FOREST, Va. – Here at home, one martial arts studio is lending a helping hand.
“I had to do something. My family, we are Jewish and when I started getting notifications that this was happening and we started to come to terms with the severity of it, had to do something,” Bruce Rubinberg, owner of FEKS Martial Arts Center said.
That something is creating t-shirts that say, “I stand with Israel” and selling them to the public. the funds will then be donated to Israel through a site called “Emergency Campaign Sword of Iron.”
“We are raising money for equipment for soldiers since Israel has had to recall so many soldiers so fast, equipment is very light and they need help,” Rubinberg said.
The martial arts studio is still open but looks different. Now, doors are locked throughout the day with eyes on who comes in and out for precaution.
“The Hamas leaders have called for jihad which means Arabs all over the world, Muslims all over the world, should attack and kill Jews and others that they don’t like, so it’s affecting people everywhere,” Rubinberg said.
The t-shirts, in addition to raising money, is a way to spread awareness about what is happening in Israel.
“It says ‘I stand with Israel’ because we need support and public support is a big deal for us and underneath, we have a Star of David or a Jewish star and then a logo of the school that we here have,” Rubinberg said.
The owner said they started selling the shirts on Monday and have raised $2,000 for Israel.