'Rose, watch your back': Grandmother mourns on Hanukkah after granddaughter killed in Israel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As Hanukkah begins, a Jewish grandmother is mourning after her granddaughter was killed in a terrorist attack in Israel.

At the Gordon Jewish Community Center, Eva Marx is surrounded by other seniors for Hanukkah. While hearts are heavy amid the Israel-Hamas war, Eva's is perhaps the heaviest.

Eva's granddaughter, Staff Sgt. Rose Lubin, was a lone soldier who left Atlanta at 20 years old to join the Israel Defense Forces as a border officer.

“She really was just a special person,” Marx said.

According to news outlets in Jerusalem, she was killed in a terrorist attack in November.

“It’s been very hard because it was such a shock. I had spoken to her three days before, and my last words to her were 'Rose watch your back,' and the attacker came from behind,” Marx said.

Eva recently returned to Nashville from services in Israel. She said thousands of people came by to pay their respects during the mourning period.

"And the people came through and they held us. They hugged you like they knew you. They kissed you, and they prayed for you, and then we told them about our granddaughter," Marx said.

Eva recently learned more about Rose when she was near the Gaza Strip during the initial attack.

"She was there visiting, and she was not in uniform but she went in, and put her uniform on and took her gun, and she went and she worked that area for 12 hours," Marx said.

Eva hopes this Hanukkah her granddaughter's legacy will be remembered.

"The people of Israel really needed this, they needed a hero because they’re having such a hard struggle," Marx said.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and the JCC have several events planned for Hanukkah this week. Due to the nature of world events, there will be security.