The family of Sarah Milgrim, a young American who was working at the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, spoke publicly for the first time since her killing last month in an interview broadcast on Wednesday, speaking out against activists justifying her murder.
Milgrim, 26, was fatally shot alongside her boyfriend, fellow embassy employee Yaron Lischinsky, 30, as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The two had just attended a discussion on humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
Their alleged killer, a far-left 31-year-old activist from Chicago named Elias Rodriguez, was arrested and shouted “Free Palestine” as he was led away. Charging documents said he later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
In an emotional interview with CBS News, Sarah’s mother, Nancy Milgrim, was asked about activists supporting the shooter. Groups, including a faction of the Democratic Socialists of America and the extremist anti-Israel group Unity of Fields, have supported Rodriguez.
Milgrim’s mother Nancy said, “I don’t know anything about that, but Sarah wasn’t against the Palestinians, she wasn’t against the people in Gaza.”
“She was in all her heart working towards finding a way for everyone to live together peacefully,” she said.
“There’s nothing more important in Judaism than life and the sanctity of life, and to what end is this fighting and sacrifice?” Milgrim’s older brother, Jacob, told CBS. “What does it accomplish taking my sister from me? It’s not going to accomplish anything,” he said.
Milgrim’s family described her as a “perfect child” who loved the environment, her community and her family.
Sarah grew up in Johnson County, Kansas, and visited Israel multiple times, first for her bat mitzvah in Jerusalem, and later during university. Her path toward peace work began earlier, including time with Tech2Peace, a program that brings together young Israelis and Palestinians for dialogue and tech training.
“Usually a parent tries to mold their child,” her father, Robert Milgrim, told CBS, describing Sarah as someone with moral clarity and inner strength beyond her years. “Sarah molded us… I’m a different person now from learning so much about what Sarah did and her courage….and her striving for peace.”
Milgrim joined the Israeli diplomatic mission in November 2023 after earning a master’s degree in international affairs from American University, where she met Lischinsky, an Israeli who had joined the embassy’s staff after completing his own studies.
Their relationship, Sarah’s father said, was deeply serious, something their family would only fully understand after the tragedy. Her parents said that Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, told them that Lischinsky had planned to propose to Sarah on an upcoming trip to Israel. Unbeknownst to her family, Sarah had even gone ring shopping with a friend to give him hints.
“We saw their love blossom,” said Robert Milgrim. “And we knew how strong it was.”
The family is still processing her death, her father said. “Right now, I’m in hurt. I’m too hurt to say it’s anger or frustration and I don’t know what I’m going to feel later on.”
The Milgrim family is now planning a trip to Israel later this year to meet with Lischinsky’s relatives and visit his grave.
The US Justice Department said Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as other charges, including the murder of foreign officials.
An affidavit filed by an FBI agent in support of the criminal complaint said that as police escorted Rodriguez from the building, he shouted, “Free Palestine.”
Rodriguez later told detectives that he admired Aaron Bushnell, an anti-Israel activist who self-immolated outside the Israeli embassy last year in protest, calling Bushnell a “martyr.” Rodriguez, a 30-year-old from Chicago, also said he had bought a ticket to the event at the museum three hours before it started.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, and is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.