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Associated Press
27-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Kansas community holds private memorial for Israeli Embassy staffer killed in DC ambush
Family and friends of Sarah Milgrim, one of two Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot last week in an apparently politically motivated ambush in Washington, D.C., gathered for her funeral Tuesday in the Kansas community where she grew up. Milgrim, a 26-year-old from the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas, was leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum alongside 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky on May 21 when they were shot to death. A suspect, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was arrested and shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was led away. Charging documents said he later told police, 'I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.' Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring before the shooting and was planning to propose to Milgrim in the coming days, those who knew the couple have said. Instead of an upcoming wedding, those close to Milgrim prepared to eulogize her at a private service Tuesday at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas, the temple she attended through high school with her family. Milgrim earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of Kansas in 2021. She was remembered as a warm, uplifting presence at Shabbat dinners and holiday gatherings at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life on campus. 'She believed in connections, in building community and bringing people together,' Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said in the days after her death. He also recalled that she 'was filled with so much love.' After graduating, Milgrim worked at at a Tel Aviv-based organization centered on technology training and conflict dialogue for young Palestinians and Israelis, according to her LinkedIn profile. She had been trained in religious engagement and peacebuilding by the United States Institute of Peace, an organization that promotes conflict resolution and was created by the U.S. Congress. After earning a master's degree in international affairs from American University in 2023, she went to work at the Israeli Embassy, where her job involved organizing events and missions to Israel. A vigil held in her hometown last week drew a standing-room only crowd, including her college roommate, Amanda Birger. Birger described Milgrim as an animal lover and a passionate advocate for the environment. 'She was very tactful about how she used her voice, which sometimes came off as cautious,' Birger said. 'But when it looked like she wasn't speaking up, it's because she was trying to keep the peace.' Milgrim would have been teenager when her Kansas community was rocked by another deadly antisemitic attack in 2014. Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., an avowed anti-Semite and white supremacist, fatally shot three people at two Jewish sites in Overland Park in April of that year. At his trial, Miller openly stated that he targeted Jews for death — though none of his victims were Jewish. Miller was convicted in August 2015 and later sentenced to death. Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, lauded Milgrim as a point person for her organization with women's groups, LGBTQ communities and multi-faith groups. 'She accomplished so much in her short life, and she deserves to be remembered for all the things she brought to this world,' she said. Before her work at the embassy, Milgrim was studying whether friendships between Arabs and Israelis could promote peace, Katz said. 'We knew something like this could happen,' she said. 'I just don't think we thought it would happen to her.'
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Kansas community holds private memorial for Israeli Embassy staffer killed in DC ambush
Family and friends of Sarah Milgrim, one of two Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot last week in an apparently politically motivated ambush in Washington, D.C., gathered for her funeral Tuesday in the Kansas community where she grew up. Milgrim, a 26-year-old from the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas, was leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum alongside 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky on May 21 when they were shot to death. A suspect, 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez, was arrested and shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was led away. Charging documents said he later told police, "I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.' Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring before the shooting and was planning to propose to Milgrim in the coming days, those who knew the couple have said. Instead of an upcoming wedding, those close to Milgrim prepared to eulogize her at a private service Tuesday at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas, the temple she attended through high school with her family. Milgrim earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from the University of Kansas in 2021. She was remembered as a warm, uplifting presence at Shabbat dinners and holiday gatherings at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life on campus. 'She believed in connections, in building community and bringing people together,' Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said in the days after her death. He also recalled that she 'was filled with so much love.' After graduating, Milgrim worked at at a Tel Aviv-based organization centered on technology training and conflict dialogue for young Palestinians and Israelis, according to her LinkedIn profile. She had been trained in religious engagement and peacebuilding by the United States Institute of Peace, an organization that promotes conflict resolution and was created by the U.S. Congress. After earning a master's degree in international affairs from American University in 2023, she went to work at the Israeli Embassy, where her job involved organizing events and missions to Israel. A vigil held in her hometown last week drew a standing-room only crowd, including her college roommate, Amanda Birger. Birger described Milgrim as an animal lover and a passionate advocate for the environment. 'She was very tactful about how she used her voice, which sometimes came off as cautious,' Birger said. 'But when it looked like she wasn't speaking up, it's because she was trying to keep the peace.' Milgrim would have been teenager when her Kansas community was rocked by another deadly antisemitic attack in 2014. Frazier Glenn Miller Jr., an avowed anti-Semite and white supremacist, fatally shot three people at two Jewish sites in Overland Park in April of that year. At his trial, Miller openly stated that he targeted Jews for death — though none of his victims were Jewish. Miller was convicted in August 2015 and later sentenced to death. Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, lauded Milgrim as a point person for her organization with women's groups, LGBTQ communities and multi-faith groups. 'She accomplished so much in her short life, and she deserves to be remembered for all the things she brought to this world,' she said. Before her work at the embassy, Milgrim was studying whether friendships between Arabs and Israelis could promote peace, Katz said. 'We knew something like this could happen,' she said. 'I just don't think we thought it would happen to her.'
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. man sentenced to prison for obstructing hate crime investigation
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Quincy man was sentenced to federal court on Tuesday in connection with the obstruction of a federal hate crimes investigation in 2019. Alexander Giannakakis, 37, went to Sweden following the crimes he had been charged with, and he was captured and extradited to the United States before his sentencing. Charging documents state that around February 2020, Giannakakis' younger brother was the prime suspect connected to four fires set at Jewish institutions in the Boston area. Southwick police looking to find driver who hit a bicyclist on North Loomis Street The first fire was set on May 11, 2019, at a Chabad Center in Arlington, and the same location was targeted on May 16, 2019. A third fire was set at a Chabad Center in Needham, and on May 26, 2019, a fire was started at a Jewish-affiliated business in Chelsea. When Giannakakis' brother was identified as a suspect, he was hospitalized in a coma and remained comatose until passing away later in the year. During the time his brother was suspected, Giannakakis left the U.S. for Sweden where he was residing at the time, and took with him his brother's documents and electronic devices. Upon his return to the United States in March 2020, Giannakakis was questioned by investigators about his brother's connection to the fires and was alleged to have made false and misleading statements. He later hid and destroyed evidence that would implicate his brother in the arsons. Within hours of destroying the evidence, Giannakakis flew to Sweden and remained there until he was arrested by Swedish authorities in February 2022. In November 2024, Giannakakis pleaded guilty to concealing records in a federal investigation, tampering with documents and objects, and tampering with an official proceeding. On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
