Guns, Safety and Jewish Community Security – A Town Hall Conversation

Given the horrifying attack on Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville Texas, the recent attacks in Pittsburgh and Poway, and the pervasive fear and danger we face as Jews in an environment of increasing antisemitism and hate-based bias, we recognize that not only is it time to reconvene our community around our shared values and our shared commitment to our community’s safety, but it is also time to engage a broader representation of our community in the conversation.

Our panel will be moderated by Rob Allen, our Minnesota Jewish community’s security professional. Our speakers will be a Jewish community safety advocate, a gun violence prevention advocate, and a scholar of firearm injury prevention. We aim to create a brave space that is nonpartisan, apolitical, and inclusive of all perspectives.

Our goal is to create a learning opportunity that will focus on security in our Jewish community, the impact of gun violence and trauma on individuals and organizations, and what steps we can take to make our communities safer. We hope that this Town Hall conversation will help to build a more connected Jewish Minnesota by creating a model for respectful and inclusive conversation – even in areas where we might disagree.

Register for this virtual event here.