Sarah Milgrim's family says she was "striving for peace" and urges end to violence: "What does it accomplish?"
Sarah Milgrim's family says her life was full of love before she was fatally shot last month alongside her boyfriend Yaron Lischinsky outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. The young couple, who both worked for the Israeli Embassy, were leaving a diplomatic event discussing how to get more aid into Gaza when they were killed.
"She wasn't against the Palestinians. She wasn't against the people in Gaza. She was in all her heart working towards finding a way for everyone to live together peacefully," her mother, Nancy Milgrim, told CBS News as the family sat down for their first network TV interview since the fatal shooting.
"Sarah molded us"
Family members described Sarah as the "perfect child," a lover of the environment and people — especially her family and community. But something her father admired even more was her incredible strength.
"You know, usually a parent tries to mold her child. Sarah molded us. She was a stronger person than I ever was," her father, Robert Milgrim, said of the 26-year-old, who grew up in Johnson County, Kansas. "I'm a different person now than before this happened… from learning so much about what Sarah did and her courage… and her striving for peace."
Sarah Milgrim made several trips to Israel, first for her bat mitzvah in Jerusalem and again in college. Then she joined Tech2Peace, a work-study program for Israelis and Palestinians. She started working for the Israeli Embassy in November 2023 after graduating with a master's degree in International Affairs from American University, where she fell in love with Yaron.
"We saw their love blossom for each other. And we knew how strong it was," her father said.
It wasn't until after their deaths that the Milgrims learned the couple had even bigger life plans. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., revealed that Lischinsky, 30, was planning to propose to Milgrim on their upcoming trip to Israel. In the days after the shooting, Sarah's mom also learned from a friend that Sarah went ring shopping to give Yaron some tips.
"We didn't know that he was going to propose then," Mr. Milgrim previously told CBS News. "And the ambassador told us that he knew that he'd bought the ring and was going to present it to her in Jerusalem."
"What does it accomplish?"
Antisemitism and safety fears among Jewish-Americans rose in the U.S. following Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, taking 250 hostage and igniting a deadly war in the Gaza Strip. Protests over the Israel-Hamas war emerged in cities and college campuses across the country — with some ending in violence.
On Sunday, at least 12 people were injured in an attack on a march in support of Israeli hostages at the outdoor Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado. Witnesses said the suspect hurled Molotov cocktails and was allegedly heard shouting "Free Palestine." Sarah Milgrim's alleged killer also shouted "Free, free Palestine" before he was taken into custody, according to law enforcement officials, who called it a targeted attack.
Her older brother, Jacob, called the violence senseless.
"There is nothing more important in Judaism than life and the sanctity of life — and to what end is this fighting and sacrifice? What does it accomplish?" he said. "Taking my sister ... it's not going to accomplish anything."
Now Sarah Milgrim's family is left with a hole in their hearts.
"Right now, I'm hurt. I'm too hurt to say it's anger or frustration. I don't know what I'm going to feel later on, to be honest with you," Mr. Milgrim said.
The Milgrims are planning a trip to Israel in the fall to meet with Lischinsky's family and visit his grave.
Watch more of CBS News' interview with the Milgrim family on the "CBS Evening News."
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