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A crowd gathered at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah on Friday evening to dedicate an ambulance in Israel to Johnson County native Sarah Milgrim.
Staff members at the Israeli Embassy, Milgrim, 26, and her boyfriend, 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky, were fatally shot after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.
Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, has been charged for his alleged role in the shooting.
Rabbi Stephanie Kramer, senior rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah, opened the dedication ceremony with a group prayer, which mentioned the couple’s “sense of mission, their love, their compassion and their deep and abiding commitment to healing and to peace.”
The pair had planned on getting engaged soon, Sarah Milgrim’s father, Robert Milgrim, previously told The Star.
On Friday, Robert Milgrim told the crowd Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky “dedicated their lives to making the world a better place.”
“Sarah lived her Judaism through protecting the environment, through her efforts toward peace building and the inclusion of all marginalized groups,” Robert Milgrim said. “Sarah and Yaron lived their lives to the fullest, and the work they did with the Embassy of Israel.”
Yaron Lischinsky’s father, Daniel Lischinsky, asked the crowd to stay united.
“Please, I beg you, keep that unity,” Daniel Lischinsky said. “Keep that unity between us, between the Jewish people of the world and Israel.”
The ambulance was donated to the American Friends of Magen David Adom by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation.
The American Friends of Magen David Adom supports Israel’s emergency services system, according to the organization’s website. The ambulance will be added to the organization’s fleet of more than 2,650 vehicles.
Debbie Dolgin, director of strategic philanthropy in the American Friends of Magen David Adom western region, said the project was spearheaded by the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation’s president, Elizabeth Goldhirsh-Yellin.
“In the face of unimaginable loss, she chose to create something that would bring hope, healing and lifesaving care,” Dolgin said.
Dolgin thanked Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky’s families “for allowing us to celebrate their lives through this beautiful tribute.”
“As we know, in Jewish tradition, we believe the person’s memory lives on through acts of kindness and compassion,” Dolgin said. “And tonight, we all have the opportunity to do just that - honor their life.”
Goldhirsh-Yellin told the crowd it was “truly one of the great privileges of my life to continue the extraordinary legacy left by these two remarkable humans.”
The president of the Goldhirsh-Yellin foundation touched on the pair’s love for each other and the world around them.
“Especially in these dark and fraught times, Sara and Yaron’s light continues to illuminate the way forward for us all,” Goldhirsh-Yellin said.
Milgrim was from Johnson County and graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School in 2017. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2021 with a degree in environmental science, where she was part of KU Hillel, a Jewish organization at the university.
She later earned two master’s degrees, one in international affairs from American University and one in resource development from the United Nations University for Peace, according to her obituary.
The Star’s Eric Adler and Nathan Pilling contributed reporting.
