Street preacher Ruben Israel dead at 62
Ruben Israel, a well-known traveling street preacher who often protested Utah Pride and the semi-annual conferences of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, died suddenly on Saturday. His last blog post was of his trip to Utah Pride earlier in June.
On his Facebook page, Israel’s family announced Sunday that the Los Angeles, California native unexpectedly died last Saturday at 5 a.m. but did not disclose the cause of death. He was 62.
As Ruben’s family, it is with a heavy heart that we share the news of his unexpected passing on Saturday, June 17, 2023, at 5:00 am. Understandably, we are shocked and devastated by the loss of our beloved husband, father, brother, and uncle. Yet, we take comfort in knowing that he was a dedicated servant of God, and we find peace and solace in understanding that he is now in God’s loving arms.
We want to extend our profound gratitude to all of the wonderful brothers and sisters of his ministry who have reached out to us. He loved and appreciated every single one of you, and he had great respect for your tireless dedication to sharing the message of God. Please know that he will always walk with you as you continue your work.
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“Last weekend we were the watchman on the wall in Salt Lake City, warning the wicked of their wicked way and many walked saying they believe in God. So we exercise our free speech and spoke against them,” Israel wrote. “Because this pride event is in Moronland, it will have more families than other parades. It will not be long before the LDS Church will marry same sex couples.”
Israel would often carry an electrical cord with two male ends, trying to show that two men don’t belong together.
