Dr. Michael Laitman To Change the World – Change Man

Should Synagogues Be Armed?

Arming synagogues in light of the rapidly rising anti-Semitic crimes and threats definitely makes sense, and this topic has received much attention the last few days as the US anti-Semitism envoy and various Jewish leaders discussed the need to arm synagogues, Jewish schools and community centers, and a Boston rabbi went as far as suggesting that his congregants should bring guns to synagogues for protection. However, the effect of arming synagogues is mere patchwork on the rising problem of anti-Semitism, and ultimately, it won’t help nor solve the problem.

The feeling of security that comes from arming ourselves is empty and false. It is only in order to remind us that we should listen to what the Torah says about our state, that until we realize our role in what made us Jews to being with, i.e. becoming a united people under the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself” in order to be a conduit for such unity to spread worldwide (i.e. to be “a light unto nations”), then we can only expect anti-Semitism to rise. No matter how much we arm ourselves, if we fail to unite above our divisions, then our increasing divisions will be felt in humanity as increasing social division. As a result, the multiple negative consequences of disunity in mainstream society—myriad problems on personal, social, economic and ecological scales—will cause non-Jews worldwide to point the finger of blame for their problems on the Jews more and more. Then, the arming of synagogues won’t help. A person wanting to shoot up a synagogue would understand that he cannot simply enter with his gun, so he would find other means, like explosives, to complete his action.

On the contrary, if Jews would unite, then both Jews and the nations of the world would experience a positive force in their lives. It all comes down to the need for Jews to realize that unity should be our number one priority, that if we observe the law of nature expressed as “love your neighbor as yourself,” then by progressing to a more unified state, we would exemplify and spread the power of unity above divisions to all peoples of the world. Then, due to humanity experiencing improved lives by being better connected to one another, the pressure on the Jews in the form of anti-Semitism would decrease and even disappear.

Originally posted in Quora
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