Self-defense training in rural Pennsylvania

Other institutions and individuals prefer to take a different approach and seeking tactical training. One of the private locations that offer that kind of training is Cherev Gidon in rural Pennsylvania.

Yonatan Shtern is the owner and lead instructor, and he tells the Magazine that his mission is to teach Jewish people to defend themselves. He grew up in Kiryat Arba, served in the Netzach Yehuda (Nachal ultra-Orthodox) Brigade, and later volunteered in the police.

Now, he is bringing some Israeli tactics to his instructions.

“I came to America after the army and after studying counter-terrorism in IDC Herzliya and I saw a need for tactical Israeli defensive firearm skills,” he said. “I had a background in this, and I saw the opportunity to do something that would provide the kind of skills we have in Israel – defensive firearms training skills for the American Jewish population.”

“And so I came up with the idea of opening a school, and it didn’t happen overnight,” he said. “It took some time before for the ideas to become a reality. I started originally training people in California and New York. I got certified as an NRA-certified firearm instructor and as an NRA-certified range safety officer.”

Shtern offers a different approach and calls to try and stop the offender as soon as possible. “The first thing you should do is immediately end the attack,” he says. “That needs to be your number one priority. Obviously, you need to get trained beforehand to be able to do that. And that’s what we do. That’s the kind of training that we provide people; the active shooter training is so that people will be able to do that. Obviously, you’re not going to take someone who never fired a gun before and say, ‘you need to go and engage in an active shooter.’ Of course not. That’s why people come to us. And that’s the kind of training we’re giving people so that they’ll be able to do that.”

The day starts with some general knowledge about Israeli weapons, such as the Galil and the Uzi, followed by detailed instruction on how to use a gun. Eight people attended his course that day, from different locations and backgrounds, from people in their mid-20s to people in their early 70s.

Aaron Soowal, a 69-year-old retired salesperson from Pennsylvania, told the Magazine that just a few years ago, he could not imagine that he would need to renew his concealed weapon permit.

“I had permit 35 years ago,” he said. “It was my business. I was carrying cash. It was for personal security. The week after Pittsburgh, I walked into our county sheriff’s department to apply for a concealed carry permit.”

He told the Magazine that four or five other people from his synagogue are planning to take the same instruction soon.

“I don’t want ever to have that use it, but I think it’s important to know,” he said.

“I would like to think that it can’t happen in our shul, but it would be stupid of me to presume that it won’t,” he continued. “We’re not big. We’re 275 families. But that could make us a soft target. It’s inevitable that there are going to be more attacks on Jews and synagogues, and I don’t want to sit idly by. If something happens in my synagogue, I want to be able to do something about it.” – O.N.