The two Israeli Embassy staffers who were fatally shot in Washington, D.C. were not only work colleagues, but a couple madly in love and just days away from a marriage proposal.
The interwoven lives of Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were brutally cut short at the Capital Jewish Museum, targeted just because they were Jewish.
They were attending an event for young Jewish professionals who work in foreign policy which included a panel discussion focused on finding humanitarian solutions for Gaza.
YARON LISCHINSKY WAS A BELIEVER IN JESUS
Yaron grew up in Nuremberg, Germany to a Jewish father and Christian mother and moved to Israel when he was 16.
He followed his mother’s faith and found a spiritual home at King of Kings — a Messianic congregation near Jerusalem’s bustling Mahane Yehuda market.
He translated sermons for English-speaking visitors and regularly stayed after services to talk about his future with his close friend David Boskey, who led the youth group.
Boskey, 39, who now lives in the US, studying at Kentucky’s Asbury Theological Seminary for a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies recalls: “Our congregation was all Jewish Israelis for the most part. We read from the Torah scroll. Everything was done in Hebrew.”
He said the Lischinsky family attends King of Kings: “They are all wonderful people.”
HOW A LONG-TIME FRIEND DESCRIBES YARON
When he first met Yaron there, David Boskey saw someone who was “soft-spoken, but not timid. Always smiling. Always volunteering.”
He said despite the age difference, they were like brothers, drawn together by faith, questions of identity, and a shared commitment to Israel.
“He was a mensch” — a Yiddish word for a person of integrity and honour.
“A truth-seeking type of person, mixed with a very, very kind and gracious willingness to serve other people.”
‘THE FINEST FRIEND I’VE EVER HAD”
Zineb Riboua, a Moroccan writer and researcher who works with the Hudson Institute in Washington wrote: “Yaron Lischinsky was the finest friend I’ve ever had – brilliant, kind, and endlessly thoughtful.”
“He was full of curiosity and always brimming with ideas. I don’t think we ever had a conversation that didn’t leave me inspired to write something new.”
Despite many others describing Yaron as a “devout Christian,” David Boskey nuanced that description to a “Jew who believed Jesus was the Messiah and that this belief did not negate his Jewish identity.”
Professionally, Yaron worked at the embassy as a research assistant, where he was passionate about the Abraham Accords and interfaith dialogue.
He held a master’s degree in diplomacy. He had served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and was fluent in Hebrew, German and Japanese.
SARAH MILGRIM WAS AN AMERICAN
Sarah Milgrim was raised in the Kansas City suburbs — where her family belongs to a reform synagogue.
A former youth director there remembers her as “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.”
Sarah experienced extreme anti-semitism in her teens in 2014 when a white supremacist fatally shot three people at Jewish institutions in her city.
Swastikas were painted at her high school in 2017.
“I worry about going to my synagogue and now I have to worry about safety at my school and that shouldn’t be a thing,” she told a local TV station at the time.
HOW SARAH IS REMEMBERED IN WASHINGTON
In Washington, she became known as a skilled event planner who helped the Israeli Embassy partner with marginalised communities.
The executive director of a local synagogue recalled: “Sarah never sweated. She just operated with such class and calm.”
She was heavily involved in climate change projects and one former partner recalled: “She was exceptionally talented, exceptionally passionate, really kind, extremely well-organised and very effective.”
“She’s the kind of young leader that this nation and the world needs.”
A Kansas rabbi said her parents, Bob and Nancy, “beamed with joy and pride about Sarah’s work and her steadfast devotion to Judaism and to Israel.”
A standing-room only crowd gathered for a vigil for Sarah in her hometown on Thursday night.
“SARAH AND YARON WERE STOLEN FROM US”
Ted Deutch, the chief executive of the American Jewish Committee which organised the event Sarah and Yaron attended, recalled: “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.”
“Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us.”
The couple planned to fly to Jerusalem this weekend to meet Yaron’s family.
Just days before the tragedy, he had a bought a ring ahead of his plan to propose to Sarah in the Holy City.
