(JTA) – Remi Franklin thought about his two communities and realized there could be a match: His pals at the gym might want to volunteer to walk with Los Angeles-area Jews who were fearful of attending services on Shabbat following attacks on Jews in the city during the latest Israel-Hamas war. The Los Angeles Times interviewed Franklin on Saturday, May 22, while he was greeting congregants at an Orthodox synagogue and asking them if they wanted a walk home. Franklin, a jiujitsu practitioner who is coordinating his volunteer effort with Magen Am, a security service for the Jewish community, told the Times a lot of friends signed up. He said his effort has recruited Jews and non-Jews, including practitioners of jiujitsu, boxing and mixed martial arts. “We have ladies who are former dancers and gymnasts,” he told the Times.

Last week, pro-Palestinian attackers threw punches and bottles at diners at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. Among the volunteers Franklin recruited was Jonathan Lipnicki, who starred as a child in “Jerry Maguire” and is now a Brazilian jiujitsu black belt. He said he attends Shabbat dinners hosted by Franklin. “It’s a scary time for the Jewish community,” Lipnicki, who is Jewish, told the Times.

Main Photo: In this aerial image, vehicles drive on the 110 Freeway approaching downtown Los Angeles, May 12, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)