Members of Williamsburg’s Jewish community tried to take their safety into their own hands on Monday, as they attended axe-throwing self-defence classes in New York City, in the wake of the recent deadly anti-Semitic shooting in Jersey City.

The classes are led by former NYPD officer and martial arts expert Gary Moskowitz, known as ‘Rabbi Sensei,’ and are designed to teach attendees how to handle a variety of weapons, including axes and spears, as well as how to respond to physical attacks and protect themselves.

Moskowitz explained that his motivation to start the classes was the rise in anti-Semitic attacks, stating that “Synagogues have Nazi swastikas painted on it here, people are cursing at us because we a Jewish, people punch us. Then it goes to terror where people shoot at us and try to kill our children.”

The 62-year-old reportedly started the ‘counter-terrorism’ class for the Orthodox community in wake of the kosher market attack in where four people were killed in Jersey City on December 10.