Murder most foul
On Wednesday evening May 21 at 9:08 pm, two Embassy staffers at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. – Israeli Yaron Lischinsky (age 30) and his soon-to-be fiancée American Sarah Milgrim (age 26) – were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. Both were Messianic Jews – Jewish people who had come to the conviction that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world. Yaron was a research assistant whose responsibilities included monitoring political and social developments in the Middle East. Sarah helped coordinate a variety of travel to Israel, including political, religious and other groups (like visitors studying climate change).
They had been attending a reception hosted by the American Jewish Committee (an advocacy group that supports Israel and fights antisemitism). This ‘Young Diplomats Reception’ is an annual reception bringing Jewish young professionals aged 22–45 together with the diplomatic community in order to advocate on behalf of critical domestic and global issues facing the Jewish community. The theme this year was connected to “bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza through Israeli-Palestinian and regional collaboration.” It was titled “Turning pain into purpose.” Attendees heard from members of the Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID nonprofits on humanitarian diplomacy and “how a coalition of organizations are working together in response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa.” Yaron and Sarah were shot as they were exiting the event.
The shooter was Elias Rodriguez, an approximately 31-year old Hispanic from East Albany Park or Avondale in northeast Chicago near Wrigley Field. In 2017 Rodriguez was affiliated with the far-left ‘Party for Socialism and Liberation [PSL].’ A 2017 article in ‘Liberation’ (a newspaper associated with that Marxist-Leninist group) mentioned that group member Elias Rodriguez gave a speech at a protest against a Chicago policeman accused of shooting Laquan McDonald. That article quoted Rodriguez as asking whether Americans want “a nation of cities dominated and occupied by massive corporations where only the rich and white can live and the vast majority of us must live on edges of the city and society.” Rodriguez added in that article: “The wealth that Amazon has brought to Seattle has not been shared with its Black residents. [Amazon’s] whitening of Seattle is structurally racist and a direct danger to all workers who live in that city. ”
On October 8, 2023, after the Hamas-led attack on Israel, PSL Central Committee member Eugene Puryear helped organize a rally at New York City’s Times Square in support of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terror attack on Israelis, during which he stated: “[T]here was some sort of rave or desert party where they [Israelis] were having a great time, until the resistance came in electrified hang gliders and took at least several dozen hipsters, and I’m sure they’re doing very fine despite what the New York Post says”
A LinkedIn profile appearing to be Rodriguez’ mentioned that he previously worked as a production and logistics coordinator and oral history researcher for ‘TheHistoryMakers,’ a nonprofit aimed at preserving the stories of African Americans. On an X account being investigated by the FBI as appearing to belong to Rodriguez, the owner of that account declares “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” accuses Israel of “genocide” and concludes: “Free Palestine — Elias Rodriguez.” According to open source intelligence, an X profile has surfaced (@kyodo.leather) that seems to belong to Rodriguez. The account started to actively publish on X in October 2023, just two weeks after October 7, and posted content including a video calling to “bomb Tel Aviv” and the words “De@th 2 Amerikkka” and “Happy New Year, Death To Israel.”
After shooting the couple from behind and then ‘confirming’ the murders with a total of 21 9mm bullets, Rodriguez whipped out a red keffiyeh associated with Hamas and kept chanting “Free, free Palestine.” A total of twenty one 9 mm bullets and a handgun were recovered from the scene. According to a complaint filed by the FBI, which was unsealed on Thursday, Rodriguez told police at the scene, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”
When anti-Semites murder Jews in Washington D.C.
Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, noted: “The person who shot these two young people dead last night shouted ‘Free, free Palestine.’ This was done in the name of a political agenda to eradicate the State of Israel. The State of Israel is now fighting a war on seven fronts. This is the eighth front in the war to demonize, to delegitimize, to eradicate the right of the State of Israel.” This shines light on a 900-word signed manifesto which was uploaded to the internet less than one hour after the murders (pre-planned by Rodriguez). In that post Rodriguez (purportedly) declared (regarding anti-Israel demonstrations) that “thus far the rhetoric has not amounted to much.” He advocates “the morality of armed demonstration,” and declares: “I am glad that today at least there are many Americans for which the action will be highly legible and, in some funny way, the only sane thing to do.”
Tal Naim, spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, noted that “for six months, we had dozens of people demonstrating with signs, calling us child murderers, pouring red water on us, which is like blood spilled in Gaza. This is the reality of embassy employees . . . An American citizen who turns on his television – and I’m not even talking about the networks, because that’s much more hackneyed – sees shocking images from Gaza, and many of them are fake. He gets images of destruction, hunger, blaming IDF soldiers for all kinds of crimes – and that definitely affects public opinion here.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the shooting, saying in a statement, “Yaron and Sarah weren’t the victims of a random crime. The terrorist who cruelly gunned them down did so for one reason and one reason alone – he wanted to kill Jews. And as he was taken away, he chanted, ‘Free Palestine!’ This is exactly the same chant we heard on October 7th. On that day, thousands of terrorists stormed into Israel from Gaza. They beheaded men. They raped women. They burned babies alive. They butchered 1,200 innocent people and took 251 innocent people hostage to the dungeons of Gaza. A short time afterwards, Chancellor Scholz of Germany visited Israel. And after he saw the horrors, he said to me, ‘These Hamas terrorists are exactly like the Nazis.’”
The assassination of these two Messianic Jews set off alarm bells across the world – especially among those who are still shocked by murderous Islamist terrorism and the vicious deeds of their supporters and fellow travelers. Our immediate family are friends of Yaron’s family, and two of our sons were friends of Yaron.
Running the good Jewish race
Whether in life or in death, Yaron and his beloved Sarah’s lives testify to their unshakeable faith in Israel’s Messiah Yeshua. Yaron had faithfully attended a Messianic congregation in Jerusalem where one of my sons (part of the leadership) had a close connection with him. He was a courageous and kind young man, asking the hard questions and rejoicing in biblical answers. Sarah was hoping to be immersed as a believer in Yeshua on her planned upcoming trip to Israel, where Yaron was planning to propose to her and to give her an engagement ring. All this was cut short by the despicable assassination.
Yaron and Sarah’s boldness about their faith may have been difficult for some to grasp, whether it be an occasional Christian notable, an Israeli diplomat or a brilliant American Jewish spokesman – people who might be uncomfortable balancing Yaron’s Jewish identity simultaneously with his Messianic Jewish faith. Some preferred to refer to Yaron as a non-Jewish Christian, or to Sarah as simply Jewish. But Yaron and Sarah were not ashamed of their Messianic faith, and were similarly proud of their Jewish identity. Let us honor both their memory and their testimony by remembering them as they defined themselves.
Interestingly enough, two secular websites were clear on these matters: one Israeli official who knew Yaron noted to CNN that Yaron identified as Jewish, while Wikipedia clearly stated that Yaron practiced Messianic Judaism. We are also thankful that Ron Prosor, Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, described Lischinsky as “a true lover of Israel” who dedicated his life “to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause.”
The words of Paul echo down to us as he speaks about his upcoming martyrdom in Rome:
- “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
In the same way, Yaron and Sarah fought the good fight finished the course and kept the faith. They are truly American and Israeli martyrs, whose lives were taken up to heaven in Kiddush Hashem, a sanctification of the name of the God of Israel and His Messiah Yeshua.
Sha’ul (Saul/Paul’s original Hebrew name) did not see himself as an ex-Jew who had now become a Gentile Christian, but as a shaliach (an emissary) of the Jewish Messiah. Indeed he declared on numerous occasions:
- “After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, ‘Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem’” (Acts 28:17)
- “I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel” (Acts 28:20; to the leaders of the Jewish community in Rome)
- “Remember Messiah Yeshua, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel” (2 Timothy 2:8)
- “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:1-3)
Shape-shifters and lengthening shadows
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Ring Trilogy,’ Gandalf declared:
- “Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again. ‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. And already, Frodo, our time is beginning to look black. The Enemy is fast becoming very strong. His plans are far from ripe, I think, but they are ripening. We shall be hard put to it’” (The Fellowship of the Ring, page 19).
Thomas Fuller, a 17th-century English historian, said in his 1732 work ‘Gnomologia’: “It is always darkest just before the day.” And David Crosby echoed those words in in his 1969 epic song (‘Long Time Gone’: “But you know the darkest hour is always, always just before the dawn”
Time to pray and to be ready for what Isaiah prophesied:
- “On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen. All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who profess YHVH, take no rest for yourselves, and give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem an object of praise on the earth!” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
How shall we then pray?
- Pray for revelation and courage to be given to international leaders in political, intelligence and military spheres – to understand and counteract strategies against Israel, the apple of God’s eye (Zechariah 2:8) – as jihadi armies gather at Israel’s borders.
- Pray that enemy strategies against the Jewish people and their state, against Middle East Christians and other minorities – will be confounded, and that a great harvest would take place in all of these areas!
- Pray for the protection of Israeli and Jewish people from the assaults of jihadi terror organizations and their Western fellow-travelers, and the return of the Jewish people to both the Land and the Messiah of Israel
- There are approximately 20 living Israeli hostages remaining, kidnapped by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PFLP/PLO and the Mujahideen Brigades. Hamas is also holding on to approximately 70 Israeli corpses as cold storage bargaining chips. Pray for the speedy release of all the hostages, and for YHVH’s justice to be brought on the heads of the Islamist kidnappers
- Pray for the raising up of Ezekiel’s prophetic Jewish army throughout the earth
Your prayers and support hold up our arms and are the very practical enablement of God to us in the work He has called us to do.
In Messiah Yeshua,
Avner Boskey
Donations can be sent to:
FINAL FRONTIER MINISTRIES
BOX 121971 NASHVILLE TN 37212-1971 USA
Donations can also be made on-line (by PayPal or credit card) through: https://www.davidstent.org/
