Sarah Milgrim, one of two Israeli Embassy staffers fatally shot last week in an apparently politically motivated ambush in Washington, D.C., was remembered Tuesday during a private funeral in the Kansas community where she grew up.
Rabbi Doug Alpert of Congregation Kol Ami in Kansas City, Missouri, gave an impassioned eulogy as scores of attendees sniffled and softly sobbed.
“Instead, through an unthinkable tragedy, you have brought Israel here to Kansas to meet your own loving family in your hometown.
After earning a master’s degree in international affairs from American University in 2023, she went to work at the Israeli Embassy, where her job involved organizing events and missions to Israel.
Milgrim would have been teenager when her Kansas community was rocked by another deadly antisemitic attack in 2014.
Last week, Sarah Milgrim was one of two Israeli Embassy employees who were shot dead in a seemingly politically motivated ambush in Washington, D.C. was honored at a private funeral held in her hometown of Kansas on Tuesday.
Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, were shot dead on May 21 while they were leaving a reception for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum. Milgrim was from the Kansas City suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas. Elias Rodriguez, 31, a suspect, was taken into custody and escorted away while yelling, “Free Palestine.”. He allegedly later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza,” according to charging documents. “”.
Prior to the shooting, Lischinsky purchased an engagement ring and intended to pop the question to Milgrim within the next few days, according to people close to the couple.
Those close to Milgrim celebrated her life at a private service Tuesday at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas, the temple she grew up attending with her family, rather than at an impending wedding.
Numerous guests sniffled and wept quietly as Rabbi Doug Alpert of Congregation Kol Ami in Kansas City, Missouri, delivered an eloquent eulogy.
When Alpert recounted early childhood memories from her parents, Bob and Nancy Milgrim, of her love of hiding as a young child, which earned her the nickname “sneaky,” he initially elicited laughter. They remembered her as imaginative, humorous, and remarkably animal-empathetic. She spent the majority of her childhood as a vegetarian, and she once used her mother’s oven mitts to save an abandoned baby bunny before quickly putting them back in their kitchen drawer without washing them.
However, Alpert’s laughter quickly gave way to tears as she described how Milgrim encountered hostility from both strangers and some of her acquaintances when she joined the Israeli Embassy staff and stated her wish for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In a world full of darkness, Alpert stated, “At this moment, we would like nothing more than to ask Sarah, to speak with Sarah, to learn from such a beacon of light.”. “That opportunity has been stolen from us. Additionally, the Milgrim family was cheated out of a great deal more. “.”.
Sawsan Hasson, Milgrim’s supervisor at the embassy, recalled how Milgrim fought for women’s and LGBTQ rights and never wavered from her goal of promoting peace and uniting people, particularly those who did not share the same beliefs, political views, or religious beliefs.
“You and Yaron were supposed to be in Israel celebrating with his family this morning,” Hasson remarked. Instead, you have brought Israel to Kansas to meet your own devoted family in your hometown due to an unimaginable tragedy. In some way, you have fostered unity and connection even in your passing. “.”.
The University of Kansas awarded Milgrim a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies in 2021. She was remembered as a kind and encouraging presence at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life on campus during Shabbat dinners and holiday get-togethers.
According to Milgrim’s LinkedIn profile, she worked at a Tel Aviv-based organization that specialized in conflict dialogue and technology training for young Israelis and Palestinians after graduating. The U.S. Institute of Peace, a conflict resolution organization founded by the U.S. government, had trained her in religious engagement and peacebuilding. A. Congress.
She went on to work at the Israeli Embassy, where she organized missions to Israel and events, after graduating from American University in 2023 with a master’s degree in international affairs.
In 2014, Milgrim’s Kansas community was rocked by another deadly antisemitic attack while she was a teenager. Glenn Miller Jr., Frazier. was an open white supremacist and anti-Semite who, in April of that year, shot and killed three people at two Jewish locations in Overland Park. Miller publicly admitted during his trial that he killed Jews, even though none of his victims were Jewish. Miller received a death sentence after being found guilty in August 2015.
In addition to praising Milgrim for her work with women’s organizations, LGBTQ communities, and multifaith groups, Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, said last week that Milgrim was researching whether friendships between Arabs and Israelis could advance peace.
She remarked, “We knew something like this could happen.”. “I simply don’t think we anticipated that she would experience it. “.”.
