A rabbi in Boston has asked congregants to consider bringing guns to religious services as a form of protection in response to recent shootings at synagogues across the country.
Rabbi Dan Rodkin of Shaloh House in Brighton, a Boston neighborhood with a large number of Russian-speaking Jews, told the public radio station WBUR that the rise in hate crimes across the country and the loss of life at the Chabad at Poway and the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh influenced his thinking.
Rodkin fears that increased safety measures implemented at Shaloh House — they include security cameras, reinforced glass windows and panic buttons — are no longer sufficient protection. The rabbi said the actions of an off-duty officer at the Poway Chabad center, where one woman was murdered, may have prevented further casualties.
“I know it sounds horrible, but I think it’s a very logical approach for the situation we’re in,” he said in an interview on the WBUR “Morning Edition” program. “I don’t want people to have guns. But I think to protect our families, it’s a necessity now.”
Several of his congregants, including former soldiers and retired police, are now carrying guns into daily services at Rodkin’s synagogue, which also operates a day school.
According to the Shaloh House website, “It was founded under the auspices and instruction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who envisioned the creation of a Jewish school in Boston that would serve the needs of the children from non-observant families.”
Rodkin, who said in the interview that he plans to get a gun and organize training for new firearm owners, was not available for comment.
Time to leave America?
at least in America, Jews are allowed to defend themselves
For the time being… If we get a Democrat president, watch out for the second amendment. It is already so viciously under attack…
Good for him! For the safety of his congregant, especially those that are armed, they must get the proper training. They should bring out people like Candid Solutions (www.candid-solutions.com) who understand the dynamics of a shul, especially a Chabad House, who have successfully trained safety and security teams. This includes teams that are made up of former military and law enforcement but especially those who don’t have this background. It is vital for every Chabad House and Shul to have people like Candid Solutions come out and do a vulnerability assessment, write a emergency response plan, teach congregants, and train… Read more »
Better consult a Rav
Rav Braun already made statements in regards to carrying firearms on Shabbos
Thanks in advance…
It only mentioned daily services.
Granted, my community has an eruv. That is the main issue. The gun itself is not muksah. It’s the carrying. Once my rav heard that we have an eruv that we use anyway, I was told I’m allowed to carry.
What did he say?
If there is no kosher eruv where you live, consult your rav as to whether you can carry a firearm to and from shul. If the rav says you can’t carry to and from, you can still store firearms in the shul (SECURELY PLEASE!!!) and people can put them on when they arrive and take them off again before leaving. This will leave you and your family defenseless going back and forth (although if that is a serious danger where you live the rav may permit carrying to and from even without an eruv), but at least you will be… Read more »
Look how we talk about if there is an eruv or can you carry with or without, is utterly comical, being the whole issue is about life threatening precautions and sakonos.
yes you go ask you shailos – the smart ones here know what they need to do already. Kudos to this shliach.
It’s not “warped”. My understanding is that permission to carry without an eruv depends on how dangerous the situation is generally perceived to be. Bearing in mind that (unless local law holds otherwise) you can still have firearms in the shul, if going back and forth is not inherently dangerous it will probably be paskened to store the firearm in shul. However if the neighborhood itself is inherently very dangerous (for example, I hear that in Brussels the Jews hire armed guards to walk them to and from shul), it may be paskened that it’s ok to carry.
In some localities it is illegal to have a firearm in a house of worship. In some other localities it may be illegal to have a firearm anywhere other than one’s home. My above comment would not apply to such cases. The only localities I am personally familiar with are California and Arizona. In California you can be armed in a house of worship provided you have permission from the cleric or board of directors, depending on the administrative structure, EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CARRY PERMIT (which in many counties regular people can’t get). In Arizona there are… Read more »
Glad to see this being the response. Cannot lose sight though of what has and will always protect us as Jews. Poway had 3 mezuzas pasul with many more needing work done and some were in the wrong place during the shooting.
Do You have a source for this information?
I was there at the time of the shooting and have been in touch with the shluchim since it happened. I hope they take care of it soon.
In Tsfas, years ago, the Rebbe asked to check the mezouzos in the dorm where 17 children were murdered by terrorists Hyd
17 mezouzos were found posul
In Poway 3 mezouzos were posul
Chabad should start a Super aggressive mezouzos and tefilin campaign considering the security situation all over the world and especially in the US and ch
If you are going to carry weapons, do you have adequate emergency medical supplies such as material for tourniquet and tape. In the U.S. military, sanitary napkins (highly absorbent) and carpet tape were used in some situations. What is your strategy to stop bleeding? Thank you, a former P.A.
I don’t know if there is a difference between how sanitary napkins and tampons are made, but tampons, a sort of “old wives tale” for gunshot wounds, are 100% the wrong solution — what is needed is to encourage the blood to clot (except for a chest wound), tampons encourage the blood to flow freely. Every shul should have tourniquets, quick-clot, and chest seals, AND TRAINING IN HOW TO USE THESE AND OTHER FIRST-AID ITEMS. Realize that a person can bleed out in as little as 30 seconds, the paramedics will not get there that fast and even if they… Read more »
How about investing in real security?
Boston has a perfectly kosher Eruv and a lot of people in our shul use that Eruv
Shaloh House got two federal safety grants and invested over $200K in physical security. Shock resistant windows, doors, 36 cameras and 6 panic devices (including 3 wireless). Step #1 – Physical security is completed.
Why haven’t Chabad rabbonim not followed suit.
Where I live, the rov publically said that “if you don’t feel safe in shul stay home….guns are muktza, no heter!”