"Ask the Rabbi" by R. Mermelstein
QUESTION: Shalom Rav Mermelstein:
I am the director of Operation Shiloh, an Israeli counter-terrorism
training school designed for Americans with little or no security
background (www.opshiloh.com). The OpShiloh curriculum was developed in
coordination with the IDF and is conducted in Israel, and beginning
this month, in the US.
I write you today to request a haskamah for the OpShiloh course.
Intelligence estimates are that additional mass casualty terror attacks
like 9/11 are very likely on American soil, perhaps as soon as this
summer. While the Department of Homeland Security is doing a great job,
it must be understood that they are focused on protecting hard targets
and critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, bridges &
tunnels, and the transportation, electrical and communications grids.
There literally hundreds of thousands of unprotected, high-value soft
targets in the US - places like churches, synagogues and schools.
Operation Shiloh can help fill this security gap by training civilian
volunteers from shuls across America.
We know from the Israeli experience that there is so much more that
civilians can do besides wait for the next attack to occur. A
rent-a-cop is not sufficient defense against a car bomb, a shooter, or
a suicide bomber. We advocate every shul and day school have a
Volunteer Security Committee, i.e., a security committee composed of
civilian volunteers, and that those volunteers take the OpShiloh
training course IMMEDIATELY.
Federal and local law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once, but a
trained and alert citizenry can assist them in their daunting task.
There is still time to train people this summer, before the Yomim
Noraim.
OpShiloh course material has been reviewed by members of the House
Intelligence Committee and the Department of Homeland Security.
Operation Shiloh has been profiled by Fox News Channel, ABC, CBS, NBC,
and dozens of other international broadcast and print news media.
Operation Shiloh has also been endorsed by such prominent scholars as
Daniel Pipes, who observes: "Operation Shiloh impresses me as a way,
drawing on Israel's unique counterterrorism strengths, for concerned
citizens to equip themselves against terrorist threats. I recommend it
highly."
Most Yidden are still asleep about this imminent threat; others
consider handgun ownership for haganah atzmit tameh. I am not
being alarmist here; I speak frequently with local police, shomrim
organizations, and Jewish community-police liaisons around the US. We
KNOW they are collecting intelligence against Jewish targets; we KNOW
they planning attacks; and we KNOW that several attacks havem B"H been
averted. Armed with this knowledge, we have an achrayus to act now.
Perhaps with a haskamah from a frum rav, the frumer velt will wake up and get the necessary training before the next ason, C"V.
I am holding a three day training session in Northern Virginia/DC the week of August 29. Please help me spread the word.
Sincerely yours,
Yehoshua Mizrachi
Director - Operation Shiloh
info@opshiloh.com
http://www.opshiloh.com
941-870-4319 (US contact number)
22 August 2004
ANSWER: Dear Reb Yehoshua,
It has become fashionable since the September 11, 2001 attacks on
American soil to spout the bromide that we now live in a different
world. But random acts of violent terrorism have struck non-combatants
and innocent civilians since time immemorial. Whereas once our enemies
were known, today we are pitted against scattered individuals seething
with hatred for all that Western civilization represents. All persons
and groups are vulnerable, yet few, aside from a smattering of military
and law enforcement personnel, are trained to recognize much less
prevent an imminent assault and the subsequent bloodshed.
I have reviewed the course curriculum of Operation Shiloh under the expert directorship of Yehoshua Mizrachi and have found it worthy of my heartiest approbation. Go to http://www.opshiloh.com
Operation Shiloh, according to
its prospectus, is an Israeli counter-terrorism training course
designed for ordinary Americans with little or no security background.
The intensive Operation Shiloh curriculum was developed in coordination
with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and is conducted both in Israel
and the United States.
Jayna Davis, author of "The Third Terrorist: The Middle East Connection
to the Oklahoma City Bombing", states, "The Operation Shiloh Civilian
Counter-Terrorism course is the only training I know of that provides
anti-terror guidance and training to American civilians. With proper
training, you can help foil the plans of the radical Islamist terror
cells in our midst. I urge you to take this course and put it into
practice in your community."
Operation Shiloh is not another training academy for the defensive or
tactical use of firearms. It teaches much more - training, awareness
and prevention.
For more information, contact Operation Shiloh using its website found at http://www.opshiloh.com
. According to ancient Jewish tradition the fate of all living
creatures for the coming year is determined in Heaven on Rosh Hashanah,
the Jewish New Year. Our sages, of blessed memory, taught "It is not
incumbent upon you to complete the task, but neither are you free to
exempt yourself from it" (Ethics of the Fathers, 2:21). While this
injunction was intended to address the continual study of Torah law by
Jews, the concept is universal in all matters essential to the
continuation of Mankind. Both Christians and Jews learn, "Do not stand
still when your neighbor's life is in danger" (Leviticus 19:16). Go to http://www.gunownersalliance.com/Rabbi_0112.htm
We are required by G-d's law to not stand by idly when another's life
is in danger, but the actions to take to prevent the loss of life are
vague to most people. Training and awareness are not instinctive. It
requires instruction from experts.
Operation Shiloh, I believe, can teach you to save lives. It has my unequivocal endorsement.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Reuven Mermelstein
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