House speaker invites brother of slain Israeli Embassy staffer as State of the Union guest

Hanan Lischinsky, brother of slain Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky, will attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address as a guest of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and partner and colleague Sarah Milgrim, 26, were shot and killed after leaving an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21. The pair had planned to become engaged in Israel the following week.

“These two young diplomats of the Israeli Embassy, devoted to the cause of peace and to one another, had their futures stolen in a violent act of antisemitism,” Johnson stated. “Yaron’s brother, Hanan Lischinsky, has shown remarkable courage in shedding light on the extremism that took his brother’s life.”

Johnson also spoke in June at a bipartisan memorial service at the U.S. Capitol in honor of the victims.

“It’s a dangerous time to be a Jewish American,” Johnson said at the beginning of the 30-minute vigil, which drew more than 100 people.

“Where is the outrage for these two young victims?” Johnson said. “We must stand up and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters.”

The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was charged in February in a 13-count indictment that includes four terrorism counts and two counts of hate crime resulting in death. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Authorities allege that Rodriguez shouted “free Palestine” while shooting the victims.

The killings were among several violent incidents targeting Jews during Israel’s war with Hamas. In June, the House voted 400-0 to condemn antisemitism following the violence, which also included Molotov cocktails thrown at peaceful marchers calling for the release of hostages in Gaza, in Boulder, Colo., and an arson attack at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg, Pa., after Gov. Josh Shapiro held a Passover seder.

© JNS