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Vigil planned at Brookline synagogue to mourn murdered Israeli Embassy employees
The two embassy employees were killed by a gunman Wednesday night after an event at the Capital Jewish Museum.
A Brookline synagogue planned a memorial vigil Thursday to mourn two Israeli Embassy employees who were killed by a gunman Wednesday night in Washington, D.C.
Congregation Kehillath Israel hosted the vigil at 7:30 p.m. to remember Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, who were fatally shot as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum, according to an announcement.
“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), said in a statement. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”
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The program included remarks from community leaders as well as singing and prayers.
Milgrim was “warm and compassionate, committed to peacebuilding and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations,” the AJC said in the statement. At the AJC, she helped leaders from the United States, Israel, France, and Morocco advance relations in the Middle East and North Africa, the group said.
Lischinsky was a frequent attendee at AJC events and focused on Middle East issues through his work at the Israeli Embassy, according to the AJC.
Milgrim and Lischinsky were killed following the AJC’s Young Diplomats Reception, an annual event which brings together young Jewish professionals and diplomats from around the world, the AJC said in the statement. This year, the event focused on “humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.”
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“Words cannot adequately express our sorrow,” the AJC said in the statement. “We mourn with Sarah and Yaron’s families, their friends, and all who loved them. May their memories be a blessing.”
Following the shooting, the AJC organized a petition where constituents can email their legislators to call for action against “the drastic increase of antisemitic hate crimes.”
The Israeli embassy also spoke out in remembrance of Milgrim and Lischinsky on X.
“Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives,” embassy officials wrote on X. “Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
Yaron and Sarah were our friends and colleagues. They were in the prime of their lives.
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) May 22, 2025
This evening, a terrorist shot and killed them as they exited an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC.
The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder. No words… pic.twitter.com/2HytKDp8Fr
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