Vern Evans
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.
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