The Marxist Collectivist Roots of a Tragic Crime: The Murder of Two Israeli Diplomats

Image Source: https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-855018

On May 21, 2025, a horrific act of violence shook Washington, D.C., when Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, allegedly gunned down two Israeli embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum. This heinous crime, which claimed the lives of a young couple set to be engaged, has been widely condemned as an act of antisemitic terror. But beyond the surface, the ideological underpinnings of Rodriguez’s actions point to a deeper issue: the collectivist framework of Marxist socialism, which can dehumanize individuals by reducing them to symbols of a group. This blog explores how Marxist collectivist ideology contributed to this tragedy, the Messianic Jewish identity of the victims, and the evidence incriminating Rodriguez.

Marxist Collectivism and Its Role in the Crime

Image Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/search/2/image-film?phrase=karl+marx

Marxist socialism, at its core, is a collectivist ideology that prioritizes group identity—whether class, race, or nation—over individual agency. It frames the world as a struggle between oppressors and oppressed, often casting entire groups as monolithic entities responsible for systemic wrongs. In the case of Elias Rodriguez, his brief affiliation with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), a Marxist-Leninist organization, provides a window into how this ideology may have shaped his worldview. The PSL, known for its anti-Israel stance, often portrays Israel as a colonial oppressor, a narrative that can vilify all Israelis or Jews as complicit in “genocide” or “imperialism.” This collectivist lens strips individuals of their humanity, reducing them to symbols of a perceived enemy group.

Rodriguez’s actions reflect this mindset. His alleged manifesto, titled “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” accuses Israel of “genocide” and concludes with “Free Palestine — Elias Rodriguez.” His shouts of “Free Palestine” and “I did it for Gaza” during and after the shooting suggest he viewed his victims not as individuals but as representatives of a group he deemed evil. This is the danger of collectivist ideologies like Marxism: they can justify violence against individuals based on their group identity. By framing Jews or Israelis as inherently oppressive, Rodriguez’s ideology likely fueled his decision to target Lischinsky and Milgrim, whom he saw as avatars of Israel rather than a young couple with dreams and lives of their own.

The PSL’s rhetoric, while not directly responsible, amplifies this collectivist thinking. Their campaigns, like the 2025 “anti-genocide pledge,” frame Israel’s actions in Gaza as universally condemnable, often ignoring nuance or individual circumstances. Such rhetoric can radicalize individuals like Rodriguez, who may see violence as a logical extension of “revolutionary” struggle. While the PSL distanced itself from Rodriguez, noting his association ended in 2017, his continued engagement with socialist circles—evidenced by a 2025 photo at a PSL-Chicago study group—suggests the ideology lingered in his worldview.

The Victims: Messianic Jews Targeted for Their Identity

Image Source: https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1925557209074638989?t=kZb9EDv8MH-mvhTrpt1hZg&s=19

Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Milgrim, 26, were not just Israeli embassy staffers; they were Messianic Jews, a detail that adds another layer to the tragedy. Messianic Jews, who embrace Jesus as the Messiah while maintaining Jewish identity, often face unique hostility from both antisemitic and anti-Israel groups. Lischinsky, a German-Israeli dual national, was a research assistant in the embassy’s political department, fluent in four languages and described as a “mensch” and bridge-builder. Milgrim, a Jewish American from Kansas, organized trips to Israel and had worked to connect young Israelis and Palestinians, ironically attending an event on Gaza aid the night she was killed.

Their Messianic Jewish identity likely made them doubly vulnerable in the eyes of someone like Rodriguez, whose anti-Israel ideology may have conflated their Jewishness and Israeli affiliation with “oppression.” Collectivist ideologies often fail to distinguish between individuals’ beliefs or actions, and Messianic Jews, who straddle Jewish and Christian identities, can be particularly vilified as “traitors” or “collaborators” in such frameworks. This tragedy underscores how collectivism can erase the complexity of individual lives, reducing people like Lischinsky and Milgrim to targets for ideological rage.

Evidence Incriminating Elias Rodriguez

Elias Rodriguez’s culpability in the murders is supported by multiple sources. Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith reported that Rodriguez, after pacing outside the Capital Jewish Museum, approached a group of four people, including Lischinsky and Milgrim, and opened fire, killing the couple. He then entered the museum, where he was detained by security, chanting “Free, free Palestine” and admitting to police he “did it for Gaza.” Authorities recovered the handgun used in the attack after Rodriguez revealed its location. The Justice Department has charged him with federal murder, with Attorney General Pam Bondi vowing to prosecute “to the fullest extent of the law.”

Further incriminating Rodriguez is a 980-page manifesto posted on social media about an hour after the shootings, attributed to an X account believed to be his (@kyodo.leather). Titled “Escalate For Gaza, Bring The War Home,” it calls for “armed demonstration” against Israel’s alleged “genocide” and is signed “Elias Rodriguez.” While the FBI is still verifying its authenticity, the document aligns with Rodriguez’s statements and actions. His social media activity, starting in October 2023, includes posts advocating violence, such as a video calling to “bomb Tel Aviv” and the phrase “Death to Israel.” These elements paint a clear picture of a man driven by ideological hatred, targeting his victims for their Israeli and Jewish identities.

The Broader Implications

The murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim is a stark reminder of the dangers of collectivist ideologies like Marxist socialism. By reducing individuals to group representatives, such frameworks can dehumanize and justify violence. Rodriguez’s actions, steeped in anti-Israel rhetoric and tied to his socialist past, reflect how these ideas can radicalize individuals to see murder as a “revolutionary” act. The Messianic Jewish identity of the victims adds a poignant layer, highlighting how collectivism erases the nuance of individual lives.

This tragedy calls for a rejection of ideologies that pit groups against each other, fostering hatred instead of understanding. While not all socialists or Marxists are violent, the collectivist lens they often employ can pave the way for atrocities when taken to extremes. We must honor the memory of Lischinsky and Milgrim by advocating for a world that values individuals over ideologies.

Sources

• The Forward, “Suspect Elias Rodriguez steeped in anti-Israel rhetoric,” May 22, 2025.
• The Jerusalem Post, “Who is Elias Rodriguez, who murdered two Israelis in Washington DC?,” May 22, 2025.
• The Washington Post, “What we know about Elias Rodriguez, the alleged D.C. museum shooter,” May 22, 2025.
• New York Magazine, “Who Is Elias Rodriguez? 2 Dead in Jewish Museum Attack: Live,” May 22, 2025.
• Daily Mail, “DC Jewish museum shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez’s appalling clearancesocial media posts,” May 22, 2025.
• CNN, “DC Jewish museum shooting, two Israeli embassy staffers killed, Elias Rodriguez is suspect,” May 22, 2025.
• The Times of Israel, “DC shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez was member of far-left group,” May 22, 2025.
• Newsweek, “Elias Rodriguez ‘Not a Member’ Says Socialist Party Linked to DC Suspect,” May 22, 2025.