The Republican Jewish Coalition on Thursday condemned the antisemitic murders of two Embassy of Israel staffers outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., calling it a "blaring warning" about hatred and antisemitism for all Americans.
"The RJC condemns in the strongest possible terms the murder of two staffers from the Embassy of Israel outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.," coalition CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement.
"We are praying for the victims and their families. Those responsible for this heinous attack must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and we have full confidence in the Trump administration to deliver swift and righteous justice," he added.
Yaron Lischinsky, a research assistant at the embassy, and Sarah Milgrim, who organized visits and missions to Israel, were shot and killed as they were leaving an event at the museum Wednesday night.
Police said the suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, yelled, "Free, free Palestine" after he was arrested.
Brooks said that since the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, "We have seen a dramatic spike in lawlessness, violence, sickening antisemitism and anti-Americanism from coast to coast, on our college campuses and on our streets."
Wednesday night's "horrific attack requires complete, total, and forceful condemnation from everyone. Silence is not an option — it is complicity," he added.
The murders are also a "blaring warning to all Americans, across the political spectrum, that the world's oldest hatred continues to plague our society, and we must stand together to confront it wherever and whenever it appears," said Brooks.
The RJC is the national grassroots organization of Jewish Republicans and represents tens of thousands of Jewish Republicans across the United States.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.