David Rubin (activist)
David Rubin (born 1957) is an American-Israeli activist, philanthropist, and author. He is a former mayor of the Israeli town of
Early life and career
In the early 1980s, Rubin was a public school teacher in Brooklyn.[2] From 1985 to 1987, Rubin attended Machon Meir yeshiva in Jerusalem.[2]
In 1992, Rubin moved to Israel.[2] While studying again at Machon Meir yeshiva, he saw a brochure about the Samarian town of Shiloh.[2] After a visit to the community, he decided to move there and started working as an English teacher.[2]
In 1999, Rubin became the mayor of Shiloh.[2]
In 2001, Rubin and his three-year-old son were seriously wounded in a terrorist attack.[3][4] While driving home from Jerusalem, Rubin’s car was ambushed by three Fatah terrorists and he was shot in the leg by a gunman with an AK-47 assault rifle.[citation needed] Rubin’s son was shot in the head, where the skull meets with the neck, causing a skull fracture and internal bleeding in the cerebellum;[5] the bullet missed his brain stem by one millimeter and he survived.[citation needed]
Rubin said that he and his son were transformed by the experience and wanted to build something positive after the event.[2] In 2004, Rubin established the Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund in order to help children recover from trauma.[3] The organization supports therapeutic, educational, and recreational programs.[3]
In 2022, Rubin received the Yakir Binyamin Prize for his contributions to the development of the Binyamin region.[6]
Political views
Rubin has appeared on many American television and radio shows.[citation needed] Rubin said that the United States and Israel can "further God’s purposes in the world” with the Bible as the blueprint.[citation needed]
Rubin has stated that he lives in Shiloh because he believes it is the front line in the struggle for the Land of Israel.[3] Rubin said the entire West Bank region should be placed under permanent Israeli sovereignty.[4]
Rubin said he supported Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign because he believed Trump would be the most pro-Israel American president and would support Israeli housing construction in Jerusalem.[7][8]
In 2017, Rubin said he was frustrated by liberal American Jews who opposed President Trump's executive order limiting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries.[8]
In 2018, Rubin said on Fox News Channel's Tucker Carlson Tonight that the Israeli government’s building of a border wall on the Israel-Egypt border solved Israel’s illegal immigration problem.[9]
In 2019, Rubin said that Rep. Rashida Tlaib should be denied entry to Israel due to the congresswoman's support for boycotts against Israel.[10]
In 2020, Rubin described the peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as a "huge" accomplishment that was achieved because the two countries see Iran as a shared threat.[11]
Personal life
Rubin married in 1993. He and his wife have six children.[2]
Publications
Rubin has written seven books.[2] His first book was called “God, Israel and Shiloh”.[2]
In 2015, he published "Sparks from Zion”, a collection of his writings about the centrality of Israel in international politics and diplomacy.[12]
In 2019, Rubin published "Trump and the Jews", which explores the relationship between Donald Trump and the Jewish people and Israel.[citation needed]
In 2021, Rubin published "Confronting Radicals: What America Can Learn from Israel".[2]
References
- ^ "Psychological cost of terror". The Jerusalem Post. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Klein Leichman, Abigail (2021-12-09). "How an antisemitic encounter brought one man to Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b c d Amouyal, Noa (2017-12-09). "Restoring the Jewish homeland". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b Gradstein, Linda (2007-06-07). "Six Day War: Land Ownership Disputes Arise". NPR. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Hershberg, Adina (Summer 2003). "A Night of Miracles". Horizons: The Jewish Family Journal. 37: 29.
- ^ "David Rubin, founder of Shiloh Israel Children's Fund, receives the Yakir Binyamin Prize". Israel National News. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
- ^ "Fmr. Shiloh, Israel Mayor: Friends of Israel Must Vote for Trump". FOX Business. 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ a b Kestenbaum, Sam (2017-02-21). "Israeli Settler: Blame Muslims And Leftists For US Anti-Semitism". The Forward. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "Advice from Israel: Build the wall". Fox News. 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Robbins, Roni (2019-07-24). "Will Resolution 496 Bolster BDS Effort?". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ "Former Israeli mayor on UAE peace deal: 'Don't read too much into it'". Fox Business. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
- ^ Zvielli, Alexander (2015-05-14). "Book Review: Flickering Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2022-03-15.