Directors at the Capital Jewish Museum in downtown Washington, DC, have issued their first statement since two Israeli embassy staff were shot dead outside the building yesterday evening. Beatrice Gurwitz, the museum’s executive director, alongside the board of directors, said they were “heartbroken” by the events.
The victims of the shooting have been named as Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. They were killed while leaving an event at the museum organised by the advocacy group American Jewish Committee (AJC).
The museum’s statement continued: “We are working to re-open the museum in the coming days, with all necessary security in place, so we can return to telling the story of Jewish Washington for thousands of visitors from around the world.”
A suspect in the shooting has been identified by police as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez who was seen “pacing back and forth outside of the museum”, said Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department at a press conference following the shooting. Smith said that the suspect “approached a group of four people, produced a handgun and opened fire striking both of our decedents”.
Jojo Kalin, a board member of the American Jewish Committee, told the BBC Today programme that following the shooting, the attacker entered the museum. Kalin gave him some water but “at that point, ‘he whips out his red Jordanian keffiyeh and he yells free Palestine’,” she said.
Kalin adds that the event, advertised as the AJC annual Young Diplomats reception, was about building coalitions in the Middle East, saying “it's deeply ironic that what we were discussing was bridge building and then we were all hit over the head with such hatred”.
According to its website, the American Jewish Committee is an advocacy group that supports Israel and confronts anti semitism. President Donald Trump said meanwhile on social media: “Hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA.”
The museum, which is known as the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, “explores the Jewish experience in the national capital region”, says the institution website. Its collection comprises archival documents and photographs that trace the Jewish community in Washington DC, suburban Maryland, and Northern Virginia from the 1850s to the present day. Its latest exhibition, LGBTJews in the Federal City, opened 16 May.
The statement from the museum’s director and board concludes: “In an act of horrific anti semitic violence, a gunman attacked our beloved community. This tragedy is devastating. Such acts of terror attempt to instill fear, silence voices, and erase history—but we refuse to let them succeed.
“The Capital Jewish Museum was built to tell the centuries-old story of the greater Washington region’s vibrant Jewish community. We are proud to tell these stories of Jewish life. In our work, we share Jewish stories in the service of building bridges and opening dialogue in our beautiful city.”
UPDATE: This story was updated on 22 May to include the the Capital Jewish Museum's statement. Shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
