Bereaved father David Lubin, whose daughter Rose Lubin, a border policewoman, was brutally murdered in a terror attack in November 2023, was attacked by antisemitic neighbors in Atlanta, who called him a “kike” and insulted the memory of Rose.
By Rachel Avraham
David Lubin, father of Border Patrol officer Rose Lubin, who was murdered in a November 2023 terror attack in Jerusalem, was the victim of an antisemitic attack near his home in Atlanta, Georgia, Arutz Sheva reported. In a post on his Facebook page, Lubin described: “This is what antisemitism looks like in real life. Months ago, my neighbor put a sign in their yard with the slur “Kike” written 21 times. Today, they still keep their pro-Palestine signs up… but rip down my Rose stickers whenever they see them. When I tried to replace one, they screamed at me — right there on my own street.”
In a video documenting the encounter between Lubin and his neighbors, Lubin asked: “Is it okay that my daughter was murdered?” The woman in the video responded: “Your daughter was wearing an IDF uniform.” Lubin corrected her, noting that she was a police officer. “She was wearing a uniform – she went there to murder,” the woman attacked, while the man in the video reinforced her words: “How many Palestinians are killed there every day?” In response, David Lubin noted that the woman spoke hateful venom about his daughter, without even knowing her.
Rose Lubin, the slain police officer who is being desecrated in the antisemitic attack, is an Israeli heroine. According to the Steinhard Foundation for Jewish Student Life, Sergeant Rose Ida Lubin, of blessed memory, was an Atlanta, Georgia native who was a 2021 graduate from Dunwoody high school. They claim that she was also a gifted poet, playwright, illustrator, musician, singer, actress, dancer, and volunteer. As an American Jew, even though she was not obligated to, after finishing high school, she successfully completed Ulpan and was trained in combat, specialized in fighting terrorism, and was deployed as a border policewoman, living in the State of Israel as a lone soldier thousands of miles away from her family. At the time of her death, she was training to become an IDF commander.
“There are generations of my family who could have been here today if there was an Israel during the Holocaust,” Rose said in a speech at the 2023 FIDF Dinner in Atlanta, where she was honored. “I feel an obligation to them to fulfill the opportunities they didn’t have. It’s our duty to watch over the Jews who are living the dream of walking to the kotel (Western Wall) on Shabbat. If you ever stroll through the Damascus Gate, toss me a high five and I will welcome you,” she said.
Off-duty for Simchat Torah on October 7, 2023, the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Student Life noted that the 20-year-old lone soldier Rose Lubin sought permission from the Rapid Response Team of Kibbutz Sa’ad, where she lived, to help protect the community. They noted that she immediately changed into her uniform, grabbed her weapon, and helped defend her community near the Gaza border from the murderous Hamas-led massacre. According to the report, Rose then rushed to assist other communities, removing the injured to safety, and fighting the terrorist onslaught. Rose fought throughout October 7th until she was called back to Jerusalem and her duties with the Border Police. With Rose’s help, the terrorists were successfully prevented from infiltrating Kibbutz Sa’ad.
“We were in contact with her that entire day on Saturday and heard about the horrors she had witnessed, but that did not break her spirit,” her commander said. “We offered to allow her time off to recuperate, but she insisted on resuming her duties and said she was more motivated to protect civilians.”
Just weeks after the October 7th massacre, Rose Lubin lost her life in a subsequent terrorist attack on November 6, 2023. She was guarding the Shalem police station near the Damascus Gate, of which she had so warmly spoken, one of the entrances to the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist, a 16-year-old resident of Isawiya, arrived at the Shalem police station in the Old City, armed with a knife, stabbed several soldiers and was neutralized by forces on the scene, Arutz Sheva reported. According to the report, Lubin was critically injured and died of her wounds the same day.
Sgt. Rose Lubin was buried with full military honors at the Mount Herzl Cemetery in Jerusalem, at a funeral attended by many thousands of mourners, including fellow soldiers, high-ranking military leaders, and dignitaries of the State of Israel.
Her brother, Alec, who was best friends with Rose, eulogized her, saying: “Rose taught me to hold my head high, walk with a purpose, and to love those close to me with all my heart, always offer a hand and never to judge unfairly. She also taught me to be part of my religion. Rose was the most religiously powered person I knew and taught me not to be afraid of my beliefs, as well.”
Her mother, Robin Lubin, eulogized Rose by reading her prophetic Bat Mitzvah speech, during which 12 year-old Rose proclaimed: “I am not going to wait for the world to do something great for me; I am going to do something great for the world.”
“Lubin was different,” said Rabbi Binyomin Friedman of Congregation Ariel of Atlanta: “She was color, music skipping, laughing, painting, and writing. She was light itself.” Both of Rose’s parents referred to her as “humble” and said that she never gossiped about others. “She [had] these opposing qualities throughout her whole life,” said Robin, Rose’s mother. “She’s feminine and beautiful like a ballet dancer. But then she’s a soldier and a fighter and stands up for the weak. She’s religious but she’s diverse and open. She didn’t judge people.”
Rose could have chosen to be stationed anywhere in Israel, David, her father, said. “She chose to be in Jerusalem. And not only did she want to be in Jerusalem, she wanted to be in the Old City. And not even in the Old City. She wanted to guard the Muslim quarter, which in talking to police officers from around the world, is the hardest place in the world to be a police officer,” he added. According to reports in the media, Rose fell in love with Israel when her grandfather took her on a trip at age four, and she immediately asked to return. By age eight, Rose was talking about moving to Israel. David and Robin weren’t surprised when Rose made Aliyah and were supportive of her decision, till the end of her life.
Following the antisemitic attack on David Lubin in Atlanta, former Knesset member Dov Lipman posted on his Facebook page: “THIS IS ANTISEMITIC HATE. Rose Lubin served as a border police officer in Israel. Her job was to protect people of all faiths who came to Jerusalem to worship. On November 6, 2023 a Palestinian terrorists murdered her. She was 21-years-old. Rose’s parents live in Atlanta, Georgia. Theie neighbors regularly put up signs in their yard with the word “kike,” they have pro-Palestinian signs up, and they rip down stickers showing Rose whenever they see them.”
Arutz Sheva reported that the StopAntisemitism page posted the video of the antisemitic attack targeting bereaved father David Lubin and called on the authorities to intervene: “Antisemitic harassment of citizens mourning their murdered Jewish daughter should never be tolerated in this country.”
Photo from Masa Israel Journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paJhI9sIHAY
