12 March 14 • 2019
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“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

