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(New York, NY) – With more Jewish New Yorkers worried about their personal safety, a new gun club has opened chapters in the Big Apple. And, in a nod to one of the city’s great culinary institutions — it channels the classic bagel and shmear. Called “Lox and Loaded” the gun club’s name plays on the classic breakfast option, featuring cream cheese, smoked salmon, and a chewy bagel.
It’s a national gun club, and it offers firearms training — as well as delicious bagels. Coming at a time when anti-Israel sentiment is on the rise — amid the war in Gaza — tensions are high for Jewish New Yorkers. To be sure, at times anti-Israel protests have contained anti-Jewish messages, or sentiment. It was earlier this summer when the New York chapters opened — on Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk Counties — as well as up in Westchester County.
As for the rest of the country, there are now 1,000 members — with 15 chapters in ten states. Arizona, Florida, California, Illinois, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee and Massachusetts all have “Lox and Loaded” locations. Ira Friedman is a rep for the gun club. He says Lox and Loaded was born out of necessity following reported bomb threats against multiple New York synagogues, the Jewish High Holy Days, and the October 7th anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
It’s also worth noting the Jewish High Holy Days are just getting underway, with Rosh Hashanah beginning a 10-day period — leading up to Yom Kippur.
