America’s Jews rush to buy guns as anti-Semitic attacks rise sharply
American Jews are racing to buy guns and take firearms training following the Hamas terror attack and the killing of a synagogue leader.
The war between Israel and Hamas has led to an uptick in anti-Semitic crime, heightening fears among Jewish communities in the US that they could be targeted.
Gun stores across the country have reported a surge in demand amid the concerns.
David Prince, who runs Eagle Gun Range in Dallas-Fort Worth said demand at his two locations had risen 300 per cent after Hamas’s Oct 7 terror attack.
“It’s been a really big change this last three or four days,” he said.
“The people coming in and saying they are scared for their lives, because of their religion they are expecting to be attacked.”
David Kowalsky, who runs a gun store in Hollywood, Florida, noticed a similar trend.
“We’ve definitely seen a tremendous increase in religious Jewish people, Orthodox people, purchasing firearms,” he told NBC News.
“I’ve seen a surge in interest in individual training as well as group training,” he added, noting the increased demand was taking place against the backdrop of a “public display of how prevalent anti-Semitism is”.
Mr Kowalsky has held a series of firearms-training seminars at synagogues this month. Many of those who attended were new to guns, he said.
Other gun stores and ranges in south Florida reported similar spikes in interest.
Endi Tennenhaus, who lives in Hollywood, Florida, is organising gun safety training for women at her local synagogue, where her husband is the rabbi.
“We said, ‘What about the women?’ We need to do the things we need to do to prepare,” she told NBC News.
“To stay safe and to be able to use a gun, God forbid if we ever should need one.”
The spike in demand came as police in Detroit investigated the murder of the president of a local synagogue.
Samantha Woll, 40, was stabbed several times at her home on Saturday morning. Police have yet to attribute a motive to the killing.
Across the US, there have been 107 recorded anti-Semitic incidents since Hamas’s attacks, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
The country’s anti-Semitism watchdog recorded a 37 per cent rise in attacks on Jews last year.
