Jewish Communities in Rockland Receive Active Attack Training to Prepare for a Changing World

Jewish communities in Rockland are receiving free active attack training for children and teens from the Ramapo Police Department after the disturbing hostage incident in Texas.

"We're getting a lot more requests to do these classes with different places of worship and schools," said Officer Daniel Lynch of the Ramapo Police Department.

Lynch continued to explain that during an attack you lose your ability to think, but if you prepare beforehand it is more likely that you will make the right decisions and act quicker. 

The rabbi of the Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern, Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, invited Ramapo Police to conduct a training exercise for his students to prepare them for a changing world.

"We have to do more to protect ourselves, protect the community," Gancz said.

Students in Suffern learned how to run, hide, or fight against potential threat. They also learned how to provide first aid care in case somebody does get hurt in an attack.

Following the lesson, a real practice, with blank gunshots, was conducted to help the students embody the concept.   

Although Gancz feared that this may cause anxiety in the children he said, “We need to do both -- education and also soothe and calm and protect our children. And as a faithful man of God, we know that God is standing right there behind us."