Why Rabbis Must Speak Clearly About Jewish Self-Defense
Bondi Beach Was Not an Aberration: Jewish Self-Defense Is a Moral Imperative

By: Doris Wise, Founder of Jews Can Shoot

The recent violent attack at a Chanukah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney is a stark reminder that Jews remain targets of lethal hatred worldwide. From that attack to synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway, the kosher market assault in Jersey City, and the daily harassment and violence that spiked in 2018 and surged after October 7, 2023, the pattern is unmistakable. No Jewish community is immune. No synagogue is a sanctuary when hatred arrives armed. In the face of this relentless threat, the guidance of our spiritual leaders is more crucial than ever.

Rabbis, your voice remains the most trusted in Jewish life. Torah commands us, above all else, to choose life—pikuach nefesh. Halacha is unambiguous: “If someone is coming to kill you, rise early and kill him first” (Sanhedrin 72a). The law of the rodef makes clear that stopping a pursuer intent on murder is not only permitted but, when necessary, required. Today, this ancient mandate translates into a contemporary responsibility: guiding congregants toward professional training, heightened situational awareness, and—where legal and appropriate—armed self-defense.

Many synagogues worldwide have already taken important steps, employing armed rabbis and professional security teams. We applaud every shul that has. Yet services occupy only a few hours each week. Jews live, work, study, and move through the streets the rest of the time. When danger strikes, the only people present are potential victims themselves. That is why rabbis must actively encourage congregants to pursue serious training and, where lawful, to be armed and prepared in their daily lives. Preparedness cannot be limited to a single place or hour of the week.

Every rabbi has a sacred opportunity—and, I believe, a sacred obligation—to teach this reality openly. This duty transcends denomination:

• Orthodox rabbis can draw on the Gemara, the Rambam’s rulings on communal defense, and King David’s armed psalms.
• Conservative rabbis can highlight historical Jewish resistance—from the Maccabees to the Warsaw Ghetto—as ethical instruction.
• Reform rabbis can frame preparedness as empowerment, a moral response to hatred, and the ultimate affirmation of choosing life.

Leadership today requires clarity. Quiet encouragement is no longer sufficient. Rabbis must partner with trusted security and training organizations, invite certified instructors for defensive handgun courses, trauma-medical response, and active-shooter drills, and normalize the truth that well-trained, responsible congregants are a blessing, not a liability.

Shul-based self-defense and firearms training provide a practical path forward: safe, voluntary, and educational settings for congregants to develop personal protection skills. Advocating for personal preparedness is not about instilling fear—it is about fostering foresight. Experience shows that after security incidents, synagogue safety budgets increase and training classes fill quickly. Extending this focus on preparedness to everyday life is the logical next step.

Rabbis are not expected to be tactical experts. Their role is to teach Torah, emphasizing that preserving life is among the highest mitzvot. They can connect congregants with the most qualified instructors for defensive skills, ensuring education is both spiritually guided and professionally taught.

A community that trains together prays with greater confidence, gives tzedakah with greater generosity, and raises children with greater hope. History will judge today’s rabbis not by the elegance of their sermons, but by whether they prepared their communities to survive the moment danger arrived.

The time to speak, to teach, and to train is now. Our ancestors rose early when threats appeared. Let us, their descendants around the world, do the same.

About the Author:
Doris Wise founded Jews Can Shoot in 2013 as a grassroots civil-rights organization originally launched in Southern California. Drawing on the lessons of the Holocaust, the organization advocates for the preservation, protection, and defense of the Second Amendment. Jews Can Shoot’s reach is now international, educating Jewish communities about gun laws, gun rights, legal precedents, and cause-related advocacy. Learn more at jewscanshoot.org.