COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — The Jewish community across Columbus is grieving and outraged after two Israeli embassy staffers were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday night.
Police in Washington, D.C., have identified the victims as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were reportedly leaving an event celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month hosted by the American Jewish Committee.
“Antisemitism is rising, undeniably, and the fact that it translates into physical acts of violence that have now robbed two beautiful young people of their lives, and their future, is something that does not shock us,” said Senior Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Police Chief Pamela Smith said the suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 30, approached a group and opened fire. When he was later arrested, the suspect began chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” Smith said.
Local law enforcement around Columbus, including Bexley Police, say there hasn’t been a request for increased police presence around synagogues and Jewish centers, but they are willing to protect if needed.
We reached out to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. They sent us a statement:
“The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has worked with 6-8 various Jewish Centers and Schools across Franklin County for more than 10 years to provide Deputies for Special Duty on a regular assigned basis. We are aware of the tragedy in Washington, D.C., and we have reminded our Deputies working those Special Duty assignments to remain vigilant of their surroundings.”
“Here in Columbus, we’re very blessed to have very close connections and excellent relationships with local law enforcement, with the political leadership in central Ohio, and with our interfaith siblings who care about us as we care about them,” said Senior Rabbi Skolnik.
According to data from the Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism, since July 2024, there have been nine terrorist plots and attacks targeting “Jews, Zionists, or Jewish Institutions here in the United States.” They say this is the highest number of attacks against Jews on record since ADL began tracking incidents 46 years ago.
Ohio recorded 233 antisemitic incidents in 2024. That is a decline from 238 in 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League in Cleveland.
“I would also say to people who feel some sense of pain or sorrow or hate, that violence is not the answer,” said Rabbi Skolnik “That Sarah and Yaron were gathered together with members of the Jewish community in the capital of our country, of the United States, not for an exercise in violence, but an exercise in community.”
According to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, the young couple were about to be engaged. The Israeli Embassy confirmed Lischinsky had purchased the ring earlier this week.
“Sarah and Yaron deserved life,” said Senior Rabbi Skolnik.
Senior Rabbi Skolnik says there’s no choice but to lean on the community and spread hope.
“There is a reason that the national anthem of the State of Israel is called Hatikva, which means the hope, that even when we sing, our national anthem is an expression of hope for things getting better in the future,” he said.
