By: Fern Sidman – Jewish Voice News

Jewish New Yorkers across the city are arming themselves in unprecedented numbers, driven by fear and uncertainty over the incoming administration of mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, whose record of anti-Israel statements and radical affiliations has ignited alarm within Jewish communities.

According to a report that appeared on Saturday in The New York Post, gun shops and firearms training centers from Marine Park to Crown Heights are witnessing a dramatic surge in business. Orthodox Jews, Israeli expatriates, and community leaders are bracing for what some are calling an era of “self-reliance and self-defense.”

Michael Bergida, 30, an Orthodox Jew and owner of Samson Armory, a newly opened gun shop in Marine Park, Brooklyn, told The New York Post that his store has become a hub of activity for Jewish New Yorkers seeking protection. The shop’s name, a reference to the Biblical warrior Samson — symbolizing Jewish strength and defiance — has become a rallying emblem for many who fear a breakdown of public safety under a Mamdani administration.

“We’re probably the only gun store to have a minyan,” Bergida quipped to The New York Post, describing the uniquely Jewish atmosphere that now fills his store as customers from across the five boroughs line up for firearms, ammunition, and training sessions.

According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Bergida and his customers share a deep concern that the incoming mayor’s far-left agenda — combined with his inflammatory rhetoric about Israel and the NYPD — could undermine law enforcement and embolden extremist activity.

“The NYPD is all retiring – we have to fight for ourselves,” Bergida said. “People are freaking out over Mamdani – anyone who has any Christian-Judeo values.”

Bergida, who is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor, told The New York Post that he is now working closely with local synagogues to prepare for potential “active shooter” situations. His mission, he said, is both defensive and communal — to ensure that Jewish New Yorkers are trained, vigilant, and capable of protecting their congregations.

“It’s like doomsday prepping – people are loading up ammo,” Bergida said. “I have a passion to prep Jews.”

He added defiantly: “We ain’t fleeing — we’re here to stay. We’re not victims anymore.”

Bergida told The New York Post that the surge in demand is being driven by fear of political hostility as well as practical concerns about safety. He claims his clientele now includes everyone “from fearful zaydes to terrified rabbis,” with some congregations organizing collective training programs for their members.

“We have to let everyone know — don’t f–k with the Jews,” he said. “Never again.”

According to official NYPD data cited in The New York Post report, concealed carry permit applications have spiked sharply since Mamdani’s electoral victory. Permit requests rose by 14%, from 620 in June — when Mamdani clinched the Democratic nomination — to 706 in August, marking one of the largest month-over-month increases in recent years.

Licensing in New York City is notoriously slow and restrictive, requiring at least six months to a year for approval and completion of a state-mandated concealed-carry course consisting of 16 hours of classroom study and two hours of live-fire training.

Firearms instructor Lance Dashefsky, who has taught gun safety courses for years, told The New York Post that demand for his classes skyrocketed immediately following Mamdani’s victory.

“It’s getting busy because of him,” Dashefsky said. “I always ask people in class why they want a gun — and now the answer is Mamdani.”

Dashefsky, 57, caters specifically to Jewish clientele, offering training sessions that include “bagels, lox, and a schmear” on Sunday mornings, a detail that has made his classes as much a cultural experience as a tactical one.

Brooklyn-based firearms instructor Ross Den told The New York Post that many Jewish New Yorkers who were once hesitant about owning a firearm have now changed their minds.

“Anyone who was ever on the fence about getting a concealed carry weapon is no longer,” Den said, noting that his students now include rabbis, doctors, lawyers, and plumbers.

According to Den, many synagogues across the city have begun forming volunteer-based security teams — with members legally carrying concealed weapons during services.

“There are plenty of rabbis who carry – shul is where the greatest threat is,” Den explained. “People are beginning to wake up and are now realizing they have to defend themselves and not rely on the cavalry to come save them.”

As The New York Post reported, bringing a firearm into a house of worship is permitted under New York State law provided that the individual is designated as a security volunteer by the religious institution.

The surge in gun ownership among Jewish New Yorkers comes amid growing unease over Mamdani’s background and statements. As The New York Post documented extensively during the campaign, Mamdani — a self-described “Muslim socialist” and founding member of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at his college — has a long record of anti-Israel rhetoric and controversial remarks about law enforcement.

In 2023, while serving as a New York State assemblyman, Mamdani claimed that “when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF” — a statement widely condemned as antisemitic and inflammatory.

Mamdani is also an open supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to economically and culturally isolate Israel. He has publicly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and, during his campaign, vowed to “arrest the Israeli Prime Minister” if he visits New York City.

These positions have fueled fears among Jewish residents that Mamdani’s administration could create a hostile climate for Jewish institutions and individuals, leading to what The New York Post report described as a “wave of anxiety-driven self-protection.”

“We are Jewish and we will protect ourselves – even if the mayor despises us,” one Israeli-born mother of four told The New York Post, explaining that she filed her gun license application the morning after Mamdani’s election victory. “We will have a say in our protection and not have to rely on others.”

As The New York Post report noted, voting patterns from the recent election underscore the political and cultural divide now gripping the city. Election district analysis showed that Hasidic strongholds such as Borough Park and Crown Heights voted overwhelmingly for former Governor Andrew Cuomo, with 88% and 75% of ballots respectively cast in his favor.

Meanwhile, secular and progressive neighborhoods delivered Mamdani’s winning margins, reflecting the widening chasm between the city’s traditional religious communities and its far-left political base.

For Jewish New Yorkers, Mamdani’s ties to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) — which recently issued what The New York Post report described as a “virulently anti-Israel and antisemitic wish list” — have only intensified suspicions.

The DSA’s platform includes calls to sever police cooperation with Israel, defund NYPD counterterrorism programs, and ban Israeli officials from participating in U.S.-based security exchanges.

In Brooklyn, where Jewish-owned gun shops are reporting record sales, the mood is a mix of defiance and determination. Bergida’s Samson Armory has quickly become a community touchstone — a place where, as The New York Post wrote, Jewish customers are “arming themselves lox, stock, and barrel.”

“We’re not victims anymore,” Bergida reiterated. “We’re prepared.”

As fear of antisemitic incidents and political hostility grows, firearms instructors and dealers say the Jewish community’s embrace of self-defense represents both a cultural shift and a message of resilience.

“People want to feel safe again,” said Dashefsky. “This isn’t about politics — it’s about survival.”

With gun permit applications soaring, synagogues holding active-shooter drills, and firearm training classes packed with new participants, Jewish New Yorkers are entering what The New York Post report described as “a new era of vigilance.”

As Bergida told the paper, invoking a phrase that has now become his store’s unofficial motto: “Never again — and this time, we mean it.”