The shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC should be blamed on academics and liberal politicians, according to Barstool Sports founder and staunch Israel supporter Dave Portnoy.
Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, have been identified as the victims. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador in Washington, described them as a young couple on the verge of being engaged, according to The Associated Press.
A 31-year-old suspect named Elias Rodriguez is accused of yelling ‘free Palestine’ after being arrested in the aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting.
‘A domestic terrorist went hunting Jews last night in Wash DC open firing outside a Jewish event killing 2 Jews,’ Portnoy, a 48-year-old Massachusetts native and self-identified Jew, wrote on X. ‘The terrorist Elias Rodriguez yelled ‘Free Palestine’ as he got arrested.
‘This type of tragedy is the natural progression of events when the morons running our colleges, far left politicians, and hate merchants on social media continue to normalize and seemingly encourage anti semitism in this country.’
Portnoy goes on to repeat allegations against Rodriguez that have surfaced online, some of which have yet to be corroborated.
A 31-year-old suspect named Elias Rodriguez (pictured) is accused of yelling ‘free Palestine’ after being arrested in the aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting
This photograph taken from the official Facebook account of The Embassy of Israel to the US, shows an image of Israeli Embassy employees Yaron Lischinsky (R) and Sarah Lynn Milgrim
The 48-year-old Dave Portnoy is a self-identified Jew and a staunch supporter of Israel
‘The least surprising part about this tragedy is that the killer hated America long before the conflict in the Middle East,’ Portnoy wrote, while accusing Rodriguez of being a member of various left-wing political groups.
‘He was a serial agitator as so many of the Free Palestine movement are,’ Portnoy wrote. ‘For them this isn’t just about the war in Gaza. This is about hating America and our way of life. And the more that antisemitism is normalized in this country the more it emboldens these lunatics to commit these heinous acts.
‘The bottom line is that nobody in this country should be intimidated or fear for their safety because of their religion but here we are.’
Portnoy is among the critics of American universities accused of tolerating antisemitism by allowing students to protest against Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Since October of 2023, when Hamas-led militants abducted 1,195 Israelis and foreign nationals, roughly 60,000 people have been killed on both sides the conflict, according to multiple sources. Of those deaths, more than 95 percent are Palestinian, the Gaza Health Ministry reports.
The fighting has resulted in a hunger crisis in Gaza, where nearly 2 million people have been displaced.
Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has attacked Palestinian support in American colleges by threatening to revoke funding for schools and visas for international students thought to be ‘Hamas sympathizers.’
Last month, the Trump administration revoked the visas of a reported 800 students, some of whom have had their statuses restored by courts.
