By Hank Russell
Two state legislators from opposite sides of the aisle came together to condemn the murders of two Israelis in Washington, D.C.
On the evening of May 21, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, two staff members with the Israeli Embassy, were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., when Elias Rodriguez of Chicago allegedly pulled out a gun and shot the pair. Both died and Rodriguez was immediately taken into custody and arrested on federal murder charges.
According to ABC News, Rodriguez allegedly pulled out a keffiyah, or headscarf, and began chanting “free, free Palestine.” Both Lischinsky and Milgrim were about to be engaged.
“My heart breaks for Yaron Lischinsky, Sarah Lynn Milgrim and their loved ones,” said state Assemblyman Daniel Norber (R,C-Great Neck). “This senseless act of violence in our nation’s capital is a stark reminder of the rising antisemitism threatening Jewish communities everywhere.”
“I am outraged by the blatantly antisemitic murder of two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C.,” added Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove).
Lavine, who is also the president of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, called the murders “hate-fueled” and “also an attack on Israel and the Jewish people that is repugnant to American values.”
Norber, who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Israel and served with the Israel Defense Forces, blasted the Democrat-controlled state legislature for holding in committee three bills this week (A.0475, A.4809 and A.4813) designed to protect Jewish students in places of learning. These bills, which define antisemitism, establish punitive measures for antisemitic acts and prohibit state funding for universities promoting terrorist advocacy, were held in committee, preventing them from reaching the Assembly floor for debate or a vote.
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, Norber’s own New York State Antisemitism Vandalism Act (A.3951) was also held in committee, stifling legislation that would establish a Class A misdemeanor for defacing pro-Israel materials raising awareness of hostages in Gaza, addressing the surge in hate crimes targeting Jewish communities, particularly on Long Island.
“I am outraged that the Democratic supermajority has chosen to obstruct [these] bills, which would protect Jewish students and faculty on college campuses where they are increasingly vulnerable,” Norber said. “This failure to act is an abuse of single-party control and a betrayal of our Jewish community. I will continue to fight tirelessly for these protections to ensure safety and justice for all New Yorkers.”