Every community has the right to feel safe from threats, and American Jews are actively confronting a dramatic rise in violent incidents.
These horrendous acts spiked after last October’s Hamas attack on Israel, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) provided stark numbers to show just how much the community came under siege.
In the three months following the atrocity, U.S. cases involving physical assault, harassment and vandalism skyrocketed an alarming 360%. There were at least 628 attacks on Jewish institutions across the nation in just this short period.
And the trend developed long before the October 7 invasion. Take New York State as an example.
From 2018 to 2023, New York Jews faced a staggering 89% increase in hate crimes, according to official data. Last year’s total of 1,089 in New York City alone was a 69% increase from just 2019.
Is it any wonder that a group under siege is arming itself and preparing to defend against further violence?
Fox News Digital posted a stark report on efforts to intimidate Jewish Americans and how the community is fighting back. Many are taking self-defense actions to avoid becoming victims in this explosion of incidents.
According to Community Security Service (CSS) CEO Richard Priem, his organization has been overwhelmed by protection requests in recent months. Roughly 500 synagogues and 15,000 individuals sought assistance in increasing safety precautions.
Priem explained, “When we talk about self-defense, you’re not looking at it purely from, you know, can I physically defend myself? But it’s also about the Jewish community taking some ownership over their own security, not to replace law enforcement, not to replace paid security, but to add an additional layer of community security that we own.”
The CEO described the goal of defensive measures as one to protect the ability of Jewish Americans to participate fully in all walks of life “free from fear.”
The October 7 attacks sharply increased community interest in armed self-defense, and local firearm instructors reported a sharp surge in new clients. David Kowalsky, the owner of Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, told NBC News that he witnessed the deluge of citizens wanting to purchase firearms and receive training.
“We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms,” Kowalsky explained. “I’ve seen a surge in interest in individual training as well as group training.”
Of course, exercising their Second Amendment rights to arm themselves is one of the most logical steps toward increasing personal and community safety. Many seek weapons training and prepare for encounters they hope never to face.
However, many in the Jewish community live in the nation’s largest cities. Unfortunately, this presents a significant hurdle to armed self-defense.
Many of these citizens live in urban areas which have much more strict gun laws than the rest of the country. An emerging alternative to lethal firearms is the Byrna launcher, a nonlethal weapon that is still capable of inflicting considerable damage and stopping a violent attack.
Byrna Technologies officer Luan Pham told Fox News Digital that the pistol-like device can shatter a car window from 30 feet and inflict a “painful” and “blunt” impact on an attacker.
Not only is there the physical shock of the impact, but the round also creates a chemical cloud that surrounds the suspect and temporarily gives them the sensation that their skin is on fire.
This feeling lasts 30 to 40 minutes and may be a highly effective counter to bigoted attacks.
These devices require no background checks or permits and are under far less scrutiny than traditional firearms in urban areas.
They say the first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one.
Well, the Pew Collectors Anonymous is your way of admitting you have a problem buying guns but you have no intentions of solving that problem, because Pew Collectors Anonymous isn’t about solving a problem; it’s about embracing it.
So be sure to hit the link above and grab your Pew Collectors Anonymous T-Shirts, Hats, and Drinkware.
Click below to purchase.