Weeks before, Yaron Lischinsky had made plans to travel to Israel on Sunday with his partner, Sarah Milgrim. He intended to introduce her to his family for the first time and, according to relatives, propose to her.
Instead, Mr. Lischinsky, 30, was laid to rest on Sunday at sunset in a small cemetery a short walk from his family home in the village of Beit Zayit, located in the wooded hills west of Jerusalem.
Mr. Lischinsky and Ms. Milgrim, 26, were shot on Wednesday night outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington as they left a reception for young professionals and diplomats hosted by the American Jewish Committee.
The gunman, identified by police as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, shouted “Free, free Palestine!” as he was apprehended. This phrase has been echoed in protests worldwide against Israel and its ongoing conflict in Gaza, which escalated following a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in significant casualties among Palestinians.
Mr. Rodriguez has been charged with the murder of foreign officials, first-degree murder, and other crimes. U.S. authorities are also investigating the attack as a hate crime and an act of terrorism.
Mr. Lischinsky, a research assistant in the political department at the Israeli Embassy, and Ms. Milgrim, who organized and worked with delegations, were recognized by their colleagues as peace-seeking bridge-builders.
On Sunday, the village of Beit Zayit, home to approximately 1,600 residents, experienced a quiet atmosphere. Residents described the Lischinsky family as private and modest individuals.
In accordance with the family’s wishes for privacy, the return of Mr. Lischinsky’s remains and his funeral were conducted with minimal public attention and without media coverage.
Mr. Lischinsky’s coffin arrived in Israel on Friday and was received by family representatives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a brief, private ceremony at the airport, as stated by the ministry.
Many Israelis expressed outrage over the killings of Mr. Lischinsky and Ms. Milgrim, with some indicating that the rise in global antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment made such an attack foreseeable.
“The people of Israel have been attacked for thousands of years,” said Israel Perel, 83, a resident of Beit Zayit for five decades. “We won’t give in to those who want to do us harm,” he added, while seeking an Israeli flag to bring to Mr. Lischinsky’s funeral.
As the late afternoon heat intensified, hundreds of people began to gather at the cemetery in a pine forest on the village's edge for the funeral scheduled for 6 p.m.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Saar, attended the ceremony and delivered one of the eulogies.
Mr. Lischinsky, an accomplished student who grew up in Germany and Israel, was described as a deeply committed Israeli patriot with aspirations of becoming a professional diplomat, according to his teachers and colleagues.
After the burial, Mr. Lischinsky’s close family remained by the fresh grave, adorned with wreaths of flowers, until darkness fell, as mourners offered their condolences.
Mr. Lischinsky came from a culturally mixed background, with a Jewish father and a Christian mother, and was a practicing Christian, according to his brother, Hanan Lischinsky, 32. Colleagues noted that over the last two years at the embassy, he identified as Jewish.
The funeral service incorporated various religious traditions, with a leader from the Hebrew-speaking King of Kings congregation of Jerusalem officiating alongside representatives of the Orthodox Jewish burial society.
On Monday, Mr. Saar was expected to host U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in Jerusalem, followed by joint statements with the U.S. ambassador to Israel. A memorial ceremony in honor of Mr. Lischinsky and Ms. Milgrim is also planned, during which a tree will be planted in their memory.
Ms. Milgrim’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday near the Kansas City suburb where she grew up.
Mr. Lischinsky’s family never had the opportunity to meet her.