The Tudor Dixon Podcast: A Father’s Plea: Inside the Fight to Bring Israeli Hostages Home

Summary

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The Tudor Dixon Podcast: A Father’s Plea – Inside the Fight to Bring Israeli Hostages Home

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (special episode: The Tudor Dixon Podcast)
Host: Tudor Dixon
Guest: Ruby Hen, father of American-Israeli hostage Itai Hen
Date: November 5, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the ongoing pain and advocacy of families whose loved ones remain hostage or missing following the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. Tudor Dixon interviews Ruby Hen, whose son Itai, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen and IDF soldier, has been missing for over two years. The discussion dives deep into the emotional toll of hostage-taking, the U.S. government's role in hostage negotiations, the rise of antisemitism, and their personal stories of resilience and hope.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Itai Hen's Story and the Ongoing Ordeal

• Ruby Hen gives a detailed account of his son Itai’s background—an American-born, typical middle child, active in sports and scouts, who joined the Israeli Defense Forces due to family history and a commitment to the Jewish state.
• On October 7, while serving in a tank division near the Gaza border, Itai’s unit was ambushed. After days of uncertainty, the family learned he was one of three missing soldiers, now hostages—making him the youngest American taken hostage in that attack.
• “Itay was one of the 12 U.S. citizens that were taken hostage. He is the youngest hostage of having a U.S. citizenship… And that has been 759 days ago. And we're still fighting to get him back.” —Ruby Hen (03:24)

Timestamps:

• [02:14] – Ruby recounts Itai’s upbringing, family background, and the events of October 7
• [04:13] – Ruby describes the daily toll and wearing a shirt with Itai’s name and number of days missing

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2. Family Advocacy and U.S. Government Involvement

• Ruby details repeated trips to Washington, D.C., and ongoing engagement with U.S. officials (notably President Trump, Vice President, Secretary Rubio, Special Envoy Wytkoff, Jared Kushner).
• He contrasts the approach of different administrations, expressing gratitude for efforts but highlighting the need for continued commitment.
• “This administration has done a fabulous job. Dozens of U.S. Citizens from all over have been able to come back… They both gave me their commitment to jobs out there.” —Ruby Hen (05:17, 06:33)

Timestamps:

• [04:45] – Ruby shares updates on hostages and government contact
• [08:07] – On interactions with the Biden administration and the importance of a bipartisan approach

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3. Challenges and Delays in Hostage Negotiations

• Ruby attributes slow progress to both Hamas' negotiating tactics and constraints within U.S. and Israeli policy.
• He challenges narratives claiming Hamas doesn't know the hostages’ whereabouts:
  “I'm not buying that. They don't know. Well, just let's not forget they were the ones that kidnapped and abducted them. So they know where they put them.” —Ruby Hen (07:19)

Timestamps:

• [06:53] – Tudor asks about the cause for delays and Ruby’s response
• [07:57] – On the lack of a robust contingency plan (“Plan B”) by the Biden Administration

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4. American Political Climate and Antisemitism

• The discussion pivots to reactions in New York and across the U.S. after October 7, protests, divisions, and lack of public knowledge.
• Ruby often engages with protesters, aiming to humanize the issue, invoking the number of Americans killed and US hostages.
• “Just by taking even deceased people and using them as negotiation trips, like what religion advocates for that?” —Ruby Hen (15:55)

Timestamps:

• [14:42] – Tudor asks about political effect of protests in the U.S.
• [16:47] – The challenge of rising antisemitism and generational change in attitudes

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5. Life in Israel and the U.S.: Society, Resilience, and Unity

• Ruby describes Israeli society’s vibrancy and mandatory military service, paralleling Tel Aviv and New York City, but noting Israel’s unique security pressures.
• He reflects on polarization within both U.S. and Israeli politics, arguing for a return to bipartisanship and shared democratic values.

Timestamps:

• [19:54] – Ruby paints a picture of everyday life in Israel and draws similarities and differences with the U.S.
• [22:06] – Discussion on how Israel should reposition itself in the U.S. political landscape

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6. Personal Reflections on Hate, Memory, and Hope

• Tudor shares a moving recollection from interviewing Holocaust survivors, highlighting recurring fears among Jewish communities.
• Ruby echoes these sentiments, underscoring the pain of families without closure, and the importance of Jewish burial traditions: “From the Jewish religion, the belief is the soul lives for eternity… the body needs to be in a place that the soul can move forward. And nobody could say that's the case with Itai. And we want him back.” —Ruby Hen (25:45)
• He also movingly recounts the unique suffering of families with no physical place to mourn.
• “I'm a dead man walking, saving my son and saving the living, because he will save me and he'll save my family as well as the others that want them back.” —Ruby Hen (27:45)

Timestamps:

• [24:47] – Ruby shares personal family history and spirituality
• [28:09] – Tudor describes a personal encounter with Donald Trump and attitudes toward family

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7. Family, Support Systems, and Looking Forward

• Ruby shares the support provided by the community of hostage families, acknowledging the "curse and the blessing" of this tragic fraternity.
• He describes parenting through trauma and the impact on his younger sons, especially amid a climate of social media-driven hate.
• “So the curse and the blessing is the fact that 255 families have become a new family, families of hostages. And within that you find, you know, those that you are able to use as a support system…” —Ruby Hen (35:04)

Timestamps:

• [29:28] – Ruby discusses his relationship with his other children, keeping family rituals alive
• [34:54] – Impact on his youngest son, efforts to shield him, reliance on support networks

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8. A Message to Public Figures and the Need for Shared Humanity

• Ruby occasionally communicates directly with figures like Tucker Carlson to encourage more nuanced, compassionate perspectives on the hostage crisis.
• He stresses the similarities in Abrahamic faiths and the need to focus on love and commonalities.
• “What makes us more similar than what makes us different.” —Ruby Hen (36:36)

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Notable Quotes

• On the Hostage Crisis:

  • “We have been able to receive back 247 hostages, but there's still eight left behind, including my son, still the only US citizen left behind in captivity.” —Ruby Hen (04:29)

• On Loss and Closure:

  • “When you feel sad, you want to be with him. You have a place to go to. We don't.” —Ruby Hen paraphrasing his wife, to Special Envoy Witkoff (26:17)

• On Public Understanding:

  • “Most often than not, people were not aware of that fact. And I think it's a good way to start the conversation...” —Ruby Hen, about Americans killed on October 7 (15:19)

• On American and Israeli Unity:

  • “We walk this planet together. There are things you shouldn't be doing.” —Ruby Hen (16:39)

• On Family:

  • “We have our dinner table where we have an empty chair and you know everybody feels it and we all just want to be able to be as whole in order to move on.” —Ruby Hen (30:03)

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Memorable Moments & Emotional High Points

• Personal grief shared publicly: Ruby’s decision to wear a shirt each day with his son’s name and number of days missing, staking a claim against forgetting (04:13).
• **Explaining the Jewish view of burial, the soul, and the agony of not having remains returned while advocating for closure (25:45–27:40).
• **The story of Ruby’s engagement with protesters and the struggle to educate peers about the American losses on October 7 (15:09–16:47).
• **Tudor’s retelling of a Holocaust survivor’s warning and realization of its continued relevance today (23:35–24:45).

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Conclusion

This episode spotlights the continuing struggle of hostage families, the personal devastation wrought by ongoing captivity, and the broader societal impacts of the Israel-Hamas conflict—from policy and political engagement to rising antisemitism and generational divides in perception. Through Ruby Hen’s testimony, listeners are reminded of both the human cost of such crises and the need for empathy, shared values, and persistent advocacy.

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Segment Timestamps

• 02:14 – Itai Hen’s background and October 7 recap
• 04:13 – The symbolic daily act of advocacy
• 05:09 – U.S. government response and commitment
• 06:53 – Reasons for negotiating delays
• 08:07 – Comparing Trump and Biden administration actions
• 14:42 – Antisemitism, New York, and protest reactions
• 19:54 – Life in Israel, democracy, and values
• 22:06 – Israel’s positioning in U.S. society
• 24:47 – Personal family history and the pain of loss
• 28:09 – Family, support systems, and resilience
• 34:54 – Supporting children amidst hate
• 35:56 – A message to public figures and Americans

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For more episodes and updates, visit tutordixonpodcast.com.

Transcript

[Tudor Dixon]

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[Tudor Dixon]

You are listening to the Tudor Dixon podcast and we want to talk about the Israeli hostage ordeal. For many of us, I think in the United States, we think of it as being over because the living hostages are home. But it is not over. And that's what we wanna talk about today. It is not over for the families who are still waiting for their loved ones, their sons, their husbands, their fathers. There is no closure right now. And it may be even worse because many of them are afraid that their loved ones will be forgotten and will not be returned home. And I know they have been speaking with the administration and calling out to the president who has committed to make sure that these people are connected back with their families. Today we're joined by one of families, the father of Itai Hen, Ruby Hen. Thank you so much for joining me today.

[Ruby Hen]

Thank you for having me.

[Tudor Dixon]

We know that your son was one of the. He was one of the soldiers on October 7th. Is that correct? Can you take us a little bit through his story?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah. So I'm a New Yorker, like to say, proud outcome of the New York public education system. Decided after doing nyu, met my wife. We decided to live in Tel Aviv and have three sons. Itai is the middle sibling, so he has an elder and younger sibling. He loved the extra curriculum activities from basketball to climbing on walls, being a boy scout, any typical kid you would bump into. And at the age of 18, both my family and my wife's family are Holocaust survivors. So the understanding of protecting the Jewish state, you know, meant a lot to him. And he joined the idf. He was in a tanks division. And on that fatal October 7th, he was protecting the ceasefire on the border of Gaza. They got ambushed, they did what they were supposed to do. They protected and saved a lot of Jewish lives from a very terrible fate. But at the end those terrorists also came well prepared anti tank missiles and neutralized the tank after a few hours of fighting. And we were in limbo for a number of days not knowing what happened to him. And only on Thursday, five days after we got a knock on the door saying, well, we got to the tank. Inside the tank it's a squad of four people. One of them was killed, pinned down inside, three others missing in action. And Itay was one of the 12 U.S. citizens that were taken hostage. He is the youngest hostage of having a U.S. citizenship. Itay's battle and his team ended on that fatal October 7th. But since then a new battle battle began. That is the battle of 255 families wanting to get their loved ones back, including 12 U.S. families. And that has been 759 days ago. And we're still fighting to get him back.

[Tudor Dixon]

You noted that you wear a shirt with his name and the number of days that he's been missing.

[Ruby Hen]

That's indeed it's a way for us to kind of emphasize the point each day that passes by. And we've been to the White House too often in the last two years advocating for the release of TCO citizens, including all the other hostages. We have been able to receive back 247 hostages, but there's still eight left behind, including my son, still the only US citizen left behind in captivity.

[Tudor Dixon]

You've praised President Trump for his commitment to do it, but I know that you also have said, you know, this was you were hoping this would happen. In the first hundred days you are you still feel like the priority should be US Citizens. Your son is still has still not been returned home. Do you feel confident that the administration is committed to getting him home?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah. So we got to know President Trump and you know how he looks at this. Even in his first administration from people that know him, he took a special interest in U.S. hostages. It should be a liability, not an asset, to take any US Citizen any place. And there should be consequences for those people that take U.S. citizens. And when this administration began and with the president detailing the America first policy which put an emphasis on bringing back U.S. citizens that were held hostage or unlawfully detained. And this administration has done a fabulous job. Dozens of US Citizens from all over have been able to come back. I think it was about two weeks ago, we had a US Citizen from Afghanistan held by the Taliban that was able to come back. So we know that the president cares deeply about this, as well as the vice president that we met, I think, 10 days ago, and Secretary Rubio and, of course, Special Envoy Wytkoff and Jared Kushner that have been spearheading these efforts. And they said, we won't give up. We're going to get everybody back. That is a commitment. That is the deal that was signed. It was signed on 48 hostages to come back. It wasn't on 40 or 25. It was on 48. And until today, we've seen 40 come out. So there's still eight and accounted for. And I could share even today, texting Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner. They both gave me their commitment to jobs out there.

[Tudor Dixon]

Do you. So you believe that those eight will come home?

[Ruby Hen]

Needs our faith. It's pretty hard not to go through these two years of hell without it.

[Tudor Dixon]

Why do you think it's been such a slow process? We believed that. I mean, we were expecting this a couple of weeks ago for everyone to come at the same time. Why do you think there's been a delay in some of these people coming back?

[Ruby Hen]

Well, you know, it's Hamas, you know, they have a different compass than we do. They have a very good idea where all the hostages are.

[Tudor Dixon]

You do believe that they know where they are?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah. I'm not buying that. They don't know. Well, just let's not forget they were the ones that kidnapped and abducted them. So they know where they put them. So they should have a pretty good idea where they stashed them. And they, of course, would like to regain control of areas that the IDF left in order to be in a better position when negotiating for the second phase, which we have been very vocal about, that we believe that the second phase should not begin before the first phase has been completed, which details the evil deeds of all of the 48 hostages.

[Tudor Dixon]

Do you feel that the Biden administration was working as hard as the Trump administration was? Did you have meetings with the Biden administration?

[Ruby Hen]

Yes, we had very good meetings with the Biden administration. We decided to keep this a bipartisan issue, which you think it should be. But to be honest, you know, the game plan that the Biden administration had was that it wanted to see those hostages command via Israel, the Paxton, and that didn't pan out. And we thought that should be a plan B. And, you know, going to the administration and asking them, what's plan B? And there was never a plan B. And I don't understand why, you know, it was such a long time that went by and the previous administration unfortunately did not single out to US Citizens and wanted to find a way to get them out with the Trump administration, you know, I could say both sides, we asked us to keep this a bipartisan issue and Indeed we asked Mr. Sullivan to immediately engage with his counterpart, which did happen. And as such, we saw that deal happen in January, which was very important. That was the first phase of this phase, you could call it. And we saw the president and his ability to bring the sides together and get that deal to the finish line. And what we saw two weeks ago, you know, again, the president with his ability at the UN putting together all of the Arab leaders together, building a coalition that brought Hamas to the negotiation table. And also Mr. Kushner, that has his history of the Abraham Accords of being able to bring all those adult players together. And you saw them working together with Mr. Kushner and Mr. Witkoff together. And we got the deal done. And hopefully we'll see this tragedy end in the next couple of days.

[Tudor Dixon]

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[Tudor Dixon]

You noted that you grew up in New York, so you are a native New Yorker. That's. That's your hometown. You watched after what happened on October 7th with Colombia and the, the marches and the Free Palestine and the river to the Sea, all of that that was going on in New York. What is your reaction to that? Do you think that slowed things down politically in the United States under the Biden, Biden administration?

[Ruby Hen]

To be honest, I don't think it had that much of an impact. I, you know, as a New Yorker, you know, we, after 9, 11, you know, we New Yorkers stand together. I think also on this topic, you know, when it's also a little bit about educating the people, like, I would sometimes, you know, walk around and talk to people that would be protesting. And I would start off by saying something very simple. Are you a patriotic U.S. citizen? The question, you know, it's always, yeah, of course I am. And I would ask them, do, you know, on October 7th, 47 of our fellow Americans were killed by Hamas. Are you aware of that fact? Most often than not, people were not aware of that fact. And I think it's a good way to start the conversation and explain that those 47 citizens deserve justice. And they are victims of a terrorist organization that killed over 2,000 people in Israel in one day. That's a very large number. And just by taking even deceased people and using them as negotiation trips, like what religion advocates for that, like, I challenge any platform that I go on. Go find me a imam that would say, Islam speaks about taking dead people and using them as negotiations. Like, these are people that have done stuff that is way out of, you know, out of the line of what any religion should talk about. And we all, at the end, children of God, like, it's not a competition who is suffering more. We walk this planet together. There are things you shouldn't be doing.

[Tudor Dixon]

Well, it is interesting because we've seen quite a division in the United States over religion. As much as people don't want to talk about religion, they have separated people into Christianity, Islamic and Judaism. And they have said that this is good and this is bad. And there seems to be a real, true rise of anti Semitism. And, I mean, we're in the midst of this right now. Seeing Nick Fuentes on the Tucker Carlson show, and you have the Heritage foundation that says, we are okay with this, and then they backtrack on that. When you. I mean, you said you come from a family who lived through the Holocaust, knowing that you come from family members that saw the worst of the worst, what would they say today as they see this happening in the United States?

[Ruby Hen]

They would be shocked. Yeah, I think. I think it's a bigger topic, you know, about today, how people consume and forge their opinion. And that's typically based on a TikTok of 45 seconds. You know, it's not, I think, the most educated way to look about it. And it's very easy to put people into buckets. People are much more complicated than that. As I said, I grew up New York City, public education. You know, we grew up together. We didn't care about religion. My best friend was from Turkey. I knew I would go to his place to play. I would take off my shoes at the house and, you know, I thought I was expecting them. That was fine. Then he would come over to my place, and I know that he would eat kosher. We have no problems with one another. You know, we just want to play baseball, and you just enjoy ourselves. So I don't know, you know, how we got to where we got today. And it goes back to what I said. You know, we, you know, acknowledge the fact that people, that majority of the people just want, you know, a simple life for themselves. Even the people in Gaza, you know, I'm sure that there's hunger in Gaza. You know, Hamas, you know, has been taking that food and have been, you know, taking it and selling it on the black market. And I'm sure that many people there just want a simple life, as you and I most likely do. And we need to take those extremists and get them out and, you know, find ways to be able to talk to one another. Like I said, you know, going to protesters in Colombia and just saying, look, you know, we are all U.S. citizens. We have, you know, a few things in common before looking at things that are different.

[Tudor Dixon]

There has been a real demonization of Israel and I think you are absolutely correct. It is the 15 seconds on TikTok. The people who have ever been to Israel don't understand it. Can you take us a little bit inside of what life in Israel is and the freedom that you have there? I think we spoke recently to the Israeli ambassador to the United States and he came on and he was talking about the fact that we as Americans don't know what it was like having to protect before October 7th and what Israel always goes through to make sure that the citizens are safe there. But on the ground, it is a very free and beautiful society, isn't it?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah. Tel Aviv is very much like New York. I tell people that come to Tel Aviv, you should go to New York first, take the subway, you know, a couple of times, just to get the idea of people, you know, on top of one another. It's, you know, there's a lot of high tech, so there's a lot of the younger population that is in high tech positions and, you know, build a very vibrant, positive community. We have a problem, we live in a bad neighborhood, which means that you need to take care of yourself. And that means that at the age of 18, going to the army is mandatory, which kind of is a different process than in the States where you go to college. So you have to go work much more quicker. You know, you get a gun and, you know, you need to know how to protect yourself. But it creates a very vibrant community where in most occasions, and the idea, if you go to some technology unit and you gain a profession and then you kind of use that as a catapult to build your profession in civilian life. And, you know, it's a very beautiful community. It has also a lot of contrasts. Where we have in Jerusalem, all the main religions are there, which creates a lot of tension. And here as well, it's difficult sometimes to be able to talk to your neighbors and get along. But I think at the end the majority of the people just want to get along with one another. As you know, I did in New York City and I think that's where we should spend our effort on. And what has happened here in Israel the last two years is not good. I think that even, you know, the Israeli government has too many extremists instead about it, people that are more in the center and finding ways to speak to one another, which is unfortunate. And in The United States as well. Somehow Israel became a partisan issue instead of being a bipartisan issue, as it always has been for decades. And I think it's something that also the Israeli government needs to think about how to reposition Israel in the United States. And hopefully that would also change maybe the anti Semitism we see happening in the United States today.

[Tudor Dixon]

What do you think could change? What do you mean? Explain that. What do you think could change that?

[Ruby Hen]

I think, you know, Israel should position itself inside of the United States. Something that is a bipartisan concept that for decades it's always had a very high approval within the United States population. We see a change in that specifically with the younger generation. And I think, you know, there needs to be more work that needs to be done in order to educate better. How similar the Israeli democratic state is to the United States and the same values as in the United States and being a blind for the United States and what's happening in the Middle east, that's yelling democracy. And I think that is the benefit of having this alliance with one another. You know, I'm both a US and a Israeli citizen, so I could speak to that. But sometimes in the last couple of years, we've seen why the younger population has gone down different paths. Simple dad just wants his kid back, you know, let's say a little bit above my pay date. But something to think about, I think.

[Tudor Dixon]

I mean, I think we've all been stunned by the. I guess it's like the infiltration of this messaging. It's coming on both sides. I see it with the Free Palestine movement that has not been about freeing people. It's been about. It's truly a movement of hate, I believe. And I see it on the right, too. I see it with the. Nick Fuentes is of the world that are out there saying hideous, hideous things. And people are saying, you know, not.

[Ruby Hen]

That, you know, Tucker Carlson didn't talk like that a couple of years ago.

[Tudor Dixon]

Right, Exactly. Exactly. So how. That's what I just keep asking myself. How is this happening? What is behind this? And I don't understand. I don't understand what's behind it. And I've said this on the program a few times, so some of our audience members will. Will know the story. But in 2018, we interviewed Holocaust survivors that lived in the United States. And I sat with a older man and his wife, who, his wife had been in one concentration camp and he had been in two different concentration camps. So he was talking, she was very quiet. She said almost nothing. And as I walked out the door. She grabbed onto my arm and looked me in the eyes. It's the only thing she said the whole time. And she said, they hate the Jews and they'll do it again. And I remember so naively thinking this would never happen again. And that's why today, when I see this, it's. It breaks my heart because I think of her and I think of the. It was not just. It wasn't nasty, it was fear. And it was well founded.

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah, I could share, you know, my family's background. You know, my dad, his education ended at the age of 13 fleeing from the Nazis. And he came to the states late 1950s, didn't have much in his pocket. He became a union worker, instruction. Would wake up five in the morning, put, you know, blend on the table. My mom was an Avon lady. And if you remember that concept many, many years ago. And, you know, we, you know, made it, made it together. And we had very good neighbors, you know, from different origins as well. We knew how to live together and it was a beautiful time. You go, you. I remember as a kid, you would go down till late at night and, you know, everybody would be outside on the sidewalks, you know, playing baseball or catching whatever, and we were getting along with one another. And somehow that kind of disappeared from a lot of the cities in the United States where everyone is kind of like secluded. One was the other. Again, you know, my topic is the fact that, you know, we are US Citizens, we grew up in the States, you know, Itai, my son did what it was supposed to do, protecting people, simple people. And he was taken, kidnapped, and that was like two years ago. And we just want him back. You know, we touched a little bit about the topic about, you know, deceased, you know, and what it means. So we were told about a year ago that he was most likely killed. And sometimes people don't get it. Like, you know, what? Why do you want him back? From the Jewish religion, the belief is the soul lives for eternity, so just evolves. And the body is a vessel. And when the soul needs to move on to the next phase, then the body, you know, we say, rest in peace. What does that mean? It means that the body needs to be in a place that the soul can move forward. And nobody could say that's the case with Itai. And we want him back. When we met Mr. Witkoff the first time, he shared with us that we're part of the same NAT club. He lost his son about a decade and a half ago. And he said, you know, I get You. Because I also lost a son. And my wife looked at him for a second and said, you know, Mr. Wyckoff, almost. You know why? Because when you feel sad, you want to be with him. You have a place to go to. We don't. And, you know, it took half a minute to process. You know that. And he looked back to her, and she's like, I understand now. And I think the president himself, at the beginning also, it was difficult for him to understand the concept. But you hear him today speaking so vocally about the need to lean back, also those that were killed, because that's the closure. And I'm a dead man walking, saving my son and saving the living, because he will save me and he'll save my family as well as the others that want them back. And hopefully this administration will keep on doing what it needs to do and has committed to do. Meeting me face to face, looking me in the eye and telling me, we'll get your boy back. And the president yesterday called the Neutra family from Long island that their son came back. And that was one of the things that they asked him when he called. He said, look, job's not done. There's still another US Citizen. He needs also to come back. And the president gave his commitment that he'll make that happen.

[Tudor Dixon]

I believe that my experience with President Trump has been that family is so important, and I will. This is something I haven't shared before, but when I was running for office, we went to Mar a Lago and we sat with the president for about 20 minutes. My dad was very sick at the time. We lost him just a few months after that meeting, but he was very sick. And I was kind of holding his arm so that he could stand and talk to the president. And it was the first thing that President Trump noticed. He said, you care so much about him, so you really love him, don't you? And I think that was just. He said it out loud because family is so important. I think that's how he looks at people, how he determines how people feel about others, is how you treat your own family. And I think part of having you here today was so that people could have that connection and know that. You talk about your family being patriotic and joyful, and here you are. What an amazing father after all this time. To continue, you wear the shirt. You're out there there every day. You talk on the phone with the administration weekly. You are not giving up what to your other two sons, when they look at you, they must be so amazed by you.

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah, you know, Italia, he's the middle kid, the sandwich. I don't know about you, I'm also a sandwich. Well, he's the more difficult one. So he always wanted to find ways to.

[Tudor Dixon]

I have one, I have a middle kid.

[Ruby Hen]

So they're the ones that always are the ones checking boundaries. So as you know, I said, I'm a New York, I'm a proud New York Knicks fan. So the eldest, he became a Knicks fan, of course, and he tied, looked at me and looked at the other siblings. Said he became a Celtics fan. You know, I was like, that's hilarious. Of course, you know, we would be sitting now on the couch, you know, basketball season just started. We would, you know, be talking about the Knicks and the Celtics and what will be going on. And that's what he's missed. And, you know, we have our dinner table where we have an empty chair and you know, everybody feels it and we all just want to be able to be as whole in order to move on. So that's why we advocate in one and back.

[Tudor Dixon]

Do the other boys, are they in the IDF?

[Ruby Hen]

No. No. So the youngest is 15 and the eldest is 24.

[Tudor Dixon]

Okay, so the youngest is not at this time. You join when you're 18, is that what you said?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah. 18, you do two and a half years. Yeah.

[Tudor Dixon]

Let's take a quick commercial break. We'll continue next on the Tudor Dixon podcast.

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[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealth break.

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Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone. It's not just about saving. It's about investing. It's about navigating systems that weren't built for you, embracing your hustle and relying on your community to create something bigger.

[Travis Holloway]

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[Rodney Williams]

We're here to talk about the journey. You're hearing from people who've broken barriers, found creative ways to succeed and learn to build wealth on their terms. Whether it's the first time homeowner, a gig worker, or someone turning a side hustle into a six figure business, we're bringing you their stories.

[Travis Holloway]

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[Tudor Dixon]

What's it like for him to watch this? I mean, at 15, I have a daughter that's 16. I have a daughter that's 14. They have been, surprisingly for me, they have been so in tune with the hate and we're, they're very, they go to Christian school and they're very faithful. They're very involved in our religion. And I think that I, I look at our religion, the Christianity and Your religion as being a. Religions of love and, and really I think religion should be the number one focus, should be love. And they've seen so much hate for your younger son. How has that affected him? He lost his brother and now there is this, I mean, you're bombarded on social media with this hate. How do, how does he react and how do you think we switch that?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah, we started shelter and as much as possible from that, you know, he does have a normal routine. You know, high school, you know, has its own challenges, as you know.

[Tudor Dixon]

Yes.

[Ruby Hen]

And we have a support system. So the curse and the blessing is the fact that 255 families have become a new family, families of hostages. And within that you find, you know, those that you are able to use as a support system because they understand things that we need to encounter as well. So there are those that he is able to speak to and from his own age and talk about things that only those that are going through that could understand. So that is the, you know, curse and the blessing of what happened to us.

[Tudor Dixon]

Is there anything that you would say to, I mean, you noted that Tucker Carlson has seemed to change. For people who are suddenly speaking in this negative way. What would your message be to them?

[Ruby Hen]

Yeah, so to be honest, you know, Tucker and I, you know, we text every once in a while. I try to give them a different viewpoint, like things that maybe we could agree upon, such as being a patriotic US Citizen. What does that mean when it comes to US Hostages being held against their will and you know, where the United States should have an obligation to support that? You know, we can disagree about other things, but I think on that topic we agreed upon and I just, you know, like you said, being a good Christian is looking at the good, looking at the love. You know, there's enough hate going on. You know, Christianity does come from the Old Testament, which is Judaism. So there are a lot of shared values. One was the other. So I would say that's okay. I think what makes us more similar than what makes us different.

[Tudor Dixon]

Absolutely. Yes. We are forever connected. I would agree with that. And I just want to say that we look at what you do every day and we look at the families who have lost people and the families who have, even the hostages that come home that go on to live their life, we know that they are also forever changed. And our prayers are with you. We are thinking of you all the time. I want you to know that it is not the things that you see that seem hateful. There are so many more of us who are praying for you every day and want to make sure that ETEK comes home.

[Ruby Hen]

God bless. Thank you for saying that.

[Tudor Dixon]

Absolutely. And I appreciate you coming on today. God bless you, Ruby Henn. We appreciate you.

[Ruby Hen]

Thank you.

[Tudor Dixon]

Thank you all for listening to the Tutor Dixon Podcast. For this episode and others. Go to tutordixonpodcast.com you can subscribe right there or head over to the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts and make sure you check out out the full video on Rumble or YouTube uterdixon. Make sure you join us next time on the Tutor Dixon Podcast. Have a blessed day.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams.

[Travis Holloway]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak Podcast, a real conversation about finance.

[Rodney Williams]

Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Tudor Dixon]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

[Travis Holloway]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

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Worse, what happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

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[Travis Holloway]

Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

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[Ruby Hen]

You're a good boy.

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