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Mindy Rubenstein
Writer and artist now living in the Holy Land

I come from a long line of Jewish women…

At Kever Rachel

I am a Jew.

My mother is a Jew.

My grandmothers were Jews.

My great grandmothers were Jews. They escaped the persecution of Europe. Until this month, I didn’t fully grasp what that meant—to be hated and hunted.

I come from a line of Jewish women going back to Sarah, Rivka, Rachel and Leah.

They lived in Israel. They died in Israel—more than 3,000 years ago.

I made Aliyah in 2022.

I have seen and touched history firsthand. I visited Rachel’s holy gravesite. I pressed my forehead against the stone remnant of our Holy Temple, twice destroyed.

I escaped from bombs falling. I saw and felt miracles.

Jews are indigenous to the Land of Israel. Our bodies and souls are intimately connected to the land.

We have been exiled from our land again and again. But we have returned as G-d promised we would.

Are you a Jew? If so, now is the time to find out how you’re needed.

There are many people speaking up against the torture and massacre of innocent Jews.

More Jews were murdered in one day—October 7, 2023–since the Holocaust.

I am not looking for anyone to reach out and ask if I am okay.

Say something, do something. Anything.

I saw friends posting about the death of a TV star they never met, but remaining silent about what’s going on with the Jews.

Don’t be fooled by the noise. Really dig. Speak to people who actually live there. In Israel we are literally surrounded by Arabs, Christians, Druze, Bedouins.

You want to know about history? Real history, not just the past 50 years?

Persecution of Jews has been a recurring phenomenon.

Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Christians, Nazis, Hamas.

This is not just a Jewish issue, it’s a human one.

Silence is never the answer.

In the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller, written as a post-war confessional about the silence of intellectuals and clergy during the rise of the Nazis:

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

I have never felt stronger or prouder to be a Jewish woman, a servant of G-d.

“Be strong and have courage; be not afraid, nor dismayed: for the Lord your G-d is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

About the Author
Mindy Rubenstein is a mom, author, artist, and teacher. She grew up secular on the west coast of Florida, discovered Torah Judaism as an adult, and has spent 16+ years learning and growing religously and spiritually. She made Aliyah in 2022 and lives in Zichron Yaakov, atop Mount Carmel overlooking the Mediterannean Sea. You can read more about her journey at www.M613.org.
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