Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman yesterday denounced the heinous actions of a criminal who shot and killed a young couple who worked at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. The County Executive promised the local Jewish community that he is increasing security measures for their safety in response.
The shooting occurred on Wednesday evening and took the lives of Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky and his soon-to-be fiancée, Sarah Milgrim. Following the shooting, the suspect, Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, reportedly walked into the Capital Jewish Museum and began chanting “Free, free Palestine,” before being detained by security. He is currently in the custody of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
“We pray for the souls of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were gunned down in cold blood just because they were Jewish. This antisemitism, these hate crimes, these acts of terrorism have to stop,” County Executive Blakeman stated.
The County Executive said his administration and the Nassau County Police Department are taking additional steps to protect Nassau County’s Jewish community. These measures include expanding the use of drone technology by law enforcement, increasing police patrols and presence at houses of worship and community centers, and dedicating more resources and staff for resident outreach.
“We have to be vigilant in making sure that we secure our county, and that our county is safe,” said County Executive Blakeman. “We can do our best, and we do our best each and every day. The one thing we can do is make sure that we don’t tolerate hate crime, that we don’t tolerate antisemitism or any kind of racial or religious attack on any religion, any racial group, any ethnicity. That will not be tolerated in Nassau County.”
Residents who see or experience something concerning are encouraged to call the NCPD House of Worship desk at 516-500-0657. For any emergency situation, residents should immediately call 911.