19 months, you’re not appalled by violence.” Dickstein said she felt the repost suggested a justification for the killing of innocent civilians and showed a desensitization to antisemitic attacks.

Protests — prominently at universities — and acts of violence seen as retaliatory have occurred nationwide. However, the locality of this shooting added concerns for the Whitman community.

“The proximity of the shooting is really scary and makes me hesitant to go to D.C,” an anonymous sophomore said.

Whitman teacher Michelle Holloway said she has recently been further educating herself on the Israel-Palestine conflict and antisemitism. 

“I just don’t understand how those acts of violence are justified by the people that do them because they’re upset about killing and they’re killing,” Holloway said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”

Overall, Holloway sees this as an important issue for the whole community to address through mutual support and education. 

“This whole thing is not a Jewish problem, it’s a societal problem,” Holloway said, “and it needs to be fixed by everybody.”