Raziel Cohen, known as “The Tactical Rabbi,” is an ordained rabbi and firearms instructor with a popular YouTube channel.
He wrote a brief guest post.
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In response to this event, a poll was conducted among the Jewish community to gauge their new self-defense measures. The top two responses were increased political action against antisemitism and acquiring firearms and non-lethal self-defense options, along with appropriate training.
Aside from the poll, I spoke to multiple people who had never considered carrying a firearm. One in particular explained their decision by saying, "The police made it clear that they weren't there to stop the assaults. They were there to contain and respond to weapons. But the boy who was beaten to the ground would not be helped."
It might seem surprising, but the Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement has no obligation to protect individuals. This leaves the responsibility of protection to ourselves. To clarify, while the Supreme Court's ruling states this, many officers do go above and beyond to keep our communities safe. However, during protests or riots, their resources are often stretched thin. Nevertheless, the fact remains that in many cases, we are left to protect ourselves.
I am proud to see people taking action by purchasing firearms, but this is only the first step. Training is essential to ensure you become an asset rather than a liability.
"Never again" is now, but you must do everything in your power to ensure you are a valuable resource to yourself, your family, and those around you.
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I made my own informal poll this week on this same topic, asking North American Jews what they were doing to defend themselves. People could choose multiple responses.
The first question was "Considering the worsening situation, and, in particular, the mob violence directed against LA Jews and Adas Torah Synagogue, what new self-defence actions are you now taking?"
As with the poll TacRav mentioned, most people said increased political action and personal self-defense.
For those who said self-defense, the breakdown on my poll was
| Pistols/rifles/shotguns | 22 |
| Non-lethal gear (pepper spray/tasers/etc.) | 46 |
| Hand-to-Hand defence (Krav Maga, karate, etc.) | 23 |
| Other | 7 |
The breakdown for higher levels of observance was:
There is a lot of concern in the Jewish community, and the government has not made Jews feel any safer since October 7 - on the contrary. Many more Jews feel we must take our defense in our own hands.
