According to the FBI, more than half of all 2,699 reported hate incidents based on religion in 2023 were driven by anti-Jewish sentiment. Despite this statistic and the constant presence of antisemitism, the Jewish community has the lowest rate of gun ownership of all religious groups across America. That may be changing, however, as younger members of the community have begun to gain a better understanding of the Second Amendment and how responsible gun ownership is paramount to protecting lives and preventing tragedy. And where might these Jewish teens be learning such important values? None other than the great state of Texas.
Max Levin, a 15-year-old interviewed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, says that the men of his Orthodox synagogue in Dallas, Texas, carry firearms out of fear for their safety, which the young man feels is necessary with the increasing volume of antisemitism after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel that left more than 1,200 Israelis slaughtered, including babies.
“They all carry guns in their suit pockets,” said Levin.
Fourteen-year-old Evelyn Benloulou, originally from Los Angeles, says that her parents took firearms training and safety courses and purchased guns, which she stated would never have occurred while the family lived in L.A. She attributes her family’s shifting outlook on firearms ownership and her own plans to become a gun owner in the future to the prevalent Texas gun culture and the rise of antisemitism. The young woman added she feels safer at synagogue with armed guards at the door.
“My whole family never thought about owning a gun before Oct. 7 … They’re keeping the synagogue safe and that does make me feel more comfortable,” said Benloulou, adding, “A gun is really the best way to fight back” and “protect the Jewish community,” an attitude more and more being shared by many of her peers.
In addition to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, the local Jewish community recalls with vivid clarity the 2022 Congregation Beth Israel crisis in nearby Colleyville, Texas, where a gunman took synagogue members hostage.
All of the teenagers interviewed agree that gun ownership is an American right, saying they plan to own guns in the future despite most of them currently living in homes that are not protected by firearms. While the tone of these Jewish teens seems to have evolved from reason and necessity, they all agree that owning and carrying a firearm is a responsibility with the potential for harmful consequences, a lesson echoed throughout the firearms community when it comes to both safety practices and proper training.
Max and his older sister, Tannah Levin, 16, see a direct connection between their newfound respect for firearms ownership and the events of Oct. 7, understanding that at the moment of an attack, survival is likely to be determined by one’s own actions, and not by those whose duty it is to respond after the fact.
“Recently, when I think of guns and Judaism, I think of Oct. 7,” says Max, with Tannah adding, “Gun ownership has this feeling of security that isn’t really provided right now.”
Native Texas teens say they feel significantly more attached to their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, recognizing a duty to themselves and their loved ones to protect life from those who would take it unlawfully and with disregard for humanity.
Jonah G., a 15-year-old Jewish resident, asked that his last name be omitted for fear that judgment based on his pro-Second Amendment views might negatively impact his future. While I lament it has come to that, I am encouraged to hear this Dallas-born Texas native stands firm in his beliefs and values.
“I believe in the Second Amendment … it’s very important to be able to protect the people I love. … The criminals are always going to get guns … so I would feel a lot safer knowing that I had a means of protection,” said Jonah, sounding more astute in his clear and concise perspective on the matter than most of the talking heads on television.
The Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, states, “If someone comes to kill you, rise and kill him first” (Sanhedrin 72a:4), demonstrating a commitment to self-defense within the faith which forbids otherwise unnecessary violence against others. The students seem to grasp the Hebrew Scriptures, known to Christians as the Old Testament, emphasizing the preciousness of life and the responsibility to sustain it, recognizing a duality in Jewish tradition.
“Jewish tradition recognizes that every life is sacred; at the same time, some of our texts balance the right to own weapons with the safety prescriptions necessary to assure that the innocent are protected,” says Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz of Springfield, Massachusetts.
Many large Jewish groups advocate for strict gun control, even in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre carried out on an unarmed Israeli population. Many in the Jewish community, however, are seeing things differently, as it becomes more clear to them that those they align with politically don’t really have their best interests in mind, even supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah whose charters call for the death of Jewish people.
Never understood antisemitism. Never understood racism of any kind for that matter. If I don’t like someone it’s because I don’t like them personally. Not for any other reason. Good on these young men and women for arming themselves.
Mankind’s oldest mental affliction. Crops bad? Blame da jooz! Sickness in the family? Blame da jooz! It rained on your picnic? Da jooz caused it! No conspiracy theory is too crazy to believe as long as it involves the chosen scapegoats.
“Never understood racism of any kind…”
Part of it is promoted by the powers that be as a scapegoat for their own failures. Part of it is used as a scapegoat for one’s own personal failures. Part of it is ignorant prejudice. Part of it is used as a conduit for evil/general hatred.
Edit: Jim beat me to it.
Always keep people fighting each other over false conflicts rather than allow then to unite against tyranny…
Antisemitc views are bipartisan in nature, but…But a recent development is that the Democrats in positions of power (notably, university executives and elected officials) have acquiesced to, and even promoted, antisemetic views and
protestspogroms.What do domestic US “protests” over Jews have to do with Israeli policy? Absolutely nothing! They’re protesting the existence of Jews. One of the Puppet’s major lies (and there’s a long list) was that he only decided to run for office because of anti-Jewish protesting/rioting in Charlottesville. Then October 7th happened. Then there were little Charlottesville type protests all over the country. That was what the Puppet supposedly ran for. So where was he? That was his moment to shine by standing up to antisemitism, and …he was nowhere to be found. Guess what he eventually said about the protests? There are good people on both sides. You can’t make this stuff up.
I guess you haven’t heard his declaration to Hamas that there would be hell to pay if the hostages were not returned…
It was interesting, but not surprising, to see the MSM (and dems, but I repeat myself) all but ignore US citizens taken hostage.
“Antisemitc views are bipartisan in nature,…”
Not in my recent experience. Every bit of the hate today breeds from the cesspools of ‘Higher Education’ run by those who preach that “they are the ones who are tolerant and accepting of others not like themselves”.
Literally no one I hang around with today has anything bad to say about the Jews…
You don’t hear about it as often because the right is better about policing their own when it comes to that sort of thing. Meanwhile, the left has been embracing what used to be called extremist or fringe views.
Even the KKK and Aryan Nation is less Antisemitic than the Indoctrinated liberal progressives on college and university campuses. in fact they have been able to take a vacation and enjoy the White elites do all their hatred for them.
What did the Palestinians think the Israeli response to October 7 would be?
The Israelis learned the following lessons from WW2:
Might makes right.
Collective punishment.
Disproportionate retribution.
Ethnic cleansing.
Unfortunately they are their own worst enemy. They easily win the military conflict but lose the PR war.
Admittedly the Palestinians aren’t much better. Why don’t other Arab countries accept Palestinian refugees? If the Palestinians leave Gaza and the West Bank, they lose any claim to the area. And after Jordan and Kuwait, other Arab countries don’t want the trouble Palestinians bring with them.
Our hip young things cannot see there is no link between American (or Australian) people who follow the Jewish faith and the actions of the Israeli government. But our young academicians have learned more Marx and little Keynes to the point where they are obsessed with oppressor and oppressed ideology. And Marx had a particular issue with Jews.
By the same logic all Catholics should be help accountable to the actions of the Vatican.
Antisemitism is usually a bunch of losers blaming others for problems of the their own making. Or those in power using antisemitism to scapegoat a section of society for their own failed policies.
I happen to agree with much of what you say Dude. However you might want to take a close look at the people Trump is hiring. Antisemitism runs throughout that collection of people and Trump is ot free of his own biases.
Your liberal progressive educational indoctrination has failed you.
I don’t understand why any Jewish person would not want to own a gun, especially considering all of the history including the Oct 7 disaster.
Long history of forgetfulness paired with concentration of population in locations where being armed is difficult to impossible legally.
Or a belief that being a victim gives you moral authority.
It’s hard to exercise that moral authority if you are dead, unless you are using other people’s sacrifice for your benefit.
The Biden Guide to Loving Your Boy – 9 helpful tips for elderly fathers of adult criminals.
h ttps://freebeacon.com/author/stiles/satire/the-biden-guide-to-loving-your-boy/
Never again means every day.
Let us pray they learned their lesson (again) on 10/7
.40 The Biden Guide to Loving Your Boy sums it up nicely.
With a long history of folks like hitler and miner49er, that runs from bible days til now I cannot fathom how any Jew can accept or support weapons control.
I suspect, JWM, that a short memory is to blame…
If you walk on two legs and ain’t got feathers, you are gonna have an attitude. It is hard-wired into the human brain. It’s how you handle it that counts.
“If you walk on two legs and ain’t got feathers, you are gonna have an attitude.”
For proof, walk up to a kangaroo and piss it off, and experience a nasty ‘roo kick…
Ya know I had no particular opinion of Jews prior to moving to Chicago. Even had a Jewish girl friend in Chicago. And so-called messianic jewish friends who believed in JESUS. None were pro-gun as I recall. Back in my hometown of Kankakee they blended in &made no waves. No orthodox. My dad went to school with former ILL governor Sam Shapiro. I can’t fathom the commie bent so many have🙄
Gun Control Groups Pad Their ‘Gun Violence’ Numbers With Suicides to Inflate Their Statistics. (note: ahh yes, the smoke-n-mirrors deceptions of gun control groups)
h ttps://www.shootingnewsweekly.com/gun-nation/gun-control-groups-pad-their-gun-violence-numbers-with-suicides-to-inflate-their-statistics/
In America young people fear that pro-liberty views will negatively impact their future.
Ain’t that grand? Makes you feel real good.
The Chinese Are Illegally Shipping Weapons to North Korea…From California.
h ttps://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2024/12/03/the-chinese-are-shipping-weapons-to-north-koreafrom-california-n2648564
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal Hands Trump Some Good News. (note: its pretty telling when even the ninth circuit jumps on board with Trump.)
“In a move that’s sure to be good news for the incoming Trump administration, a three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal government does in fact have the authority to carry out deportations, even if local officials object. The case actually comes from the first Trump administration, as The Center Square reported on Monday.”
h ttps://townhall.com/tipsheet/rebeccadowns/2024/12/03/ninth-circuit-court-of-appeals-affirms-the-law-on-federal-deportations-n2648568
I can tell you firsthand that it is easy to plod along in a fairly stable and comfortable life and neglect to consider owning a firearm for self-defense. That is until life comes along and smacks you upside your head, confirming the saying, “Reality is a harsh mistress.”
After multiple close calls surprisingly early in my life, I jumped aboard the everyday-carry train. I recommend the same for all responsible people.
I’ve said it for over 30 years, if every Jew had an AR15 there would have never been a Holocaust.
This is a posting about anti-semetism, but it tags onto “feelz”.
No one should feel good, comfortable, safe, simply because they are armed at home, or in public. That false sense of self ignores the reality: an armed person only has the potential of protecting themselves in the event of a serious/deadly attack. Being comfortable places one in position of being surprised that attacks are still possible; hesitation isn’t helpful.
Being alert all the time is in no way “comfortable”.
President Biden Pardons Hunter Biden’s Gun Crimes.
(Colion) “Joe Biden has officially pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, for a gun conviction. Let that sink in. This is the same president who has spent decades demonizing law-abiding gun owners and pushing for stricter gun control.
Biden throws accountability out the window when his son blatantly violates those laws.
President Biden stated, “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day I took office, I said I would not interfere with the Justice Department’s decision-making, and I kept my word even as I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted. ”
In this video, I break down the hypocrisy, the lies, and the blatant double standard behind this pardon.
From the Biden administration’s repeated denials that this would ever happen to the sweeping implications of erasing 11 years of Hunter’s wrongdoings, this isn’t justice—it’s corruption.
If you still think gun control is about safety, let this be your wake-up call.
It’s not. It’s about control—and this pardon proves it. ”
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHmmBxLgi1w