Jesse Scheckner
A community vigil will be held Friday evening at the Waterways Shops in Aventura in memory of Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were fatally shot this week outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
The 5:30 p.m. event, organized by Aventura Cares, aims to unite residents, religious leaders and elected officials in a “circle of love and support,’ a press note said.
A pro-Palestine activist’s murder of Milgrim and Lischinsky on Wednesday drew national headlines and sent shockwaves through local and national Jewish communities. The 31-year-old suspect, who told police on the scene that he killed them “for Palestine” and “for Gaza,” has been charged with first-degree murder.
Federal authorities are investigating the incident as a hate crime and are collaborating to apprehend any accomplices.
Aventura Cares announced the vigil on Friday morning, encouraging community members to gather in solidarity and prayer.
“To lift each other up during this time of mourning, we will be joined by elected, community, and religious leaders,” the release stated.
The memorial gathering will take place at 3585 NE 207th St., with participation from a coalition of organizations including the Israeli American Council, American Jewish Committee of Miami and Broward, International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and Greater Miami Jewish Federation.
Several other groups advocating against antisemitism, including #EndJewHatred and Loving Moms United, are also participating.
In addition to prayers for the victims, the vigil aims to promote unity and strength amid rising concerns over hate-based violence.
In the time since Hamas terrorists entered Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages — nearly 60 of whom are still in captivity — the U.S. saw more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents, including over 3,000 during anti-Israel rallies, 2,000 at Jewish institutions and at least 1,200 on college campuses, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Israel, meanwhile, has conducted a devastating campaign in Gaza that has killed 53,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry, whose count doesn’t differentiate between combatants and civilians. The fighting has displaced 90% of the territory’s roughly 2 million population, sparked a hunger crisis and obliterated vast swaths of Gaza’s urban landscape.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz’s Office announced that she was ramping up security efforts around Jewish places of worship and gathering in the county in response to Milgrim and Lischinsky’s murders.
For more information about the event, contact Aventura City Commissioner Rachel Friedland, who co-founded Aventura Cares, at 754-300-6024.
