Chicago Jewish Community Leaders Respond to D.C. Incident Involving Two Israeli Embassy Staff

CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago’s Jewish community leaders and representatives from the Anti-Defamation League are set to express their thoughts on Friday regarding the recent incident in Washington D.C.

Officials from the Anti-Defamation League and other local Jewish leaders are scheduled to comment later on Friday in response to the death of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington D.C., a crime allegedly involving a man from Chicago.

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Investigators say 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez shot and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, a couple who were soon planning on getting engaged.

Rodriguez is now facing murder charges in the case, which is now being investigated as a hate crime and act of terrorism.

Officials say Lischinsky and Milgrim were attending a Jewish conference at the Capital Jewish Museum when they were gunned down Wednesday night.

SEE ALSO: FBI searches Chicago property possibly connected to suspect in shooting outside DC Jewish museum

After the attack, Mayor Brandon Johnson called the Israeli Consul General to the Midwest to express his condolences.

But Jewish leaders say more needs to be done about the rise in antisemitism in Chicago.

“I told him that I really appreciated his heartfelt message,” stated Yinam Cohen, the consul general of Israel to the Midwest. “This is very important, but I also emphasized that what we need now is not just words, we need to see action.”

The Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Chicago Chapter…released a statement condemning the deadly DC attack while also urging people to pay attention to the war in Gaza.

They write in part, “Such violence only undermines the pursuit of justice. Peaceful protest, civil disobedience and political engagement are the only appropriate and acceptable tools to advocate for policy change in our nation.”