People react to Israeli embassy shooting: It's 'the definition of antisemitism'

USA Today

22-05-2025

People react to Israeli embassy shooting: It's 'the definition of antisemitism' Two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot while exiting the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
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Two Israeli Embassy Workers Killed Outside Jewish Museum In DC
Two Israeli embassy workers were killed on May 21, near the Jewish Capital Museum in Washington DC.
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WASHINGTON – Sarah Remes prepared herself for the sight of yellow caution tape and blinking police lights on her walk to work the morning of May 22.
It didn't help. She burst into tears anyway.
At about 9 p.m. the night before, steps away from where Remes walked, two Israeli embassy staff members were fatally shot while exiting the Lillian & Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, had been leaving the American Jewish Committee's annual Young Diplomats reception.
The murder suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 30, allegedly chanted "Free Palestine, Free Palestine.'
Police are still investigating the motive behind the crime.
More: 'Senseless hate': 2 Israeli embassy staffers fatally shot at Jewish event: Live updates
But for Remes, who describes herself as a 'culturally observant jew,' the shock of seeing the crime scene this morning crystalized a terrifying thought: 'two people had been murdered because they were Jewish,' she said.
Most people USA TODAY spoke to near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar fear. They said the killings sparked a mix of anger, pain and sadness. Some said the murders highlighted the need for more nuanced discussions about antisemitism in the United States and the ongoing Israeli Palestinian conflict.
A need for nuance
Since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Remes' said the sight of the Capital Jewish Museum on her near-daily walks has served as a reminder of community. Its presence, she said, gave her relief.
'Like many Jewish Americans, we have buried in our DNA this idea that (expletive)could hit the fan at any time,' Remes, 41, told USA TODAY. 'The events of Oct. 7 brought that to the forefront for me and for a lot of people.'
The shooting shattered any sense of safety she felt.
'Do I now have to be scared if I go there, or any other Jewish space? The answer is yes,' she wrote in a post on Facebook.
A self-described critic of the Israeli government's actions in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, Remes said the murders have also confirmed her deep-seeded concerns about the black-and-white way people discuss the conflict.
'Some people have conflated criticism of Israel with antisemitism, and I think it is very possible and very legitimate to criticize Israel and the positions of the Israeli government, and that doing so is not in and of itself, antisemitic,' she said over the phone.
'But killing people because they are Jewish, even if you are acting out of an anger about the Israeli government's actions … is the definition of antisemitism,' Reme added.
Others milling around the security perimeter near the Capitol Jewish Museum expressed similar concerns.
Anna Beth Havenar, 31, had just arrived at her hotel in Washington last night from Atlanta, with her friend, Mariah Charnock, 38, for a girl's vacation when their phones began blowing up with messages from friends asking if they were safe.
The pair work for a Jewish-Christian bridge building organization, though neither of them is Jewish.
Their visit to the nation's capital was a consolation prize, after a trip they planned to Israel was cancelled due to Houthi missile strikes. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in both Israel and Gaza.
'My mom texted me this morning. She's like, I can't believe like, you couldn't go to Israel because of violence, and you went to D.C. instead, and now look what happened,' Havenar said.
The AJC's Young Diplomats event, which was themed around turning pain into purpose and addressing humanitarian crises, would have been right up their alley, Charnock said. Havenar lived in the region for several years and said she has friends who live in Israel and Gaza.
'It's really sad, and my heart's broken,' Havenar said. 'People don't understand that you can absolutely have compassion and seek justice and long for that without demonizing one side.'
Mourning the loss
Nissimmi Naim Naor, 41, stood by the caution tape staring at the scene for more than half an hour. A rabbi from Jerusalem, Naim Naor had been visiting cities along the east coast of the United States for about a week to teach workshops.
He said he walked the streets of Washington, D.C. last night, and heard about the shooting when he got to his hotel room.
'I just felt like I had to come,' he said of the site of the shooting.
'I'd like to remind the Jewish community in the U.S. how our hearts are open with them, and how much we feel the same way they felt on Oct. 7,' he said. 'It was important to me to come here to show this, to tell them that we're standing with them.'