Hanan Lischinsky, the brother of Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli Embassy staffer murdered in Washington, D.C., will attend Tuesday’s State of the Union address as a guest of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), Speaker of the US House of Representatives, according to JNS.
Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and his colleague Sarah Milgrim, 26, were murdered after leaving an American Jewish Committee event at the Capital Jewish Museum 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 remarked. “Yaron’s brother, Hanan Lischinsky, has shown remarkable courage in shedding light on the extremism that took his brother’s life."
In June, Johnson spoke at a bipartisan memorial service in honor of the victims at the US Capitol. During the 30-minute vigil, which drew over 100 attendees, Johnson decried the rising threats against Jewish Americans. “It’s a dangerous time to be a Jewish American," he said. He also expressed outrage over the lack of condemnation for the murders: “Where is the outrage for these two young victims? We must stand up and protect our Jewish brothers and sisters."
The accused murdered, Elias Rodriguez, 31, of Chicago, was charged in February with a 13-count indictment, including four terrorism counts and two counts of hate crimes resulting in death. If convicted, Rodriguez could face the death penalty. Authorities said Rodriguez shouted “free Palestine" during the attack.