Johnson County woman killed in shooting outside D.C. Jewish museum, officials say
One of two Israeli Embassy staff members killed near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday night was from Johnson County, officials said.
The two victims, identified as Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were shot following an event at the museum. National news reports said the two were on the verge of engagement.
Milgrim’s father told The Star that she grew up in Prairie Village. Milgrim, who was Jewish, was a 2017 graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School, and a 2021 graduate of the University of Kansas.
A suspect, who police named as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, of Chicago, was arrested at the scene, yelling, “Free, free Palestine,” while in custody, law enforcement said. On Thursday, Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder and other crimes. According to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Rodriguez told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” when he was taken into custody.
In a message to The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park, Rabbi Stephanie Kramer wrote that Milgrim was deeply devoted to Judaism and Israel.
“We mourn the loss of Sarah Milgrim, a proud member of our congregation, a devoted Zionist and a radiant presence in every space she entered,” Kramer wrote. “Sarah, who was serving at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., was fatally shot alongside her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, in what is being investigated as a deeply disturbing antisemitic attack.”
“Sarah grew up in our community,” Kramer added. “She celebrated with us, learned with us and inspired us with her integrity and purpose. She stood for something larger than herself and she paid the ultimate price for it.”
‘Stolen from us’
Milgrim was a 2021 KU graduate and previously worked with KU Hillel, an organization for the Jewish community on campus, the group said. She worked as an intern and as a board member and made contributions that continue to resonate today, KU Hillel said.
“Sarah’s bright spirit and passion for the Jewish community touched everyone fortunate enough to know her,” the organization said in a statement.
“This news hits our community particularly hard,” said Neta Meltzer, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau-American Jewish Committee office in Kansas City, in a statement. “Our prayers and sympathies are with both of their families. May their memories be a blessing.”
American Jewish Committee Chief Executive Officer Ted Deutch, said in a statement that, “Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,“
“Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends,” he said. “We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”
Milgrim was described as warm and compassionate and committed to peace and worked as a lay leader in AJC, the organization said.
In 2017, Milgrim was interviewed by a KSHB TV reporter after swastikas were spray-painted on buildings at the Shawnee Mission East campus.
“It’s so ignorant that you would bring up a symbol like that, that brings so much pain to a lot of people,” Milgrim, then a senior in high school, said. “It’s not OK.”
“You know, I worry about going to my synagogue and now I have to worry about safety at school and that shouldn’t be a thing,” she said.
In 2021, Milgrim wrote a letter to the editor published in The Star, addressing a study’s findings of higher lead levels found in Missouri children compared to children in Kansas. She wrote that higher lead concentrations in the Kansas City metropolitan area likely also skewed toward communities of color.
“Any ‘significant progress’ to remove lead exposure mentioned by the study is clearly still disproportionately absent for lower-income and African American families on the Missouri side, and that should urgently signal city planners to replace their decrepit piping,” she wrote.
‘In the prime of their lives’
In a statement, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said she was joining in mourning for Milgrim and Lischinsky.
“As I have said before, antisemitic violence is not theoretical, and it is happening now,” she said. “Those responsible for this vicious crime must be brought to justice. In my role as Governor, I will continue to call out antisemitism and be active in pushing back against it. As Kansans, we value peace over violence, dialogue over destruction, and dignity for all people, regardless of faith or background.”
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, who represents Johnson County, offered her thoughts.
“I am heartbroken and horrified,” Davids wrote, “by the tragic loss of Johnson County native Sarah Milgrim and her partner Yaron Lischinsky in the antisemitic attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum last night. This type of hatred and bigotry must have no place in our communities. The victims’ families and the entire Jewish community are close to my heart during this extremely difficult time. We all must stand up against the troubling rise in antisemitic violence we’re seeing in our country.”
In a statement posted on social media, the Israeli Embassy described the couple as friends and colleagues and said they were “in the prime of their lives.”
“The entire embassy staff is heartbroken and devastated by their murder,” the post said. “No words can express the depth of our grief and horror at this devastating loss. Our hearts are with their families, and the embassy will be by their side during this terrible time.”
The Star’s Eric Adler contributed reporting to this story.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 10:25 AM.
