NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - Members of South Florida’s Jewish community are taking steps to defend themselves against anti-Semitic violence inside and outside of the synagogue.
7News cameras captured students at Bais Menachem of North Miami Beach off Northeast 172nd Street, Thursday night, as they kicked their way into learning how to fight back against potential assailants.
“This is a workout. We were sweating. It wasn’t easy,” said student Itchik Brody.
Students at the nighttime class are learning Krav Maga, which is described as a reality-based system that mixes high-intensity fitness with self-defense techniques.
Itchik said a recent string of anti-Semitic attacks around the country makes it imperative that Jewish residents are able to defend themselves from an attack with no rules and no professional fighters to come to their immediate aid.
“I feel that it’s really important that we have a lot of guys that are trained in case there’s some kind of attack,” said Brody.
Class instructor Doron Cohen said he’s helping to ensure his students are prepared for an attack.
“I’m preparing them for an attack on a synagogue, an attack on a Jewish community, on a Jewish foundation, something like this when people are only here to worship God,” he said. “They’re not here to fight, but they still need to be prepared.”
Cohen has teamed up with the Community Security Organization to teach Krav Maga.
“We definitely need more people who can defend themselves and defend other people, and hopefully more people will be trained and be able to defend themselves,” said Brody.
Nationwide incidents have propelled anti-Semitism into the spotlight. Eleven people were killed in a 2018 shooting during morning services at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In April of this year, a gunman stormed a California synagogue, killed 60-year-old Lori Kaye and wounded three others.
“What happened in California, even the rabbi froze. The guy who chased the shooter, he froze for a second,” said student Mendel Brody. “You’re always going to freeze, so the less you freeze, the better off you are.”
The skills being learned at the class also apply on the streets.
The Anti-Defamation League said the Jewish community experienced near historic levels of anti-Semitism in the United States. In total, the organization said, there were 1,879 attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions in 2018.
It’s people walking down the streets, people going to their place of business or school, and they are dealing with things they are not used to,” said Zalman Myer-Smith with the Community Security Organization.
More than a dozen classes in, participants said they are feeling quicker, more confident and ready for the unthinkable.
“[The goal is], any situation that you encounter, you’re able to control. You know, somebody gets close to you, you know how to get away from a situation. You’re always aware of your surroundings,” said Brody.
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