TUCKER, Ga. — It's been one year since the Oct. 7 terror attacks against Israel. About 1,200 were killed and 250 were taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. Thousands more have died since then.
A Dunwoody woman was killed in the early events of the Israel-Hamas war. Rose Lubin was described as a leader with a vibrant personality. She was the eldest child who led the pack both at home and at school. The young woman attended Dunwoody High School as a varsity cheerleader and was the only girl on the boy's wrestling team.
Her father, David Lubin, said his daughter was always exercising and helping others. He remembers how she would dye her hair different colors every few weeks.
"Rose was like this larger-than-life type of person," David said.
So, it came as no surprise when Rose made the big decision to fly 6,000 miles away to defend Israel, joining the border patrol.
"She served as a police officer," David said. "And she didn't carry hate in her any day."
But David said this didn't mean hate didn't find her. After about two years of service for Rose, war was imminent. She lost her life on day one -- making the ultimate sacrifice in Israel.
On Oct. 7, 2023, David lost his daughter when Rose was stabbed and killed in the early events of the Israel-Hamas War.
"America, we were attacked on 9/11 by evil," David said. "And that same evil attacked Israel."
Now, a year later, he's still processing his emotions.
"It's a pain, and it's a grief that...there's nothing that will ever fill it for the rest of our lives. And we know that," David said.
David said it pains him that he won't see his 20-year-old daughter grow up.
"Knowing that I'd never get to talk to her again, I never get to see her again, never get to hear her saying 'I love you, Daddy,'" David continued, "Never get to see her raise a family."
But despite the grief, David is determined not to let the frustration bleed into Rose's loved ones when they think of her.
"We, as a family, decided we were not gonna let that hate get into us," David said.
He feels his daughter's story is bigger than him -- bigger than life -- and certainly big enough to carry a legacy he hopes no one will forget.
David commemorated the one-year milestone of the Israel-Hamas war at the Sandy Springs City Center and Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Monday at 7 p.m.
"She didn't die for nothing," David added. "What she lived for and what she represented in this world is being carried on by people every day."
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