American Jews Arm Themselves in the Wake of the Israeli Horror, Many For The First Time

This house is protected by an armed citizen. There is absolutely nothing here worth dying for. - Patric Henry

Following the Oct. 7 massacre of Israelis by Hamas terrorists and the spike in antisemitic incidents around the US, an increased number of American Jews are purchasing firearms, taking courses on firearm safety, and going to ranges.

Something has confounded me for most of my adult life. Why do most Jews vote Democrat? My parents always voted Democrat. They cried when FDR died. My mother thought Republicans would take away her social security. Logic and facts would not sway my mother from voting for Bill Clinton...twice! As a young man, I voted Democrat! As a good Jew, I did not know anything different. John Kennedy was the last Democrat I voted for. By the time Lyndon Johnson ran for President, I had delved into the facts and the realization that the Democrats had fooled us into believing they were working for the good of America. Thank God for Ronald Reagan!

I am not your typical American Jew. I like guns, and I love to shoot. My first rifle was a gift from a sailor who gave me a German K98 Mauser when I worked in my parent's store during World War II. My friends and I would play war games in the creek and hill behind our house. I never put a bullet in the rifle. I just liked to pretend to be shooting it.

Eventually, I traded the Mauser for a single-shot Winchester .22 rifle. My friends all had repeaters, so I wanted a rifle I could shoot. I think I was 14 at the time. This was my introduction to weapons and shooting.

Youth Model Winchester 67 .22

My father did not own a gun. I don't think he ever held a gun. There was never any talk in the house of owning a gun, even with the war going on and the threat of a Japanese invasion on the West Coast. The people in my synagogue talked about politics with my father but never about guns. As I look back on all this, I think we Jews felt the government would protect us from our war enemies. Gun crime was low and seemed far removed from our daily lives.

My next encounter with guns was as a soldier in the Army. I learned to shoot the Garrand M1, and later on duty in Germany, I Fired Expert with the M1 Carbine, an excellent weapon for a truck driver transporting 105 Howitzer ammunition to the firing batteries.

My life experiences with firearms are far different from those of the majority of Jews in America. Logic tells me that with the knowledge of the Holocaust and the rise of crime in America shouldn't we think about protecting ourselves, just in case something goes sideways?

A growing number of American Jews are taking courses on firearm safety and hitting up shooting ranges around the country as they fear for their safety following Hamas’ attack on Israel.

"Public polling doesn’t often break down American gun ownership rates by religion. So, hard data can be challenging to come by. However, a 2005 report from The American Jewish Committee claims Jews have traditionally been far less likely to own guns than other non-Jews. It found just 13 percent of Jewish Americans said they had a gun in their home, and 10 percent claimed to personally own a firearm compared to 41 percent and 26 percent for non-Jews." 1

This quote from Stephen Gutowski tells the tale. In the past, Jews did not want to own guns. I was asked not to bring a gun to the synagogue some years ago when I feared a terrorist might show up and throw a grenade or shoot while the service was in progress. This attitude may change as Jews around the US have come to the realization that the government and the police can not protect us.

For the first time, Jews are buying guns, getting training, and getting prepared. Listed

Woman in training

below, you will find links to some excellent articles with several personal stories about the waking up of Jews in America to the danger we all face. We will not be victims. We will go down fighting if we must. We know the terrorists are among us. Let's hope we never have to protect ourselves.

References

1. Gutowski, Stephen, Jewish Americans Arm Themselves in Wake of Israeli Horror, The Reload, October 20. 2023, https://thereload.com/jewish-americans-arm-themselves-in-wake-of-horror-in-israel/

2. American Jews arm themselves after increasing anti-Israel demonstrations in the US, PM. The Post Millenial, October 24, 2023, https://thepostmillennial.com/american-jews-arm-themselves-after-increasing-anti-israel-demonstrations-in-the-us

3. Koening, Mellisa, Jewish Americans are flocking to learn gun safety and buy firearms amid war in Israel, New York Post, October 23, 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/10/23/news/jewish-americans-are-flocking-to-learn-gun-safety-and-buy-firearms/