A close friend of one of the Israeli embassy staff members shot and killed outside the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington, DC has paid tribute to the victim and issued a powerful warning about rising antisemitism.
Yaron Lischinsky, a 30-year-old researcher in the political department of the Israeli embassy, was fatally shot alongside his partner, 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim, in what authorities are treating as a suspected antisemitic terrorist attack.
The gunman reportedly shouted "Free Palestine" before opening fire.
Aaron Morali, who formed a close bond with Lischinsky during a 2017 Birthright trip, described him as “a loving person who always had his heart in the right place.”
Yaron Lischinsky, a 30-year-old researcher in the political department of the Israeli embassy, was fatally shot alongside his partner, 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim
Speaking to GB news, he said: “I met Yaron in 2017 on a Taglit Birthright trip, where he was our security guard. Even then, he stood out for his open, warm nature and strong character.
“We quickly became friends – partly because, like me, he came from a German-speaking region,” Morali recalled.
“One moment that particularly sticks in my memory was our climb up Masada. Once at the top, he said to me: ‘Israel is our home – this is exactly where we’re meant to be.’ That moved me deeply and says a lot about him.
“Yaron was a dreamer with big visions, a loving person who always had his heart in the right place. He inspired me and many others to be proud of our identity,” he added.
Reacting to the news of his friend’s killing, Morali expressed both heartbreak and alarm over what he described as a growing global indifference toward violence against Jews.
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Morali (second from left), formed a close bond with Lischinsky (far right) during a 2017 Birthright trip
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“The impact this has on the community [is] shocking. We did not expect an attack like this to happen. It just shows that being Jewish in 2025 is very, very dangerous,” he said.
“What baffles me is that he decided to live and pursue his dreams here in Israel, and the place where he got murdered was actually in America.
"We’re talking about one of the world’s leading countries — how is it possible that Jewish hate still exists there?"
Antisemitism in the US has surged since October 7, 2023, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting over 10,000 incidents during that period.
The suspect in this latest attack has been identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez.
Authorities continue to investigate the shooting
REUTERSAccording to witnesses, Rodriguez shouted "Free Palestine" as he was taken into custody and admitted to the crime, stating that he “did this for Gaza.”
Morali told the people's channel: “This has nothing to do with politics. This is a life of a person that was taken for absolutely no reason. It’s shocking that people would even justify it or try to explain it. The killer shouted ‘Free Palestine,’ and whether he likes it or not, this has done absolutely nothing to their so-called cause.”
“It just shows that killing Jews in 2025 is being justified by so many people,” he added.
Authorities continue to investigate the shooting, which has sparked international condemnation and renewed calls to confront antisemitism.
