A recent ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Nina Gershon might be a major break in the case against Arab Bank, which plaintiffs claim is funding global terrorism. But to Dallas lawyer Mark Werbner, it’s one more step in an extended spiritual journey.

Werbner, co-founder of Sayles Werbner, is one of the lawyers representing plaintiffs in claims that Arab Bank has helped fund Hamas and other terrorist organizations in their attacks. About 200 plaintiffs – including 50 U.S. families – have signed on to the suit, which seeks $1 billion in damages from the bank.

D Magazine detailed how the case became a personal quest for Werbner: Werbner shifted from secular lawyer to Zionist activist in 1984, when he and his wife took a trip abroad with a group of Dallas Jews. Visiting Auschwitz, they saw the shower rooms where Jews were gassed; the ovens where their remains were burned; the shoes, eyeglasses, and luggage left behind. For Werbner, it was all suddenly much more than the history books. And from these camps, the group traveled to Israel.

This juxtaposition—"coming from the ashes of the crematorium to the steps of the parliament in Israel," says Cheryl Pollman—was transformative. After returning to Dallas, they joined just about every Jewish service organization in town. "It was like I had what I considered to be a fairly boring, average life,” says Werbner. “Suddenly I saw I had this great treasure of things that offered purpose, challenge, and adventure."

The protracted litigation – which began in 2004 -- has tested both Werbner’s resolve and previous legal boundaries. The case is among the first to apply new provisions of the Anti-Terrorist Act, passed by Congress in 2001, in part to prevent the secret bank financing of international terrorism. Through the course of litigation, Arab Bank has steadily resisted the discovery efforts of the plaintiffs, many of whom have lost loved ones or been wounded themselves by terrorist attacks in Israel. The ruling from the Eastern DIstrict of New York instructed the jury that based on Arab Bank's resistence to producing discovery material requested by the plaintiffs, they may infer from that Arab Bank processed and distributed payments to terrorists on behalf of the Saudi Committee to Support the Intifada Al Quds.

"This ruling is an important turning point in this long-running terror financing case," says Mr. Werbner, lead counsel for many of the victims. "It clears the way for a jury trial in Brooklyn and represents a landmark ruling for Americans injured or killed by international terrorism."

The instructions have given new fire for Werbner’s fight on behalf of terror victims. And likely they have strengthened Werbner’s faith in both his cause and his case.