Jewish Museum where Israeli embassy couple were shot dead outside had just received grant for extra security

The Capital Jewish Museum where two Israeli embassy employees were gunned down leaving an antisemitism event had just days earlier announced a huge new grant to help with its security concerns.

Yaron Lischinsky, 28, and Sarah Milgrim — who were due to be engaged next week — were gunned down in the street as they left the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Young Diplomats Reception at the museum in Washington, DC just after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The museum had announced earlier this week that it had just received more than $30,000 from the city to help offset security costs due to safety concerns — both as a Jewish organization and due to a new LGBT-focused exhibit.

Museum Director Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz told NBC Washington on Monday that money would help pay for security guards “to make sure that everybody is safe and that we are prepared in the event of an emergency.”

“Jewish institutions all around town, all around the country, are concerned about security due to some very scary incidents that some institutions have faced and because of a climate of antisemitism,” Gurwitz continued.

“So, we invest a lot of money in security to make sure that we can keep our doors open to the broad public, that this is a welcoming space, but that people are also safe in this space.”

The couple had just left the venue on 575 3rd St NW, near the FBI field office and the US attorney’s office when suspected gunman Elias Rodriguez opened fire on a group of four people outside the museum, according to DC Police.

Rodriguez ditched the gun and ran inside the museum, where he admitted to the shooting, cop said.
He shouted “Free, Free Palestine” as he was being arrested inside the building.

Wednesday’s event at the museum was the AJC’s largest annual gathering that brought together Jewish young professionals between the ages of 22 and 45, and diplomatic community, according to the event listing.

The theme of the sold-out reception was “turning pain into purpose” and would focus on humanitarian diplomacy and navigating a response to the humanitarian crises in the Middle East and North Africa.