12 March 14 • 2019 jn continued from page 10 “We know saving a life supersedes all the laws of Shabbat, and we know that carrying a gun to synagogue may seem like a contradiction.” — RABBI AARON STARR jews d in the houses of worship that allow certain members to carry, but I cannot disclose which ones they are, ” Sikorski said. “In most cases, they are retired first responders or law enforcement profes- sionals but, for obvious reasons, a syn- agogue is not going to widely advertise whether or not they allow it. ” GUNS AND HALACHAH Rabbi Aaron Starr of Congregation Shaarey Zedek of Southfield will be addressing the topic of the permis- sibility of carrying a gun on Shabbat during a session he will teach at Limmud, an annual community day of Jewish learning on March 31 at the Jewish Community Center (limmudmichigan.org). On the issue of whether Jewish licensed gun owners should carry a gun to ser- vices on Shabbat, he said Michigan state law leaves it up to the individual discrepancy of the clergy or board. Just because a person is a licensed gun owner does not qualify him or her to be a first line of defense in case an attack happens on a Saturday morning, he said. “We know saving a life supersedes all the laws of Shabbat, and we know that carrying a gun to synagogue may seem like a contradiction,” Starr said, adding that he and his board members have been approached by congregants as to whether they may carry a weap- on with them, just as this request is being made at every synagogue in the area, he says. Starr would not say whether con- gregants were granted permission to carry, but there are professional securi- ty guards in the building at all times. Rabbi Yechiel Morris of Young Israel of Southfield said there had been a security plan and team in place years before the Pittsburgh shooting. There are a select few congregants who are retired first responders who the congregation board has granted per- mission to carry. Other than that, he said no one is allowed to enter the synagogue carrying a gun. “We don’ t want some cowboy coming in here causing more harm than good in an emergency situation,” Morris said. “If a person insisted on carrying a weapon, they would have to show documentation they are certified. Though we cannot divulge specifics, we have layers of security in place as we have worked with Gary (Sikorski) as well as the Southfield Police. We are confident in the security plan we have in place.” As far as keeping phones at one’ s side — either completely off or turned on only to be used in emergency, Morris said in the past few months the Orthodox Union and the Young Israel rabbinical council have had conference calls and meetings taking halachah into consideration. “Halachah can be flexible when it comes to safety and security,” Morris said. “If authorities need to be con- tacted on Shabbat, we have the means to do so. Unfortunately, [guns and increased anti-Semitism] are the real- ity we have to live with, but we cannot be scared. You take the necessary security measures, then, you have to live your life.” Young Israel of Oak Park member Dr. David Ungar believes in the ele- ment of surprise when it comes to security. For that reason, he is fine about fellow congregants carrying during services, but only the rabbi should know who is armed. “If someone is car- rying, I would rather not know about it, ” said Ungar, whose par- ents were Holocaust survivors who lived in countries where citizens were not allowed to own weapons. “Having armed uniformed guards adds an expense to the synagogue and it is most likely that they would be the first targets for a shooter. The only deterrent to a mass shooter would be the element of surprise in the worst scenario. There are people who are dead set to get us, and we cannot put our head in the sand. We have to be prepared. ” Dr. Marc Borovoy of West Bloomfield has been active in formu- lating The Shul’ s security procedures. Though The Shul would not disclose specific security mea- sures or whether they allow members to carry guns, anonymous sourc- es have observed several congregants who wear communications ear pieces during services. “We take our security efforts very seriously and have vetted our security team, ” Borovoy said. “Our diligent security team is prepared to minimize any potential harm that could befall our congregants but, because of that, we cannot fully disclose our procedures. “In private talks, we have trained and educated congregants and have taken the Federation’ s best practice proce- dures into account to not only secure the synagogue but also other buildings on our campus. ” Temple Shir Shalom Executive Director Brian Fishman said outside of armed, professional security guards in the building during Shabbat services, the temple does not permit members with CPLs to carry guns outside of a few exceptions. Shir Shalom has hired additional uniformed and plain-clothed security officers and has upgraded its security doors, which are locked at all times except during services. “My answer is going to be, with extremely limited exceptions [already known to the police] our members are not allowed to carry guns into services, ” Fishman said. “If the unthinkable happens and the police arrive, they are going to shoot at anyone holding a gun. This is not a scenario we would like to unfold, and we leave our security in the hands of our trained professionals. To me, it is even a tragedy that we have to have this conversation. ” ■ Rabbi Aaron Starr Rabbi Yechiel Morris Dr. Marc Borovoy Dr. David Ungar Young Israel of Oak Park Hires New Spiritual Leader After a year-long search, Young Israel of Oak Park has hired Rabbi Shaya Katz to replace Rabbi Michael Cohen, who finished his duties at the synagogue last July. Katz is executive director of the Kansas City Community Kollel and associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel Abraham Voliner in Overland Park, Kan. He will join YIOP in July with his wife, Rikki, and their three children: son, Dovi, 4; daughter, Elka, 2; and son, Asher, 4 months. “After nearly a year of vetting candidates, Young Israel was fortu- nate to find a young, dynamic rabbi whose passion for community and Torah values aligned with YIOP’ s modern, centrist values within the framework of an Orthodox Jewish shul,” said David Barth, YIOP’ s president. “We look forward to wel- coming him and his young family to our community this summer.” A native of Baltimore, Katz is a graduate of Yeshiva University in New York where he earned both a B.A. in sociology and a mas- ter’ s degree in social work. He received his ordination from YU’ s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In a statement, Rabbi Ronald Schwarczberg of YU said Katz was one of the “budding stars” who has come from YU in the last few years. Rabbi Shaya Katz & family