Twenty Chabad rabbis from across the United States recently took part in an intensive five-day security program in Los Angeles that combined firearms instruction, emergency medical training and threat-response preparation, as Jewish communities contend with continuing security concerns ahead of the Yomim Tovim, the NY Post reports.
The pilot program was organized by Magen Am USA, a Los Angeles-based Jewish security organization, and drew participants from 12 states. The goal was not simply to teach rabbanim how to use firearms, organizers said, but to give Jewish communal leaders the knowledge and training needed to respond responsibly to emergencies at shuls and within their communities.
Held in August, the program brought together firearms training, emergency medicine and broader security instruction. It took place amid heightened concern over threats and attacks directed at Jewish institutions in California and across the country.
For Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, founder of Magen Am, simply encouraging more Jewish community members to carry weapons without adequate preparation is not the answer.
“Lots of people, lots of guns, little training,” Eilfort told the California Post. “That can be bad for the community.”
Magen Am operates both as a registered nonprofit organization and a California-licensed security company. Its stated mission is to help Jewish communities create and train their own security teams and improve preparedness at communal institutions.
The program comes against the backdrop of thousands of reported antisemitic incidents around the country. The Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism nationwide in 2025.
California accounted for 817 of those incidents, the second-highest total of any state, while 419 were recorded in the Los Angeles area. Although Los Angeles saw an overall decline from 532 incidents in 2024, the number of assaults rose 22%, reaching what the ADL said was a record high for the region.
Eilfort said Magen Am works with members of Jewish communities, law enforcement agencies and government officials to develop effective security systems. The organization also provides firearms education to the broader public.
The idea for a program specifically geared toward rabbanim emerged after Jewish religious leaders increasingly began contacting Eilfort with questions about firearms and protecting their shuls.
“We’re visibly Jewish and we walk down the street and dozens of rabbis have people yell things at them,” Eilfort said, adding that rabbis have increasingly been targeted with hate speech and protests.
An anonymous donor agreed to finance the pilot program, allowing all of the participating rabbanim to attend without paying for the training.
Interest quickly exceeded the number of available places. Magen Am said 37 rabbis applied for the 20 spots in the inaugural program.
Organizers selected participants based in part on the security challenges confronting their respective communities and the protections already available to them. Their firearms experience varied considerably. Some had never touched a gun, others owned firearms but were uncomfortable carrying them, and still others were experienced gun owners seeking more advanced instruction.
Participants traveled to Los Angeles from Alaska, Montana, Arizona, Florida, New York, Missouri and other states. California rabbanim came from communities ranging from San Diego to Santa Barbara.
The five-day program began in the morning and continued through the evening, with Magen Am providing meals and accommodations in addition to the training.
Instruction covered responsible firearm ownership, recognizing potentially dangerous situations, emergency medicine and working effectively with law enforcement.
Eilfort declined to identify the specific law enforcement agency that participated in the training.
The rabbanim were also taught how to file suspicious-activity reports and how such information is processed by fusion centers that collect and analyze potential security threats.
“It’s not all about the gun,” Eilfort said. “It’s all about community safety.”
The instructors were themselves members of the Jewish community, including some with backgrounds in the Israel Defense Forces. Eilfort, who is a rabbi, is also a licensed and certified firearms instructor and previously competed as an MMA fighter.
“I’m not a security professional who found the Jewish community,” he said. “I’m a Jewish community member who realized we need more security in our community.”
Eilfort stressed that possessing a firearm is only one component of a comprehensive approach to security.
He said responsible gun ownership must include safe storage, proper insurance, proficiency, licensing and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. He also rejected any suggestion that Magen Am was encouraging community members to act as vigilantes.
“I’m not calling for vigilantism,” he said. “I believe in doing things right.”
One Los Angeles rabbi who participated in the program said the organizers compressed material that would ordinarily require weeks or even months of instruction into five intensive days.
The rabbi, who requested anonymity, said each morning began with davening and breakfast, after which the participants moved into classroom sessions or firearms training at the shooting range.
The daily schedule combined their regular religious routine with intensive security preparation. Among the medical skills taught was how to control severe bleeding during an emergency.
On the firing range, the rabbanim learned proper and safe firearm handling, how to holster and draw a weapon, how to aim and how to react to various emergency scenarios. They were also instructed in responding safely when a firearm malfunctions, the participant said.
“Every day they were building on the previous day’s learning,” he added.
For the Los Angeles rabbi, the experience represented an especially significant step: He had never fired a gun before attending the program.
“Some participants were very good,” he said. “They wanted to become excellent. And then there was someone like me that never touched a gun.”
As the course progressed, the participants advanced from basic classroom and range instruction to what the rabbi described as “FBI-style,” practical exercises at an indoor shooting facility. The final stages were intended to test accuracy and the participants’ overall proficiency with a firearm.
“It was a high level of being accurate and to know what you’re doing with a firearm,” the rabbi said.
The strong response to the pilot suggested that demand for similar training extends well beyond the original group. After the five-day program concluded, additional rabbanim sought admission, and Eilfort said approximately 40 people were placed on a waiting list.
Magen Am is now seeking additional financial backing that could allow it to conduct another four to six rabbinic programs next year. Organizers hope the initiative could eventually expand to 10 to 12 sessions the following year.
The organization has also been broadening its overall Jewish community security operations, including establishing a new security team in San Diego.
Even after completing the intensive program, however, some of the participating rabbanim are still weighing whether carrying a firearm should become part of their personal approach to protecting their communities.
The Los Angeles rabbi said graduating from the course did not mean that he had decided to begin carrying a weapon. He is continuing to consider whether owning a firearm is appropriate for him and intends to receive additional training before reaching a decision.
“I’m still in the journey with it,” he said. “My biggest takeaway is now I know how to use a firearm. God forbid, if it’s a case of an emergency, as a rabbi, I’m prepared.”
The rabbi said the issue also raised questions for him about the responsibilities imposed by Jewish law and whether carrying a weapon could be appropriate as part of those obligations.
Ultimately, he said, the Torah’s emphasis on preserving human life provides an important consideration when confronting a genuine life-threatening emergency.
“If it’s a matter of life and death, you have to do all that you can to save a life,” he said. “So this could save a life.”
Despite the extensive preparation, the rabbi said his greatest hope is that he and the other participants will never encounter a situation in which they need to put their new training into practice.
“If we would all be able to get along and respect each other’s differences, that will really make a community and a city and a country so beautiful,” he said.