Young Couple’s Murder Highlights the Problem of Antisemitism
 
Young Couple’s Murder Highlights the Problem of Antisemitism
Written By Alyssa Sonnenburg   |   06.04.25
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Recently, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were viciously murdered outside of the Capitol Jewish Museum in Washington D.C., as they were leaving an event.

Tragically, Yaron was just days away from proposing to Sarah. Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States commented,

“A young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem. They were a beautiful couple.”

Their lives were cut short by their murderer, Elias Rodriguez, a seemingly average, everyday student. He was American-born and college-educated– one would think he would be beyond the pull of such a heinous act… until you look further into the college “education” that Rodriguez was receiving.

Ever since the horrific October 7 attack on Israel in 2023, rising antisemitic sentiments have been seen and allowed across American college campuses.

Rodriguez’s college, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), is no exception.

Daniel Cohen of Harbinger Daily documents the following about Rodriguez’s educational experience at UIC:

“UIC appears to be where Rodriguez learned to view the world through the lens of ‘oppressor versus oppressed.’ At UIC, Rodriguez joined two of the most extreme anti-American organizations in the country, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) and the ANSWER Coalition.

PSL is a communist organization dedicated to ending capitalism and the violent overthrow of the American government. The group also supports dictatorships like those in Cuba and North Korea. The day after the October 7 massacre, PSL founder Eugene Puryear organized a rally in Times Square where he mocked the Nova Festival victims and bragged about the slaughter of Israeli ‘hipsters’ …

The ANSWER Coalition is a PSL front group that organizes massive anti-American, anti-Israel demonstrations. Rodriguez participated in these protests. In 2023 and 2024, he worked for History Makers, a Chicago-based organization that weaponizes racial grievance under the guise of preserving African American history. History Makers glorifies Louis Farrakhan, who refers to Jews as termites and bloodsuckers.

The X account, identified as belonging to Elias Rodriguez, is full of radical, violent, anti-Israel, and anti-Jewish posts—including open calls for violence. ‘Happy New Year, Death to Israel, Death to Amerikkka.’”

Most assuredly, being “college-educated” means something entirely different today than it did even ten years ago.

In fact, just recently, Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to officially terminate Harvard’s ability to receive foreign students through revoking their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification.

Secretary Noem notes,

“This administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus…

It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments. Harvard had plenty of opportunity to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”

The antisemitism that Jewish students have endured on Harvard’s campus makes this action by the DHS more than necessary.

In fact, Harvard’s own 2025 study on antisemitism found that nearly 60% of Jewish students on Harvard’s campus reported experiencing “discrimination, stereotyping, or negative bias on campus…”. In addition to this, the DHS notes that a protestor who was charged for his role in assaulting a Jewish student on campus “was chosen by the Harvard Divinity School to be the Class Marshal for commencement.”

The DHS further notes the rise in crime rates that Harvard’s campus experienced due to their soft stance on antisemitism:

“From 2022 to 2023 aggravated assaults increased 195% and robberies increased 460%.”

College campuses and administrations must be held accountable for their role in the rise of antisemitism.

Failure to punish wrongdoing always results in more wrongdoing.

In the tragic case of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, failure to punish wrongdoing resulted in their death.


Alyssa Sonnenburg
Alyssa Sonnenburg is a dedicated Christian, wife, mother and is a 2022 graduate of Moody Bible Institute. She is a frequent guest on WPEO’s “The Good Word” program, a co-host of the Self-Evident podcast and serves as an Executive Assistant at IFI. Growing up on the southside of Chicago, she and her husband now live in the northwest suburbs....
Related Articles
America and Antisemitism
America and Antisemitism
Polyamory and the ‘Next Sexual Revolution’ That Has Been Here for Years
Polyamory and the ‘Next Sexual Revolution’ That Has Been Here for Years
IFI Featured Video
Cut Funding for Planned Parenthood
Get Our New App!