Last night, a man opened fire on four people outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. Two victims, Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, died as a result. Both worked at the Israeli embassy in Washington.
The suspect, 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, shouted “Free Palestine!” before shooting. Law enforcement believe this was an act of targeted violence.
The following Manhattan Institute experts are broadcast-ready and available for comment.
Charles Fain Lehman, fellow at the Manhattan Institute and senior editor of City Journal.
“The murders of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim are just the latest example of radical, left-wing, antisemitic activism’s real consequences. A movement that valorizes Hamas, and that endorses civil terrorism to achieve their goals, will necessarily inspire murderous acts. It happened last month at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s home, and last night in D.C., and it’s only a matter of time until it happens again.”
Read Charles’s full commentary in City Journal here.
Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow and director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute.
“A sickness is spreading in our society. Enough gaslighting about Israel’s policies; attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions are antisemitism pure and simple. The failure to nip such illiberalism in the bud on our campuses and the rush to excuse violence and intimidation as ‘mostly peaceful’ protest allows those who want to overturn Western civilization to succeed. We need to excise this cancer from the body politic.”
Tal Fortgang, legal policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
“The appalling murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim is many things — tragic, chilling, and frightening. But it is not surprising. A network of anti-Western organizations like the one with which the apparent murderer was affiliated have been stoking hatred of Jews, Israelis, and the U.S. for years.
American government and law enforcement must crack down swiftly and without apology, investigating these organizations, their leadership, their funding, and the role they have played in lawbreaking in our cities and on our campuses — from vandalisms to civil rights violations to murder. The American people cannot stand for a terror campaign that seeks to undermine our civilization with intimidation, disinformation, and violence.”
To book an interview on this topic, please email Manhattan Institute’s director of media relations Leah Thomas at lthomas@manhattan.institute.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
