Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky and American Sarah Milgrim killed by a gunman outside the Capital Jewish Museum

Just days before their lives were cut short by gunfire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring that he intended to give to his girlfriend and colleague, Sarah Milgrim.

Just days before their lives were cut short by gunfire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, Israeli Embassy staffer Yaron Lischinsky had purchased an engagement ring that he intended to give to his girlfriend and colleague, Sarah Milgrim.

He never got the chance.

Instead, the couple died together Wednesday night when a gunman shot and killed them as they were leaving a Young Diplomats reception at the museum organized by the American Jewish Committee.

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Lischinsky, 30, had planned to propose to Milgrim, 26, next week in Jerusalem, said the Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. Lischinsky had planned to spend the Jewish holiday of Shavuot with his family in Israel, the AJC said in a statement.

Their deaths prompted an outpouring of grief in Israel and in Overland Park, Kansas, where Milgrim was from, according to the AJC.

Milgrim, who was Jewish, graduated from the University of Kansas in the spring of 2021 with a bachelor of arts degree in environmental studies and a minor in anthropology, the university confirmed. She earned her master’s degree in international affairs from American University.

"She was thrilled" when she got the job at the Israeli Embassy, her father, Robert Milgrim, told NBC News on Thursday. "I couldn't have been prouder."

Fighting back tears, the grieving dad said he feared his daughter and Lischinsky might be in danger when he began getting news alerts on his phone about a fatal shooting in Washington. He said that when his wife, Nancy, opened a locator app on her cellphone — and realized their daughter was at the museum — his heart sank.

"Shortly after that, the Israeli ambassador "called us on my wife's phone," he said.

Robert Milgrim said it was Leiter who told them Lischinsky had bought the ring and was planning the pop the question.

"Best of times, worst of times," he said.

Earlier, the AJC called Milgrim "warm and compassionate, committed to peacebuilding and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations."

A budding diplomat, Milgrim was also "a beloved member of the AJC-Mimouna Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders community, where she joined other American, Israeli, French, and Moroccan leaders focused on advancing relations in the Middle East and North Africa," according to the AJC.

Aaron Kaplowitz, president of the United States-Israel Business Alliance, said he met Milgrim on a trip to Morocco in September.

"Bringing people together, especially Jews and Muslims, was something very important to her," he said. "I think it spoke a lot to her values."

Lischinsky held a German passport, a German diplomatic source confirmed to NBC News. On his LinkedIn page, he wrote that he was 16 when he emigrated from the German city of Nuremberg to Israel. He was a 2021 graduate of Hebrew University, having earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and Asian studies.

Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to Germany, wrote on X that Lischinsky was Christian. The New York Times reported he was the son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother.

“He was a Christian, a true lover of Israel, served in the IDF, and chose to dedicate his life to the State of Israel and the Zionist cause,” Prosor posted. “He embodied the Judeo-Christian values and set an example for young people worldwide.”

Lischinsky was a member of the embassy's political department and focused on Middle East issues, according to the AJC.

"Yaron always had a smile on his face and a welcoming presence," its statement added.

Meanwhile, police continued to question shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez, a Chicagoan who was heard yelling "Free, free Palestine" after he was arrested.

“The couple that was gunned down tonight in the name of ‘Free Palestine’ is a young couple about to be engaged,” Leiter said at a late-night news conference. “The young man purchased a ring this week with the intention of proposing to his girlfriend next week in Jerusalem.”

The couple met over a year ago when they first started working at the embassy.

"Sarah and Yaron were stolen from us,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement. “Moments before they were murdered, they were smiling, laughing, and enjoying an event with colleagues and friends. We are in shock and heartbroken as we attempt to process this immense tragedy.”

Lischinsky and Milgrim were killed more than 18 months after Hamas militants' Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel and Israel’s bombing campaign and ground invasion on Gaza in response.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took hundreds more hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s