The moment the parents of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky stepped forward, the crowd of more than four hundred fell silent. Their children, two young Israeli embassy staffers murdered in Washington, DC, as they left an event focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza, were the reason the American Friends of Magen David Adom gala in Beverly Hills turned into one of the most emotional nights the organization has ever hosted.
Ambassador Gilad Erdan, global president of Magen David Adom and former Israeli ambassador to both the United Nations and the United States, addressed the parents of Sarah and Yaron directly, stating their children tied their destiny with the Jewish people and the State of Israel: “They will never be forgotten, and we will always cherish their memory.”
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Robert and Nancy Milgrim, Daniel and Ruth Lischinsky, Address the Crowd Gathered in LA
(Photo: Courtesy of Lynn Abeser)
The attack that took their lives shocked both Washington and Jerusalem. Investigators later revealed that the gunman had been radicalized by fringe groups that had increasingly targeted Jewish and Israeli institutions. The killings of Sarah and Yaron, who were planning to get engaged, became one of the most painful reminders of the rising threat faced by Jewish communities and Israeli diplomats abroad.
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MDA CEO Eli Bin, AFMDA CEO Cathy Reed, Robert and Nancy Milgrim and Amb. Gilad Erdan
(Photo: Courtesy of Lynn Abeser)
The parents had traveled from Israel and from Kansas to share who their children were and the ideals they lived by. Robert Milgrim described Sarah as a young woman who believed in action, environmental protection and peace building. “Sarah dedicated her life to making the world a better place,” he said, adding that she would have been inspired by the lifesaving work celebrated that night.
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Amb. Gilad Erdan, Daniel and Ruth Lischinsky, Yulia Rachinsky-Spivakov Deputy Consul General of Israel to LA, MDA CEO Eli Bin
(Photo: Courtesy of Lynn Abeser)
Daniel Lischinsky spoke about Yaron’s transformation from a shy child to a respected diplomat who moved confidently through the halls of Congress and the White House. “They loved him,” he said. “Sarah and Yaron were murdered only because they were Jewish. Why God, why does this happen.”
One of the evening’s most powerful gestures came from philanthropist Elizabeth Goldhirsh Yellin, who announced the donation of two fully equipped Magen David Adom ambulances in memory of Sarah and Yaron and in honor of Samantha (Sami) Liber, a sixteen-year-old from Los Angeles who died in an accident in 2024. Fighting back emotion, she said that an ambulance is a tribute that will save lives in their names. “The world may move on quickly, but their legacy must never fade.”
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Actor and Advocate Jonah Platt Addressing the Crown in LA
(Photo: Courtesy of Lynn Abeser)
Erdan thanked the donors and the crowd, crediting American supporters for helping build some of the most advanced lifesaving infrastructure in Israel. As actor Jonah Platt closed the program and the audience rose in a prolonged ovation, Erdan’s message to the families remained unmistakable: the lives of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were taken, but their legacy will continue through every life saved by the ambulances that now bear their names.