Rabbi Raziel Cohen, 29, known on social media as “The Tactical Rabbi,” has spent recent years leading an unusual initiative in the United States: an academy that trains Jews in firearms use and self-defense. Against the backdrop of rising antisemitic incidents across the United States and growing anxiety within Jewish communities since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack, Cohen says demand for his training programs has surged sharply.
Cohen was recently documented instructing students at a private shooting range in a wooded area of Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. During the training, participants practiced firing AR-15 rifles, quick-draw drills and tactical movement. “Jews today understand that the only person who can protect their lives and their families is themselves,” he told the website NorthJersey.com.
Cohen, who runs a popular YouTube channel with about 77,000 subscribers, teaches courses on firearms, emergency response tactics and security for community institutions. He said that since founding the academy in 2019, thousands of people have completed its programs, including more than 5,000 in the past two years alone. He also said that since the recent escalation with Iran, more than 40 synagogues have approached him for security consultations.
The growing interest in firearms among American Jews comes amid a series of antisemitic incidents in recent years. In March, an armed man allegedly attempted to breach Temple Israel in Michigan — an incident the FBI described as “an act of terrorism inspired by Hezbollah.” In another case, an Orthodox Jewish teenager was shot from a passing vehicle in New Jersey.
According to Cohen, there was once a stigma within the Jewish community surrounding gun ownership, but that reality is changing rapidly. “More people are now applying for gun permits,” he said.
Cohen also addressed the Jewish legal perspective on firearms use. “The commandment ‘Thou shalt not murder’ prohibits murder, not self-defense,” he said. “Shooting in order to save lives is permitted and even required according to Judaism.”
Cohen trains both private citizens and synagogue security teams, and holds seminars across the United States on security awareness and responses to active shooter incidents. “The goal is to prepare Jews to act in decisive moments,” he said.
A Los Angeles native, Cohen said he began firearms training at a young age following repeated break-in attempts and violence experienced by his family in Southern California. “Before I turned 18, we experienced 14 break-in attempts and two attempted murders within the family,” he said. “I realized you cannot confuse kindness with weakness.”
Alongside growing support for his approach, criticism has also emerged. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, president of the advocacy organization Uri L’Tzedek, said that while the rise in antisemitism is understandable and frightening, he warned of the risks associated with expanded gun use. According to Yanklowitz, “Gun owners are statistically more likely to experience accidental shootings or misuse in the home than to use a weapon in self-defense.”
Cohen himself acknowledges that firearms are not a magic solution. He said there is no place for drawing a weapon in a synagogue without professional training and teamwork. “There is a difference between a guy with a handgun and a trained team that knows how to move and operate together,” he said.