Rabbi Shmuel Biston and his wife, Sarah Biston, are co-directors of Chabad of East Delray. It holds services at its synagogue at 10 SE First Ave., on the ground floor. Photo provided
By Janis Fontaine
A “rabbi with a gun” sounds like the punchline of a bad joke.
But nobody was laughing after a homeless man took four people hostage at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, just weeks after he arrived in the United States.
“That’s the reason we have TSA-level security,” said Rabbi Shmuel “Shmuli” Biston of Chabad of East Delray. It’s the reason he practices at the gun range and keeps his skills sharp through ongoing training. It’s part of his commitment to keep his congregants and family safe.
Biston wants people bowing their heads in prayer to be as worry-free as possible, and if that means he puts on a gun along with his yarmulke, he’ll do it. Worship is a place for unburdening, and people should — like students in school — feel safe there.
The irony is unrelenting.
So, if not rabbis with guns, what then? The rabbi and congregants involved in Colleyville had all undergone significant counter-violence training. It even has its own name: active shooter training.
“After Shabbat on Saturday, my phone was blowing up,” Biston said, recalling the events of Jan. 15. Members of his flock were calling for reassurance. “They wanted to know if we were ready. People were shocked, frustrated, angry, scared, every emotion you can imagine.”
As Biston prepared his remarks for Shabbat after the situation ended with the hostages freed, he wanted to remind his congregation “to be cautious but proud. Don’t be scared to wear your yarmulke. We must be proud of our heritage and work to break down misinformation. We have to talk about it again and again.”
Biston, the father of two and the son of a rabbi, has made peace with the reality of hate.
“I find a positive spin. Certain people hate us, but much of that is ignorance. And the answer is education.”
He doesn’t dwell on it and he finds respite in sports and depends on his quirky sense of humor to get him through.
The outcome in Texas was largely possible because the people involved were prepared and had discussed what to do.
“Fifteen or 20 people reached out and asked, ‘what are we doing?’” Biston said of his congregants. He reassured them, but he also plans to add emergency first aid to the roster of active-shooter training courses.
In reality, first aid means learning how to prevent someone from bleeding to death from a gunshot or stab wound.
At home, the rabbi has a high-tech alarm system and he keeps his gun locked in a safe but accessible. He’s learned to handle the stress of being on alert 24/7. “I’m used to it,” Biston said. “I’m a public figure. My address is out there.”
Biston says he’s faced hatred and discrimination his whole life (“I was egged,” he says casually) and has “thick skin.”
Biston, who says he is “pro sensible gun control,” has one or two other trusted members quietly armed at Shabbat events. All have training. “I want to be safe. But I say, ‘Don’t cower in fear. Spread goodness. Only light can dispel darkness.’”
That’s an irony as Biston sees it: The man in Colleyville was “obviously homeless and disturbed, not Jewish, but the rabbi brought him in and welcomed him.” The Dallas Morning News reported that Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, one of the hostages, invited the man in out of the cold and made him a cup of tea before the service began.
Who welcomes an attacker into the synagogue with kindness and compassion?
In East Delray, a rabbi with a gun. Just in case.
Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and community events. Contact her at fontaine423@outlook.com
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