HERO ROSE LUBIN'S STORY

When Rose was born, her parents noticed something special about her—a light about her, a positive energy, a force of nature.

Rose grew up in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. She had a happy childhood. And she had a revelation while just a young girl.

Her family traveled to the Holy Land on a family vacation. Rose was immediately awestruck by the country, its people, and the way she felt on its precious soil. Little Rose Lubin confidently told her parents, “I’m going to live here one day.”

She never forgot her promise. When she returned to Georgia, she announced to her friends, “I can be your friend now, but when I’m 18, I’m going to move to Israel.”

Somehow, when Rose said it, no one doubted her. And she was true to her word.

After her high school graduation, Rose (standing just 5′ tall) took her savings and bought a one-way ticket to Israel, her new homeland. She joined the Israel Defense Force (IDF) as a lone soldier.

When a soldier in the IDF has no family living in Israel, they are assigned an Israeli family for support and an in-country home. Rose’s new Israeli family lived in Kibbutz Sa’ad near the Gaza border.

It was the festive holiday of Simchat Torah when Jews celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of Bible Readings.

The sirens blasted through the land in the early morning on October 7, 2023. Israel was under attack from Hamas terrorists. Rose responded quickly, dressed in her uniform, grabbed her weapon, and ran to ensure the front gate was secured. She managed to call her father to tell him what was happening. She said, “I love you. I’ll call you later when I can.”

One security guard was on duty when she got to the front gate. Then came the terrorists ready to breach the gates, weapons blazing, determined to kill the Jews of Kibbutz Sa’ad.

Instead, Rose killed them. As they kept coming, Rose kept shooting until no more came. The rest of the day was spent opening the gate for the many others fleeing the onslaught from Hamas. She killed the killers and saved hundreds of innocent lives that day.

Rose called her father at the end of a very long day. She was safe and sound. There was no mention of her heroics. Just another “I love you.” You can only imagine the family’s relief.

Rose returned to Jerusalem, where she served in the IDF as a border police officer in the Old City. The war continued. She was no longer at the front lines facing the evil Hamas terrorists. Her duties of keeping law and order in the nation’s capital did not typically put her in danger.

But one young man had other plans.

On November 6, 2023, Rose was stabbed to death by a 16-year-old Palestinian while on duty in the marketplace. It was a senseless killing.

25,000 people showed up at her funeral.

“She was color, music skipping, laughing, painting, and writing. She was light itself.”

This is a true story. Read More about Rose Lubin.