Meet the author
David Rubin is the author of God, Israel, and Shiloh. When we examine the title of his book, we see that the title doesn't seem to fit the author's background, but it definitely fits his present, and probably his future. David grew up in Brooklyn, New York. as a sometimes atheist who, as a young nineteen-year-old, was interested in visiting almost anyplace but Israel. If someone would have asked him about Shiloh, the ancient capital of Israel, he might have thought of one of the local Brooklyn churches with that name.
Just thirty years later, David is the author of this remarkable book, written from the Biblical heartland of Shiloh, where he lives with his wife and children on a hilltop overlooking ancient Shiloh, the ancient city where God's Tabernacle dwelled for 369 years. The first Shiloh era began with the great leader Joshua and led into the era of Hannah, the woman whose prayer for a son in Shiloh bacame the model for Jewish prayer through the ages. The son who was born from those prayers was Samuel, the prophet and moral leader of Israel, who grew up in Shiloh and appointed the first two kings of Israel. After David's own fascinating personal process of return to his roots and Land, which he speaks about in the book, he served the re-established town of Shiloh as its mayor, as well as taking on many other active roles in the life of this already pioneering community, including welcoming many groups of Jewish and Christian tourists to Shiloh and sharing with them his special insider's view of both modern and ancient Shiloh.
After David and his three-year-old son Ruby were wounded in a vicious terror shooting attack, this process of building bridges increased greatly, and David started to receive invitations to speak outside of Israel, telling his horrifying yet miraculous story, as well as the story of Israel's difficult but miraculous process of return to its heartland. At that point, David started the
Shiloh Israel Children's Fund, to support educational, therapeutic, and recreational programs for all of the children of the Shiloh bloc of communities, who have been so traumatized by the waves of terrorism that have hit their communities.
David Rubin's extensive knowledge about Israel and its role in the world isn't merely an academic expression that comes only from books, but rather a real-life expression that comes from the heart. Whether writing about spiritual growth, terrorism, or tolerance, David's genuine feelings and passion for his topic come across loud and clear. God, Israel, and Shiloh, is an amazing journey through Israel's history and present, with a powerful, but realistic vision of the future. It's also the culmination of a long process of return and redemption, both for David, and for the People of Israel.
