A man draped in the Israeli flag with a cross at its center sits as police secure the area outside the Capital Jewish Museum after Wednesday night's fatal shooting.Photo: Getty Images
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Jewish community is reeling after Wednesday night’s fatal shooting outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, said Rabbi Marc Baker, CEO of Boston nonprofit Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were shot and killed on their way back from an event at the museum, according to police.
“An attack like this … shakes the Jewish community to its core,” Baker said. “It is scary, it is intolerable, and it needs to be condemned unequivocally.”
Baker said he’s been flooded with calls and emails locally and from around the country about the shooting. This intensifies fears among the Jewish community to share their identity publicly, Baker said, whether that be attending prayer services or even sending children to school.
“People are asking questions about safety and security,” Baker said.
The suspected shooter yelled “free Palestine” after he was arrested, according to police.
The Anti-Defamation League found there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in the year since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and the war in Gaza, the highest number of incidents ever recorded by the ADL in a one-year period.
“The data shows that there has been an extraordinary rise of antisemitic incidents in the past couple of years and this is a reflection of what happens when we allow hateful speech and rhetoric and the dehumanization of Jews, or Israelis, to go unchecked,” Baker said.
Governor Maura Healey responded to the shooting on X Thursday morning, calling it a “senseless, hate-fueled act of violence.”
“There’s no justification for antisemitism or violence — in our nation’s capital or anywhere else. My thoughts are with their families, friends and colleagues,” Healey posted.
Baker said he’s especially grateful for the support he’s received in the hours after the shooting.
“I can’t tell people how meaningful it is to hear the support of civic leaders, friends, and allies from outside the Jewish community,” Baker said.