In May 2022, after learning that three fathers were stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist in Elad, Israel, I was so heartbroken I wrote a column titled 鈥淗ow are Jews Supposed to Respond to Terrorist Attacks?鈥� In it, I asked both a psychotherapist and a rabbi about how we are meant to process and respond to what seems like a constant stream of terrible news.听

These days, I still feel the need to keep up with heartbreaking news of terrorist attacks abroad and mass shootings in the United States, but as an Angeleno, I鈥檓 also thinking a lot about crime.听

I鈥檝e spoken with many local 91传媒 residents, especially women and mothers who had expressed anxiety over the increase in local crime in the last few years. By their own admission, several of them told me that they used to feel happier and safer, whether in or out of their homes, but now, they feel constantly anxious. Some of them are more observant 91传媒 women who have signs outside their homes that declare, 鈥淧rotected by Ribono Shel Olam Security Systems,鈥� referring to G-d, or more precisely, the 鈥淢aster of the World.” But these days, these women can鈥檛 escape a certain anxiety that renders them afraid of the world itself.听

They鈥檙e particularly afraid of robberies, and described how thieves have broken into their neighbors鈥� homes in broad daylight, or ran past them in the mall carrying stolen designer handbags while they and their families were shopping. One woman described how her neighbor was followed home in his car at sunset, then held at gunpoint and robbed as soon as he parked outside his driveway.

Given that the High Holy Days are just around the corner (cue even stronger security protocols), I believe it鈥檚 time to ask how Jews should respond to crime. And not just crime, but the nerve-wracking and seemingly never-ending alerts and news about crime. I immediately knew whom I needed to contact for matters related to Judaism and safety: Rabbi Yossi Eilfort, president and founder of Magen Am.

Magen Am is the only 91传媒, nonprofit organization 鈥渓icensed to provide physical, armed security services on the West Coast,鈥� according to its website (it currently operates in Los Angeles and Phoenix).

I asked Eilfort if Jews are meant to believe that there is deeper meaning to be found in distressing news, including news about crime. 鈥淓verything we see is supposed to be a lesson to us,鈥� he said.听

When I asked Eilfort how Jews should respond to crime and robberies, he first described what he perceived as growing lawlessness in the United States: 鈥淚n the last decade,鈥� he said, 鈥渢he attitude in this country hasn鈥檛 been pro-law enforcement. So there鈥檚 a lack of respect for the law, and in some cases, it鈥檚 outright oppositional. Now, people feel like they鈥檙e entitled to break the law and get away with it.鈥�听

Judaism has a built-in response to this shift in attitude, said Eilfort. In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers) 3:2, Rabbi Chanina is famously credited with saying, 鈥淧ray for the welfare of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.鈥� Something tells me the thug who robbed a man at gunpoint in the late afternoon outside his home didn鈥檛 fear much.

Eilfort repeatedly stressed that from a 91传媒 perspective, we need to be respectful of law and order. Long before the Ten Commandments, one of the seven Noahide Laws obligated humans to establish courts, in order to honor the rule of law and justice. He then offered two lenses with which Jews should respond to crime 鈥� one personal, and the other practical.听

鈥淎s a Chabadnik and Hasid (a follower of Hassidism), I believe that we should not walk around afraid,鈥� Eilfort said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not good for you, your health or your spirituality.鈥� He described placing a Post-It note on his computer with one simple word: bitachon, traditionally translated as 鈥渢rust.鈥� But he pointed to the Hebrew translation of Israel鈥檚 Ministry of Defense, 鈥淢israd HaBitachon.鈥� While many Jews believe that bitachon means trust in G-d, Eilfort stressed that bitachon actually means 鈥渟ecurity,鈥� hence Israel鈥檚 Ministry of Defense/Security.

鈥淚t鈥檚 no coincidence that trust in G-d and security are the same word,鈥� said Eilfort. 鈥淚 trust G-d to take care of my security, and I will do my own part to take care of my security, so I don鈥檛 need to fear people.鈥� In contemplating this, Eilfort was reminded of two insights that the father of the Baal Shem Tov, the 18th-century founder of Hasidic Judaism, taught his son: First, love every Jew, and second, fear nothing but G-d.

But trust must exist alongside action. In addition to a spiritual lens, Eilfort also offered practical advice about responding to crime. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not supposed to be afraid,鈥� said Eilfort. 鈥淎nd from a security standpoint, if we鈥檙e constantly afraid, we鈥檙e not doing it [security] right. We should be prepared, including having the right kind of training鈥� (Magen Am offers various community training courses, including how to operate firearms, as well as classes on situational awareness and conflict resolution). 鈥淚鈥檝e got my gear and my training,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that nothing is going to happen to me. That鈥檚 99% of the battle.鈥� Eilfort also urged the importance of locking doors and installing lights and cameras outside. 鈥淏e responsible with your safety,鈥� he said.听

I asked Eilfort if Jews are meant to believe that there is deeper meaning to be found in distressing news, including news about crime. 鈥淓verything we see is supposed to be a lesson to us,鈥� he said. But, according to Eilfort, there are two approaches to dealing with problems: The first consists of mere complaining, but the second attempts to solve the problem. 鈥淲hat can I do to try to make this better?鈥� he asked. 鈥淥ur mission in Magen Am isn鈥檛 simply to tell people there鈥檚 antisemitism, but to prepare Jews for it. We can鈥檛 control if they [antisemites] want to hurt us, but if they want to hurt us, we have to make it hard for them.鈥�

The 91传媒 High Holy Days are perfectly designed to help us identify areas in our lives that need extra care and attention, and to be solution-oriented. Complaining about our lives isn鈥檛 enough.

Eilfort offered me an important reminder: We can still complain about crime, if our complaints are paired with action. I didn鈥檛 know how much I needed this reminder, whether with regards to crimes committed by others, or on a gentler level, mistakes I have made with my own actions in the past year. The 91传媒 High Holy Days are perfectly designed to help us identify areas in our lives that need extra care and attention, and to be solution-oriented. Complaining about our lives isn鈥檛 enough.

This Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I hope to stand in a synagogue pew and, perhaps for the first time, breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that bitachon in G-d includes more than trust, because its literal definition is 鈥渟ecurity.鈥� And I know I鈥檒l be grateful for both the divine bitachon that emanates from above, as well as the tireless security guards and well-planned safety measures that aim to protect us here on earth.听

But since I also know myself better than anyone, you can bet that despite standing in that synagogue pew next week and expressing real gratitude, I鈥檒l also be sure to add a few temporary bouts of complaining.听

For more information about Magen Am, visit

Tabby Refael is an award-winning writer, speaker and weekly columnist for The 91传媒 Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Follow her on X and Instagram @tabbyrefael.com