Gun ownership in California’s Jewish community is increasing as Jews take self-defense into their own hands as the war in Israel continues, according to a rabbi who trains the community in gun safety.
“Magen Am’s mission is to train and empower the community to deter and respond to security threats. “We are trying to give everyone the tool to empower themselves and protect themselves,” Los Angeles-based Rabbi Yossi Eilfort said in a video produced by the NRA and obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.
Eilfort is an NRA instructor and founder of Magen Am USA, the only Jewish nonprofit organization licensed on the West Coast to provide armed security services.
Magen Am, which operates in both Los Angeles and Phoenix, trains volunteers and community members in extensive classes on gun safety, hand-to-hand self-defense, de-escalation, verbal tactics, and the use of intermediate weapons such as Tasers or batons. .
The video features some women that Eilfort and Magen Am have trained 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 skyrocketed following the October 7 massacre in Israel. Fox News
“Magen Am means ‘shield of the nation’. I like to say that we are like a shield. They were approximately 30-30-30: Where a third are contracted professionals who deal with institutional security; one third deals with community training; and then a third are working with government law enforcement,” Eilfort, who is also a former MMA fighter, explained in the video of how Magen Am operates.
War broke out in Israel on October 7 when the Hamas terrorist group launched attacks against the nation, sparking protests and anti-Semitic rhetoric in the United States as supporters of Palestine took to the streets of cities such as New York and Los Angeles.
“I feel like a target. They have thrown explosives at the synagogue right behind my house,” a woman trained by Magen Am said in the video.
“[It’s] The fact that these people can be on the side of the terrorists is incredible,” another woman said.
Rabbi Yossi Elfort is leading the charge. Fox News
Eilfort said that in 2022, Magen Am received approximately 950 calls from the Jewish community to security services, which skyrocketed 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 in training thousands of people in self-defense in a comment to Fox News Digital.
“Rabbi Yossi and Magen Am have always been at the forefront of empowering and protecting their community, a commitment that took on even greater urgency after the horrific October 7 massacre. “They have trained thousands of men and women in their community, including many first-time gun owners, while protecting everything from synagogues to schools,” LaPierre said.
“As an NRA instructor, Rabbi Yossi embodies the Association’s commitment to self-defense and community safety. “We are proud to count you as one of the NRA’s 125,000 dedicated instructors: the unsung heroes who help empower Americans to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities every day,” he added in a comment to Fox Digital. .
Elfort said calls from the Jewish community have spiked in 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 purchase firearms for self-defense as the war in Israel and there are cases of anti-Semitism. increase in the United States.
“Firearm sales have completely skyrocketed. “It’s been at least a 3x increase over typical sales this time of year,” Stuart told Fox News Digital in a phone interview last week. “But what has been most worrying for me… from my humanistic side, is hearing people say that this is a second Holocaust. Hearing people say that they have never seen open hatred of Jews in the streets by people who have no idea what they are even talking about.”
Stuart explained that he and his team talk to every customer who comes to the store to explain why they want to buy a firearm, which has left employees shocked by the stories they hear from Jewish customers fearful of attacks.
“You don’t even see a gun until we’ve had a conversation, and I know where your head is at,” Stuart explained of how he and his team interact with customers. “And hearing these stories has probably been the most heartbreaking because, it’s almost like a psychologist, hearing hundreds and hundreds of horrible stories, including from family members with children who are still serving in the IDF.”
Elfort leads a class. Fox News
He said his recent influx of Jewish customers have said they are buying firearms specifically out of “fear.”
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“There is a difference between wanting to defend your family by owning a gun and exercising your Second Amendment rights, and coming because you are afraid. And you are afraid to be yourself because you were born under a certain religious, geographical or ideological designation. That scares you,” Stuart said.
California gun laws are some of the strictest in the country, and customers in Beverly Hills don’t have easy access to shooting ranges; Stuart explains that the nearest field is at least 30 minutes away.
“That’s a big, big part of what I love about what Yossi is doing is that he gives them the training. They’re using a lot of simulator training and just getting the word out: ‘Think about your gun, dry fire your gun at home.’ It is not always necessary for the bullet to exit the gun to practice the fundamentals.’ And he’s really been a leader in that in the Jewish community. “I’m incredibly proud to know him,” Stuart said.
The women featured in the NRA video stressed that with Eilfort’s training, they are “ready to protect us and do whatever is necessary.”
“When I entered I felt a little helpless. “I felt a little scared,” one woman said. “And at the end of the session, I feel empowered. “I feel stronger and I feel like I can defend my family and myself better.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn