The attacks in Israel by Hamas, and the support for the terrorist organization all over the world, have Jewish communities all over the world on high alert. Even those who are not Jewish but fully support Israel's right to self-defense and support their Jewish friends and neighbors are paying more attention to their surroundings. Here in the U.S., the result of the attacks, is that in one Jewish community, people are taking defending themselves, their families, and their property into their own hands. Many residents of South Florida's Jewish community have seen a significant increase in gun and ammunition sales since the attacks.
Ultimately 'Global Jihad Day' was a bigger disappointment than January 6th, but at least one New Hampshire gun store owner told us that last Thursday and Friday were their top sales days in years for ammo and body armor. pic.twitter.com/fi342yUIuQ
— The Free State 🦔 (@FreeStateNH) October 16, 2023
David Kowalsky owns the Florida Gun Store in Hollywood, Florida. He says that supplies are flying off the shelves as fast as he can stock them. The attacks on Israel and the sharp rise in antisemitism all over the world have both American Jews and those who have immigrated from Israel eager to exercise their Second Amendment rights. Kowalsky says:
“Israeli and Orthodox Jews for the most part. Just wanting to be trained to protect their families and have a firearm at home or on their person. Since last Saturday, we have seen a tremendous public display of how prevalent anti-Semitism is and hate speech and how they want to rid the world of Jews.”
As gun stores are seeing a rise in sales, shooting ranges are also seeing an uptick in training and sales. Pembroke Gun Range in Pembroke Park and Nexus Shooting in Davie both report a rise in business. The Florida Gun Store specializes in concealed carry and training. Many of the congregants at a local synagogue, including a group of women, have enrolled in the classes. Endi Tennenhaus is a member of that synagogue and reports that most of the men in the congregation are beginning to arm themselves. But she thought it was equally important that women were able to defend themselves as well. She said:
“We said, ‘What about the women?’ We need to do the things we need to do to prepare. To stay safe and to be able to use a gun, God forbid if we ever should need one.”
“Why would anyone need an AR-15 or any other gun?”
— Mark (Not of the Beast) (@syntax2600) October 12, 2023
Thank you founding fathers!
Gun sales through the roof. pic.twitter.com/e4TlO4gGG4
The attack by Hamas on October 7, which left 1,400 people dead, was the largest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust. And the subsequent rise in the incidents of antisemitism around the world is more than a good argument to be vigilant and armed. Two Swedish citizens, in Brussels, Belgium, to see a soccer game, were shot and killed recently by a gunman claiming to have ties to ISIS. In France, which has the world's third-largest Jewish population, more than 24 arrests nationwide and more than 100 antisemitic incidents have been reported. And in a move that might prompt one to ask what decade we are living in, integration commissioner Guner Balci suggested reluctantly that for their safety, Jews in Berlin should hide any outward signs of their faith.
In the U.S., the sharp rise in antisemitic sentiment since the attacks can be easily found on college campuses. At Harvard University, thirty student organizations signed a letter placing blame for the conflict entirely on Israel. Micah Gritz is a senior at Tufts University and head of a Jewish student group on campus. He says that the atmosphere on campus has been "horrifying" for Jewish and Israeli students and that they are "incredibly scared." Pro-Palestinian protests have been held at Arizona State University and Indiana University. Even before the attack on Israel, an Ipsos poll showed that 57 percent of Jewish students said they witnessed or experienced antisemitism at school or in public.
The wide-open U.S. southern border is also an impetus for American Jewish communities to arm up. With approximately 1.7 million "gotaways," those who evade Border Patrol, and roughly seven million people from all over the world who have crossed the border, including those from Middle East countries, and a fiscal year 2023 record total of 151 people on the FBI terror watch list encountered, it all leads to a monumental national security risk. Lora Reis is the director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation. She also served as the Department of Homeland Security's acting deputy chief of staff. She is concerned that lax immigration policy is "waking up" any possible terror sleeper cells already in the country. She said of the attacks in Israel and any potential for an attack on U.S. soil:
"And already with the Hamas, pro-Hamas protests in the U.S. this week in New York City and elsewhere. That was a very public signal to say, 'Yes, we're here.' And if the U.S. acts to support Israel in the Middle East then there will be a response here. They don't need to fly in on their Mad Max devices like they did this past weekend in Israel. They're already here."
If Jewish communities in Florida are arming themselves, it is a pretty good bet that it is happening in other parts of the U.S.
‘God Forbid If We Ever Should Need One’:
— Gianni (@gianni340121) October 17, 2023
Florida Gun Shop Owners Say.
Many in South Florida’s Jewish community have reportedly started to arm themselves and seek firearms training in response to Hamas’ recent invasion of Israeli towns.
Texas too... 300%https://t.co/q58ioKs2Wz
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