Latest news with #Israeli-GermanSociety
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bonded by work and love, Israeli Embassy colleagues' lives cut short by gunman
They were colleagues, and they were a couple, days away from a marriage proposal. But the interwoven lives of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were brutally cut short Wednesday evening, when the two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot while leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum. The suspect told police he 'did it for Palestine,' according to court documents filed Thursday as he was charged with murder. Milgrim, a 26-year-old American from Kansas, had devoted her burgeoning career to bringing people together to look for ways to promote peace and combat climate change, those who knew her say. Lischinsky, a 30-year-old Israeli citizen who spent some of his childhood in Germany, had a deep attachment to Israel and an interest in bridging cultural and religious divides. He had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. 'A young couple with a bright future, planning their life together,' said Ron Prosor, a veteran Israeli diplomat who knew Lischinsky. Yaron Lischinsky Lischinsky grew up partly in the German city of Nuremberg and moved to Israel at 16. He served in the Jewish state's military 'and chose to dedicate his life to the state of Israel," said Prosor, who taught Lischinsky at Israel's Reichman University. Lischinsky earned a master's degree in government, diplomacy and strategy there. 'He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide,' Prosor said on X. A friend, David Boskey, recalled Lischinsky as someone unafraid to broach hard questions in order to interrogate his own convictions. He met Lischinsky in 2017 in Jerusalem at a Messianic Jewish congregation, where they would often end up talking together about life and faith, Boskey said. The Messianic movement — popularly known as Jews for Jesus — incorporates Jewish symbols and practices, but Israel considers Messianic Jews to be practicing another faith. 'He was looking to see where he was going to go in life, asking questions about calling and about identity and about what he was going to study, where he was going to work, what he wanted to pursue in life,' Boskey said. He described Lischinsky as 'a truth-seeking type of person, mixed with a very, very kind and gracious willingness to serve other people.' Lischinsky helped found the Israeli-German Society's youth forum, according to its counterpart in Germany, and he took a job at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022. There, he worked as a research assistant whose responsibilities included keeping track of important events and trends in the Middle East and North Africa, his LinkedIn profile said. He said he advocated for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding and was an 'ardent believer' in deepening Israel's ties with the Arab world through the U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. On Instagram, his bio included a yellow ribbon symbolizing the struggle to free the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Milgrim's Instagram bio also had a yellow ribbon, as well as a passage, in Hebrew, from the biblical Book of Deuteronomy: 'Justice, justice you shall pursue.' Sarah Milgrim Milgrim was an American citizen, according to Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog. She hailed from Overland Park, Kansas, where a former youth director at Congregation Beth Torah remembers a brilliant girl with a perpetual smile and a sense of purpose. 'She had a passion for Judaism and for Israel, and she wanted to do some good,' said Marcia Rittmaster, the former youth director. She recommended Milgrim for a Jewish leadership internship upon the young woman's graduation from high school. Milgrim went on to the University of Kansas, where she earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies in 2021 and was a warm, uplifting presence at Shabbat dinners and holiday gatherings at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life. 'She believed in connections, in building community and bringing people together,' Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel said. He said she loved asking questions, enjoyed insightful conversations and 'was filled with so much love.' After graduating, Milgrim worked at at a Tel Aviv-based organization centered on technology training, entrepreneurial and conflict dialogue for young Palestinians and Israelis, according to her LinkedIn profile. It said 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. Among them was an Earth Day gathering last month that highlighted Israeli companies and nonprofit groups doing climate work, recalled attendee Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, a philanthropist and a Maryland Commission on Climate Change member. She said she and Milgrim brainstormed by phone just this past week about ways to inform journalists about climate-related innovations in Israel. 'She was exceptionally talented, exceptionally passionate, really kind, extremely well-organized and very effective. And she's the kind of young leader that, really, this nation and the world needs,' Mizrahi said. 'She wanted to create a better future for everyone.' ___ Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Contributing were Geir Moulson in Berlin; Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv; Jennifer Peltz in New York; Sarah Brumfeld in Cockeysville, Maryland; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire. Tia Goldenberg, The Associated Press
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Who were the Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead days before getting engaged?
TEL AVIV, Israel — The two people shot and killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington were young staffers at the Israeli Embassy who were soon to be engaged. The suspect shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was being arrested. Israel identified the victims as Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, without giving their ages. They were leaving a young diplomats event at the Capital Jewish Museum that was meant to 'foster unity and celebrate Jewish heritage' when they were killed on Wednesday. Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. What we know about the Chicago man identified as the suspect in the fatal shooting near the DC Jewish museumHere is a look at the victims: Lischinsky worked as a research assistant at the Israeli Embassy, where he was responsible for a number of tasks, including keeping its political department up to date on 'important events and trends happening in the Middle East & North Africa,' according to his LinkedIn profile. Lischinsky moved to Israel from Germany at age 16, according to his profile, and he said that he had 'the privilege of calling both Jerusalem and Nuremberg my home.' Ron Prosor, a veteran Israeli diplomat, said that Lischinsky was a student of his at an Israeli university. He said that Lischinsky was Christian, 'a true lover of Israel' who had served in the military 'and chose to dedicate his life to the state of Israel.' In Germany, the German-Israeli Society — a group that promotes bilateral relations and solidarity with Israel — said that Lischinsky grew up partly in Bavaria and spoke fluent German. It said that he was a founding member of the youth forum of the Israeli-German Society, the group's counterpart in Israel, and took a job at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022. It said that he was also a passionate photographer. On his LinkedIn profile, Lischinsky said that he advocated for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding. He said that he was an 'ardent believer' in deepening Israel's ties with the Arab world through the U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. On Instagram, his bio included a yellow ribbon symbolizing the struggle to free the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. He earned a master's degree in government, diplomacy and strategy from Reichman University near Tel Aviv. Milgrim worked at the Israeli Embassy's department of public diplomacy and organized visits and missions to Israel. She was an American citizen, according to Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog. In her LinkedIn bio, she said that her passion 'lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work.' She said that as a Jewish educator, she facilitated 'insightful discussions on geopolitics in Israel and Palestine.' She said that she worked in Tel Aviv for Tech2Peace, an organization that provides 'high-tech and entrepreneurial training alongside conflict dialogue to young Palestinians and Israelis.' She had a certificate in religious engagement and peacebuilding from the United States Institute of Peace, an organization funded by the U.S. Congress that promotes conflict resolution. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies with a minor in anthropology and also had a master's in international affairs from American University. Her Instagram bio also had a yellow ribbon, as well as a passage from Deuteronomy, 'Justice, justice you shall pursue,' written in Hebrew.
The Hill
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Who were the Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead days before getting engaged?
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The two people shot and killed outside a Jewish museum in Washington were young staffers at the Israeli Embassy who were soon to be engaged. The suspect shouted 'Free Palestine' as he was being arrested. Israel identified the victims as Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, without giving their ages. They were leaving a young diplomats event at the Capital Jewish Museum that was meant to 'foster unity and celebrate Jewish heritage' when they were killed on Wednesday. Lischinsky had bought an engagement ring and was just days away from proposing to Milgrim on a planned trip to Jerusalem, according to Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter. Here is a look at the victims: Lischinsky worked as a research assistant at the Israeli Embassy, where he was responsible for a number of tasks, including keeping its political department up to date on 'important events and trends happening in the Middle East & North Africa,' according to his LinkedIn profile. Lischinsky moved to Israel from Germany at age 16, according to his profile, and he said that he had 'the privilege of calling both Jerusalem and Nuremberg my home.' Ron Prosor, a veteran Israeli diplomat, said that Lischinsky was a student of his at an Israeli university. He said that Lischinsky was Christian, 'a true lover of Israel' who had served in the military 'and chose to dedicate his life to the state of Israel.' In Germany, the German-Israeli Society — a group that promotes bilateral relations and solidarity with Israel — said that Lischinsky grew up partly in Bavaria and spoke fluent German. It said that he was a founding member of the youth forum of the Israeli-German Society, the group's counterpart in Israel, and took a job at the Israeli Embassy in Washington in 2022. It said that he was also a passionate photographer. On his LinkedIn profile, Lischinsky said that he advocated for interfaith dialogue and intercultural understanding. He said that he was an 'ardent believer' in deepening Israel's ties with the Arab world through the U.S.-brokered agreements known as the Abraham Accords. On Instagram, his bio included a yellow ribbon symbolizing the struggle to free the hostages taken by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. He earned a master's degree in government, diplomacy and strategy from Reichman University near Tel Aviv. Milgrim worked at the Israeli Embassy's department of public diplomacy and organized visits and missions to Israel. She was an American citizen, according to Israel's former ambassador to the U.S., Mike Herzog. In her LinkedIn bio, she said that her passion 'lies at the intersection of peacebuilding, religious engagement, and environmental work.' She said that as a Jewish educator, she facilitated 'insightful discussions on geopolitics in Israel and Palestine.' She said that she worked in Tel Aviv for Tech2Peace, an organization that provides 'high-tech and entrepreneurial training alongside conflict dialogue to young Palestinians and Israelis.' She had a certificate in religious engagement and peacebuilding from the United States Institute of Peace, an organization funded by the U.S. Congress that promotes conflict resolution. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2021 with a bachelor's degree in environmental studies with a minor in anthropology and also had a master's in international affairs from American University. Her Instagram bio also had a yellow ribbon, as well as a passage from Deuteronomy, 'Justice, justice you shall pursue,' written in Hebrew. ___ Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, contributed to this report.
