Yes, Guns Are for Jews. Especially These Days

On October 7, 2023, Hamas viciously attacked the nation of Israel. Their attacks targeted some military bases, apparently, but also involved the senseless slaughter of innocent young people at a music festival and men, women, and children at kibbutzes.

Not all of them made it through unscathed, though. While the military fought back, as one would expect, a lot of civilian Israelis also used guns to fight back.

Since then, we’ve seen nearly two years of fighting, but also three domestic terrorist attacks targeting Jewish folks. Of those three, only the attempted firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion had no injuries or fatalities.

That’s what went on in my head when my friend Yehuda Remer, better known as The Pew Pew Jew, posted this on social media. It involved a book of questions and answers by a rabbi. Someone gave the book to his wife, and friends alerted him to one of the questions in the book, and it’s corresponding answer.

The question at the center of this debate:

 CAP GUNS:

With the weather getting warmer, my boys’ friends have started playing outside. Many of them have cap guns and snap guns. Apparently, they are sold in local Judaica stores, even though I’m told they are illegal in New York state! 

I grew up in a place where these toys were popular, and I know firsthand of many accidents. However, I do not want to overreact and withhold an appropriate activity from my boys.

What is Rabbi Bender’s opinion on these? Should they be avoided due to the risk and/or legal prohibition?” 

The answer:

“I speak about this all the time. I never allowed any gun in my house, even a water gun. I maintain that it is bad chinuch [Jewish education]. Add to that the safety and legal concerns, and there is no question whatsoever. Guns and gun play are not for Yidden [Yiddish word for Jew]. Period.”  

Excuse me? Guns are not for Jews. Yo, Tony Simon, can I get a 2A4E shirt sent to this Rabbi? 

This way of thinking is the exact battle I’ve fought since the inception of The Pew Pew Jew –a brand that promotes safe and responsible gun ownership, especially in the Jewish world. This Rabbi not only plays with fire, but is entirely wrong. Let me explain. 

First, a question. Rabbi Bender, how do you propose or expect Jews to defend themselves? The most obvious answer to that, not involving guns, would be for more government protection.  Let’s journey back 85 years and remember that the last time Jews put their faith in government. That same government we entrusted to protect us, was the same government that murdered 6 million of us.  

What about turning solely to God? We can’t ignore the the murder and mayhem continuing to plague the Jewish people as they pray and learn.    

Remer continues on to address this from a Jewish point of view, which you should all take a look at.

For me, though, I find this idea that guns aren’t Jewish to be deeply troubling, especially as Jewish people are being targeted for violence even today. Especially when I can’t recall anywhere in the Old Testament where there’s anything suggesting such a thing, much less in the books that make up the Torah.

Granted, I’m not a biblical scholar in any way, shape, or form. I’m not even a particularly good Christian, so I could possibly be wrong, but I doubt it.

So what it looks like we’ve got is a faith leader who is respected in his field, but who has decided that something he personally dislikes is actually tantamount to a sin. Kind of like the Christian pastors and priests who try to make the same argument, with just as little of a scriptural leg to stand on.

I don’t like that.

The truth is that while this was written before the current spate of attacks, it’s a firm reminder that if one wants peace, they should train for war. Of course, the rabbi who wrote it had the book published in January of 2024, so it was probably written pre-October 7th, but I’m sure they would have allowed him to adjust the advice if his thinking changed. He didn’t, which means he seems to feel good Jews get genocided.

Whether the terrorist wields a firearm or a Molotov cocktail, the intent to kill is very real. The right to defend yourself is an innate part of being a human. You have the right to protect yourself, and as Remer notes above, the government and prayer have both failed to protect.

The Jewish people have been dumped on for centuries, and it’s still happening and happening violently.

The only way to stop a violent, antisemitic terrorist is a good guy with a gun. That may well mean a good Jew with a gun, too.