Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy decried the killing two Israeli Embassy staff members who were slain outside the Capital Jewish Museum late in the evening of May 21 as “an act of anti-Semitic hatred and murder.” In a May 22 statement, the archbishop of Washington also urged prayers and solidarity for the slain victims and their families and with the people of Israel and the Jewish community.
Here is the text of Cardinal McElroy’s statement:
“The Catholic community of Washington and Maryland stands in prayer, shock and solidarity with the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, with the people of Israel and with the entire Jewish community which has been attacked in this act of anti-Semitic hatred and murder. That these heinous killings took place against the backdrop of the Capital Jewish Museum, which is both a sign of the rich blessings that the Jewish community has continually provided to our nation and a call to unity in our society, is a further assault upon our social fabric and the love that is the plan and gift of the God who is Father of us all. Let us profoundly deepen our prayers and our commitment to root out hate in our midst whenever and wherever it surfaces.”
The staff members of the Embassy of Israel to the United States, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were leaving an event at the museum when they were shot at close range. Police arrested a suspect in the shooting – Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident who was filmed chanting, “Free, free Palestine” after the attack.
Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, worked as a research assistant for the embassy, and Milgrim, a U.S. citizen, organized visits and missions to Israel.
