"Ask the Rabbi" by R. Mermelstein



QUESTION: Rabbi Mermelstein, I'm not sure where I got my interest in guns, I got my first .22 when I was 14, but my mother insisted, as I grew up, that Jews don't "play" or use guns. I countered with the idea that the Israeli's did a magnificent job of defeating the Arabs in '47, '68, '72 and other times and certainly didn't use sticks and stones. But like her insistence that Jews don't fly airplanes either, she continued to insist that using guns "wasn't Jewish". Reminding her of tales of the Warsaw ghetto during WW2 didn't seem to phase her either. So, if you would be so kind, tell me where you think that this nonsense that my mother insists on comes from? I'll admit that most of the Jewish kids I grew up with had no long lasting interest in firearms, but where did gun ownership and use get lumped into the cultural stereotype my mother so dearly adheres to that Jews don't play with guns? Thanks for your help. I look forward to your response.


ANSWER: Dear Drs. Jane and Harvey Fish,

My family background is similar to yours. My mother also insisted that guns were somehow evil and dangerous, not objects that should interest a nice Jewish boy. Your arguments that guns were used to good effect in Middle East conflicts when Jewish lives were at stake are quite valid. Your mother truly believes that Jews shouldn't pilot aircraft? Many Jewish military and commercial pilots, past and present, would strain their imagination trying to understand such a position. Quite seriously, Jews have been indoctrinated over centuries of persecution that we should grin and bear it. We should be ashamed, as a people, of this mindset. It is without a doubt contrary to Jewish law. Yes, we've been pounded pretty badly. But to accept this as "normal" is ludicrous. Perhaps those who insist that Jews who take up weapons are "un-Jewish" would also advise dodging the draft during a time of war. I, along with all other Jews who put their lives on the line for our freedom, find this repulsive. A firearm, you might explain to your mother, is a brainless tool. So is a car, power lawn edger and meat cleaver. I'm at a loss to explain how of all mechanical implements only guns are "un-Jewish". Drunkenness is generally accepted as "un-Jewish" behavior. Does that make the festive"L'Chayim" toast "un-Jewish"? Your mother has only heard about violence with guns involved. How about violence with alcohol involved? Ask your mother if drunken drivers or gun related crime takes more lives annually. It is all in how something is used. I don't know of any solution to the Jewish "singing sheep marching to the slaughter" mentality; I only understand it from a historical standpoint. Our Torah requires us in the clearest of terms to be responsible for our self preservation. It's quite irrelevant whether a golf putter or a firearms is used to fend off an attacker. I just believe in using the right tool for the job. On the other hand, wanton murder committed with a golf putter is still murder.

Your mother's perspectives, G-d bless her, need a little fine tuning.

Sincerely,

R. Mermelstein

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