Jewish Americans Flock to Firearms Training in Wake of Synagogue Attack

Jewish Americans are flocking to firearms training in the wake of the October 27 attack on Tree of Life Synagogue that killed 11 people.

For example, Haaretz reports that the Cherev Gidon Israeli Tactical Defense Academy near Scranton, Pennsylvania, is witnessing the highest demand for training it has ever seen.

Yonatan Stern, “a veteran officer of the Israel Defense Forces and director of the academy,” reminds his Scranton, Pennsylvania, classes: “The fact is, we’re at war. We want Jews everywhere to be armed.”

Stern indicates that “hundreds” of people interested in firearms training contacted him during the three days after the Pittsburgh attack. He observed that “all but three or four” of them were Jewish.

And while there are some members of the Jewish community pushing back against the idea of using guns to keep synagogues safe, Stern notes, “To wait for law enforcement to arrive simply is not the answer.”

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