Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community is on the rise as Jews take self-defense into their own hands as the war in Israel rages on, according to a rabbi who trains the community on gun safety.
“Magen Am’s mission is to train and empower the community to prevent and respond to security threats. We’re trying to give everyone the tools to be empowered to protect themselves,” Los Angeles-based Rabbi Yossi Eilfort said in an NRA-produced video obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
Eilfort is an NRA instructor and founder of Magen Am USA, the only Jewish nonprofit licensed on the West Coast to provide armed security services.
Magen Am, which operates in LA as well as Phoenix, trains volunteers and community members in extensive classes on firearms safety, hand-to-hand self-defense, de-escalation, verbal tactics and the use of intermediate weapons such as Tasers or batons. .
The video features several women who have been trained by Eilfort and Magen Am in gun safety, as well as security personnel who work with the company to strengthen protection around Jewish institutions, such as schools and synagogues.
Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community has increased following the October 7 massacre in Israel. FOX News
“Magen Am means ‘national shield.’ I like to say we are like a shield. Aged about 30-30-30: Where one-third are hired professionals dealing with institutional security; a third deals with community training; and then a third work with government law enforcement,” Eilfort, who is also a former MMA fighter, explained in a video how Magen Am operates.
War broke out in Israel on October 7 when the Hamas terror group launched an attack on the country, sparking protests and antisemitic rhetoric abroad as Palestinian supporters took to the streets in cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
“I feel like a target. Explosives were thrown at the synagogue right behind my house,” said a woman trained by Magen Am in the video.
“[It’s] It’s unbelievable, the fact that these people can support terrorists,” said another woman.
Rabbi Yossi Elfort led the charge. FOX News
Eilfort said that in 2022, Magen Am had about 950 calls from the Jewish community for security services, which exploded to more than 1,200 calls between October and last month.
NRA executive vice president and CEO Wayne LaPierre praised Eilfort and Magen Am’s efforts to train thousands of people in self-defense in comments to Fox News Digital.
“Rabbi Yossi and Magen Am have always been at the forefront of empowering and protecting their communities, a commitment that took on even more urgency after the horrific October 7 massacre. They have trained thousands of men and women in their communities, including many first-time gun owners, while also protecting everything from houses of worship to schools,” said LaPierre.
“As an NRA instructor, Rabbi Yossi embodies the Association’s commitment to self-defense and community safety. We are proud to count him as one of the NRA’s 125,000 dedicated instructors – the unsung heroes who help train Americans to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities every day,” he added in comments to Fox Digital.
Elfort said calls from the Jewish community have exploded over the past two months. FOX News
Fox News Digital also spoke with Beverly Hills Guns owner Russell Stuart, who has known Eilfort for years and said there has been an explosion of California Jews rushing to buy guns for self-defense as the war in Israel continues and examples of antisemitism. improve the state.
“Firearm sales have really gone through the roof. It’s been a minimum 3X increase in sales over the course of the year,” Stuart told Fox News Digital in a phone interview last week. “But what worries me more … from my human side, is hearing people say that this is the second Holocaust. Hearing people say they’ve never seen anything but blatant Jew-hatred in the streets from people who don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Stuart explained that he and his team talk to every customer who comes into the store to discuss why they want to buy a gun, which has left employees shocked by the stories they’ve heard from Jewish customers who fear attacks.
“You won’t see a gun until we have a discussion, and I kind of know where your head is at,” Stuart explains of how he and his team interact with customers. “And hearing these stories is probably the most heartbreaking thing because – it’s almost like a psychologist – hearing hundreds and hundreds of horrible stories, including family members with children who are still serving in the IDF.”
Elfort leads the class. FOX News
He said a recent influx of Jewish customers has said they specifically buy guns out of “fear.”
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“There’s a difference between wanting to defend your family by having a firearm and exercising your Second Amendment rights, and going in because you’re afraid. And you are afraid to be you because you were born under a certain religious or geographical or ideological position. That scares the crap out of you,” Stuart said.
California’s gun laws are among the strictest in the country, and clients in Beverly Hills don’t have easy access to a shooting range, with Stuart explaining the closest one is at least 30 minutes away.
“That’s a big, big, big part of what I like about what Yossi does, is that he brings training to them. They use a lot of simulator training and get the word out of just, ‘Think about your gun, shoot your gun at home. You don’t always have to let the bullet leave the gun to practice the basics.’ And he really became a leader in the Jewish community. I am very proud to know him,” said Stuart.
The women featured in the NRA video highlight that with the Eilfort training, they are “ready to protect ourselves and do what needs to be done.”
“Come in, I feel helpless. I feel a little scared,” said one woman. “And at the end of the session, I felt empowered. I feel stronger, and I feel like I can defend my family and myself better.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
