NEW JERSEY — Rabbi Raziel Cohen, widely known as the “Tactical Rabbi,” has been nominated for a Gundie Award, placing the 28-year-old firearms instructor among the finalists for one of the shooting community’s top honors. His nomination was first reported by the New York Post.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Cohen, who founded the National Defensive Firearms Academy, is up for Firearms Instructor of the Year. He told the Post the recognition came as an unexpected milestone after more than a decade of firearms training and certifications from national organizations.
An ordained Orthodox rabbi, Cohen often shifts between traditional Jewish attire and tactical gear — something he said regularly surprises people. “I’m not usually what they expect,” he told the Post.
Cohen said interest in training has surged within Jewish communities, especially following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights and heightened concerns about antisemitic violence after Oct. 7. He estimates he has trained thousands of students in recent years.
The Post previously reported that Cohen designed a modified kapote — the long coat worn by many observant Jewish men — that discreetly accommodates a concealed firearm for synagogue security.
The Gundie Awards will take place next month at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas. Cohen said he plans to keep the trip simple: “Wake up, pray, and go straight to the event,” he told the Post.
As for whether he’ll win, Cohen said the outcome isn’t up to him. “It’s whatever G-d decides,” he said.
Exactly as it should be.
MT!
several shuls that I frequent in Israel, I have seen men openly bringing machine guns. Some leave them strapped on their shoulder and some just put it on the floor where they sit.
guess USA is different.
A 16 oz. hammer to an AR 14 lower receiver? Thee is nothing in there to hammer. Is he trying to destroy it?
A jew should not be into guns. I know what if a terrorist comes. Trust me the chnace of you stopping him is so slim and the chance of his coming is thin too. A gun is for esav not a jewish thing. (Israel is another story where muslims are all over and even then its not really what we aspire, its just a necessity)