A growing number of American Jews are taking courses on gun safety and going to shooting ranges across the country as they fear for their safety in the wake of Hamas attacks on Israel.
More Jewish customers have been buying guns amid a resurgence of antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas attack, according to David Kowalsky, who owns the Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, Fla.
“We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jews, Orthodox people buying guns,” Kowalsky told NBC News.
“I’ve seen a jump in individual training as well as group training.”
Many of those Kowalsky and other firearms instructors around the country have taught have never picked up a gun before, including many women. Some even speak in favor of gun control.
“These are mothers, teachers, the majority of them are mostly people who have never interacted with a firearm or thought about owning one,” Kowalsky said.
“There are security concerns,” he said. “I think people are nervous about what’s going on and what could happen.”
Among those looking for guns is Henya Chein, who attended a gun safety seminar at her synagogue in Florida last week and continues to attend one-on-one sessions at a local shooting range.
A growing number of American Jews are taking courses on gun safety and attacking shooting ranges across the country as they fear for their safety in the wake of Hamas attacks on Israel.Getty Images
He said he was always afraid of guns, but felt “forced to do it because Jews are not safe anywhere now.”
Endi Tennenhaus, a preschool director and mother of seven in Hollywood, Florida, also helps organize gun safety training for women at her synagogue.
Her husband, who was the congregation’s rabbi, had already organized a group of men to go to the local shooting range.
“I said, ‘What about women? I’m sure some women would love to do it too,'” Tennenhaus told NBC News.
“If all our husbands are buying firearms, we want to make sure we also know [how] to use it and also be able to protect our children and be able to keep firearms safe in their homes.”
Many Jewish Americans who have been taught by firearms instructors across the country over the past week have never picked up a gun before, including many women. Some even speak out in support of gun control.Sygma via Getty Images
Tennenhaus said about 25 to 30 women attended the introductory class, and a range session is scheduled for next week.
An unidentified 41-year-old woman in Miami Beach told NBC News she is pro-gun control and has no desire to pick up a gun.
But he decided to sign up for a gun training session after receiving death threats from an unknown account on Instagram, where he had previously posted about being Jewish.
Some contained graphic images of dead bodies, he said.
“It’s not like, ‘Hey, I’m proud and happy and want to do this,'” said the woman, who did not want to be identified for the safety of her family. “I have no choice, it’s a very sad thing.”
Several synagogues in the United States have organized gun safety courses and tours at local shooting ranges.Getty Images
The increase in American Jews buying firearms and seeking gun safety courses is not limited to Florida.
In Los Angeles, California, Rabbi Yossi Eilfort said the nonprofit he runs to provide firearms classes and training to the Jewish community has received more than 600 calls in the past week.
Danniel Lombard, a Chicago police officer who runs DAVAD Civilian Defense, a firearms training company, said he has seen a big increase in interest from the local Jewish community, and will “definitely” add more classes to meet demand.
Meanwhile, David Prince, who runs Eagle Gun Range in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, said demand at his two locations has jumped 300% since Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel.
“It’s been a huge change in the last three or four days,” he told WFAA. “People come and say they fear for their lives, because of their religion they expect to be attacked.”
The increase in gun sales and training lessons among American Jews comes amid concerns of antisemitism.Getty Images
The increase in gun sales and training lessons marks a change for the American Jewish community, Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran New York-based political strategist and Orthodox rabbi, told NBC News.
“The majority of Jews in this country have historically been liberal on the left, pro-gun reform, pro-gun control, opposed to private gun ownership,” he said, claiming: “Jews with guns have always been seen as an oddity. “
But now, he said, it appears that the long-held belief that the US is “the one place in the world where Jews are safe, is coming to an end.”
Since the October 7 Hamas attack, there have been 107 antisemitic incidents recorded across the US, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
It also found that there were 347 messages on Telegram from extremists calling for violence against Jews, Israelis and Zionists in just the first 18 hours after the Hamas surprise attack — an increase of about 488% from the day before.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
