Members of the American University community are grieving following the fatal shooting of Sarah Lynn Milgrim, MA/School of International Service ‘23, and her partner, Yaron Lischinsky, on May 21. The couple were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Northwest D.C.
Milgrim and Lischinsky were at the museum attending a reception for young diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee.
Local authorities quickly identified and arrested the alleged shooter as 31-year-old Chicago native, Elias Rodriguez, according to reporting by the BBC. After being taken into custody, videos on social media showed Rodriguez chanting “Free Palestine!”
He was charged in court on May 22 with several felonies including murder of foreign officials, causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and two counts of first degree murder.
Milgrim graduated from the University with her master’s in international affairs in 2023. In 2022, she received an award from the SIS Mehdi Heravi Internship Fund to support her work in Israel with the organization Tech2Peace, which aimed to encourage peace talks and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.
According to SIS, after receiving the award, Milgrim said, “My dedication to service has proven undeterred by violence and [I aim to] continue to transform the region for the better.”
Their deaths occurred the same day as AU President Jonathan Alger announced the “Campaign for the Future of Jewish Life at AU,” in partnership with AU Hillel.
In the aftermath of the killing, Alger sent an email to the University community condemning the “horrific antisemitic violence.” In his email, Alger wrote, “Sarah was only beginning her life’s journey, and it is anguishing that her light was taken away because of hate.”
His email reiterated the University’s commitment to supporting Jewish students, and ensured the school is a safe space for everyone.
SIS Dean Shannon Hader also released a statement mourning Milgrim’s loss. She highlighted how Milgrim’s work, both at AU and otherwise, was dedicated to peace building.
“Sarah’s work and scholarship were committed both to peace in the Middle East as well as to the necessity of addressing intertwined political, historical, and environmental harms,” Hader wrote. “Our thoughts and hearts are with you in mourning Sarah’s beautiful life and with her family and friends. May her work and mission continue to inspire students who are dedicated to waging peace.”
Other campus organizations, such as AU Hillel and AU College Republicans, also released statements.
Hillel wrote, “We in the Jewish community will not abandon our ideals in the face of hatred. As we mourn Sarah and Yaron, we hold close the light they brought to this world and to our local Jewish community.”
The AU College Republicans statement said, “We call on student leaders to denounce and condemn the hateful ideologies that fuel such horrific brutality.”
Sapir Parnes, a sophomore in SIS and a member of the Chabad AU student board, is heavily involved with Jewish life at the University. For Parnes, the shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum wasn’t shocking — it was inevitable.
“While this is something that is absolutely horrible, I'm not surprised,” Parnes said in an interview with The Eagle. “I knew that something like this could happen, especially as we've seen increasing antisemitism across not only the United States and Washington D.C., but honestly across the entire world.”
Following the attack, Parnes anticipates a difficult road ahead for Jewish students on college campuses, both at AU and nationwide.
“I unfortunately see this causing more tension, more fear, and while I try to be optimistic about these things I don’t see this turning into a meaningful dialogue,” Parnes said. “Jewish students are in fear that this could be them.”
As a student leader with Chabad, Parnes shared her commitment to creating a safe space for students.
“If anyone is ever feeling unsafe, whether it's physically, it's emotionally, whatever the case may be, I want to be there for them. I want to give them a safe space where they can feel like they can be proudly Jewish,” Parnes said. “This specific antisemitic terror attack is not going to take away that I will be out wearing my Star of David every single day, and it will not take away that we have so many proud Jews on this campus.”
Jason Benkendorf, executive director of AU Hillel, said that the attack has deeply impacted the University’s Jewish community, especially because both Milgrim and Lischinsky were at an event that he said was focused on “peace building and humanitarianism.”
“Sarah walked this campus as a graduate student just a few years ago. Some members of our community knew her personally, and even more of us can relate to her,” Benkendorf told The Eagle.
Despite the fear provoked by the attack, Benkendorf affirmed Hillel's commitment to continuing its core mission to host programming and educate the student body.
“We will continue to educate the campus community about Jewish identity and antisemitism, and to empower students to fight antisemitism and all forms of hate, but we won’t let hate derail us from the critical work of building a vibrant, inclusive, and caring Jewish community,” Benkendorf said.
He also called on the AU community at large to show solidarity and support for Jewish students on campus. Jewish students make up 21.1 percent of undergraduate enrollment and 19.2 percent of graduate enrollment.
“I hope that members of the AU community who aren’t Jewish will reach out to the Jewish folks they know to express care and support and to hear, directly from the Jewish people in their lives, what they’re feeling and experiencing,” Benkendorf said.
Benkendorf said that AU Hillel is in close contact with the AU Police Department to ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus.
Amidst the grief, the community continues to honor Milgrim’s memory. By reflecting on Milgrim’s legacy and dedication to peace, Parnes hopes that people will strive to emulate her.
“I hope we can all hope for peace, and we can all build towards meaningful dialogue,” Parnes said. “It’s so important to continue that dialogue just like Sarah did, and I really do hope that we can continue her legacy.”
Correction: A previous version of this article referred to AU Hillel as a chapter of Hillel International. They are independent and not structured as a chapter of a larger organization.
This article was edited by Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Emma Brown.
