We believe it is past time for the Jewish community to come together and use our collective strength to create safer communities.
After decades of horrific gun violence, none of us are the same.
Every day there are multiple mass shootings across our country, and as terrifying and saddening as they are, they don’t take into account the vast majority of gun violence that includes suicide, urban gun violence, accidental shootings, and domestic violence.
The Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable will forge ahead, pursuing a future that is free from gun violence, to protect all those living in the United States from the epidemic of gun violence.
We urge you to join us to amplify our shared commitment and energy. While no single gun violence prevention policy will put a stop to this violent epidemic, there are policies that, if enacted, would drastically reduce death, injuries, and the trauma of our communities and our nation: Closing loopholes that allow violent people access to firearms, banning the sale of assault weapons, mandating background checks on all gun purchases, and increasing funding for community violence intervention programs would go a long way at preventing gun violence.
We must demand change now. Take action:
Urge your state elected officials to support commonsense gun violence prevention policies.
Learn about the laws and actions you can take to reduce gun violence in your community.
Use this interfaith toolkit as a resource to promote gun violence prevention efforts in religious spaces.
Learn More:
About the Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable
The rise in misogyny, white supremacy, and antisemitism, in conjunction with easy access to deadly firearms, has provided alarming opportunities for those who wish to do harm. As a religious minority that accounts for nearly 60% of the reported religiously motivated hate crimes (while only making up 2% of the population), the Jewish community is uniquely positioned to work together to end gun violence in this country.
Our Mission
The Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable (JGVP Roundtable) works to amplify the collective voice of the Jewish community in addressing the pervasive issue of gun violence in the United States. By uniting individuals and organizations already involved in diverse approaches to combatting gun violence, our roundtable aims to strengthen our efforts and drive meaningful change. Guided by our Jewish values, particularly the principle of 'Lo ta'amod al dam re'echa' (Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor), we are compelled to act and intervene in the face of harm. We are further driven by the experiences of being a religious minority disproportionately impacted by hate crimes and alarmed by the epidemic of gun violence that disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable populations. The JGVP Roundtable, representing Jewish organizations across the nation, is committed to forging a future free from gun violence.
Our Approach
Our four-pronged approach of awareness, education/training, communication, and advocacy empowers us to amplify our collective voice, effect change, and build safer communities. We advocate for comprehensive evidenced-based and community-centered solutions that include closing loopholes that allow access to firearms for individuals likely to misuse them, banning the sale of assault weapons, mandating universal background checks, promoting safe storage practices, and increasing funding for community violence intervention programs. We further aim to center and uplift the voices of those most affected by gun violence. We understand that no single solution will solve this complex issue, but we believe these measures can make a significant difference.
Are you a Jewish organization professional looking to get involved in the fight against the gun violence epidemic? Please join us by filling out this form or contacting Alana Blum.
JGVP Roundtable Partners:
Resources
Press/Media
“Congress is closing the ‘boyfriend loophole.’ That could stop domestic abusers from turning into mass shooters,” (JWI – Rachel Apfelbaum)
Gun Violence Prevention Shabbat (I Should Have Gotten Involved Sooner) (The RAC – Jadyn Turner)
American Jews Speak Out Against Gun Violence in Open Letter (JCPA)
Gun Violence Prevention Resolution (JCPA)
Behind The Ballot Box Podcast: On Gun Violence (with Rabbi Menachem Creditor and Dorian Karp)
Rabbi Joe Black: Opening Prayer for the Colorado State House in the aftermath of a tragedy
In-depth article from the Orthodox Union on the complex questions around gun control
“Is Jewish tradition in favor of gun control?” (My Jewish Learning: The debate over gun control policy, like most contemporary policy issues, has sources in the Jewish tradition to support both sides.)
What does Judaism say about gun control? (Jewish text references on the dynamic debate)
“Are Guns Kosher?” (Religious News Service)
Webinars
A New Year: Resilience in the Face of Gun Violence — A Conversation with Ivy Schamis
GVP Shabbat Resources
GVP Shabbat Guide (The RAC)
Gun Violence Responsibility Toolkit
GVP Shabbat Text Study (The RAC)
Collection of Sources, launched in preparation for Rabbis Against Gun Violence Shabbat on Nov. 12, 2022 (Parshat Vayera), and updated regularly to include sermons and other writings on Gun Violence in America, Rabbis Against Gun Violence
Jewish Text for Study/Resources for Prayer
The Right to Bear Arms: A Torah View (Rabbi Rachel Miller Solomin)
Jewish Views on Firearm Use & Ownership (Rachel Kasten)
Who Should Own a Gun? (Joseph Mezsler)
"Gifts Gunned Down" (Rabbi David Wirtschafter)
“A Kaddish after Gun Violence, for When Humanity Fails Itself” (Rabbi Paul Kipnes of Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, CA)
“A Liturgy after Terror Attacks” (A four-piece liturgy from Jerusalem-based writer Alden Solovy includes “After a Terror Attack,” “To Terror Survivors,” “To the Terrorists,” and “Let Tranquility Reign”)
“Havdalah with a Gun: A Poem after Violence” (Reform Jewish poet Stacey Zisook Robinson)
Toolkits
The Jewish Gun Violence Prevention Roundtable created a Communications Toolkit that includes a statement and corresponding social media language and images to respond to the epidemic gun violence. We encourage you to use the toolkit as a resource!
In December 2022, the D.C. Area Interfaith GVP Network released a free, 120-page digital toolkit entitled Turning Faith Into Action: An Interfaith Toolkit to Engage the Faith Community on Gun Violence. The toolkit is the most comprehensive "how-to-do-it" manual for GVP action by houses of worship to be published in many years.
Take Action
Gun Violence Facts
The epidemic of gun violence has devastated our country – with deadly repercussions for women, people of color, and other marginalized communities.
36,000 Americans are killed by guns each year—an average of 100 per day— and 100,000 more are shot and injured.
Women in the U.S. are 21 times more likely to be killed by guns than women in other high-income countries.
Firearm access escalates domestic violence to fatal ends, making it 500% more likely that an abusive partner will kill his female victim. Abusers also use guns to control and threaten their victims.
While women of all races and ethnicities experience intimate partner violence, racial discrimination and economic injustice unfairly leave women of color with less access to protective services.
Overall, gun violence disproportionately impacts Black Americans, who are 10 times more likely than white Americans to die by gun homicide. Racial discrimination, police violence, public health disparities, “Stand Your Ground” laws, and underfunding urban neighborhoods all contribute to gun violence targeting communities of color.
Hate and guns are a deadly combination.
10,000 violent hate crime attacks involving firearms occur each year, and many more go unreported or misreported because of stigma and variance in state hate crime protections.
Since 2015, hate crimes have become more numerous and more violent, the vast majority of which target communities of color, ethnic and religious minorities, and LGBTQ people.
From the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting to attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions across the country, our community has experienced historic levels of bias-motivated violence. No metric can adequately capture the pain or loss our communities have suffered.
We must work together to demand our elected officials put a stop to the tragic drumbeat of gun violence, white supremacy, and hate afflicting our nation.
Our country’s weak gun laws are riddled with loopholes, but Congress continues to fail to pass even the most common-sense reforms to reduce gun violence.
We need Congress to
mandate background checks for all gun sales,
ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,
close the boyfriend loophole to prevent dating violence perpetrators from accessing guns, and
prohibit individuals with a history of hate-motivated criminal conduct from accessing guns, among other gun safety laws.
We also need to alter policing practices to put a stop to the oppression of communities of color and the lack of accountability among the police that perpetrate violence.
These reforms, which a majority of Americans support, will save lives and build safer families and communities.