An East Brunswick man is arranging visits in Israel with members of a team that trains Israelis in small towns and kibbutzim to respond quickly to terrorist attacks.

Jack Stroh, the Israel action chair for the Young Israel of East Brunswick, brought 23 members of his synagogue to Israel during Passover to view the work of Magen Yehuda, which describes itself as Israel's first and only tactical response training team.

At its training bases, which are provided by the Israel Defense Forces, the visitors saw demonstration training drills led by former IDF members and others.

Stroh is planning another trip in October, coinciding with the Sukkot holiday. This time he is opening it to the entire Middlesex community.

The group will get a chance to see a live drill exercise of rapid responders and take target practice with M-16 rifles at the group's central base outside Efrat on Oct. 1. Transportation from Jerusalem will be available.

"It was fascinating," said Stroh of the previous trip. "We learned how to fire M-16s. They took us to their firing range where they have dummies, some of whom are supposed to be civilians and some of whom are terrorists. Some might be women. How do you know which is which?"

The Young Israel members learned some techniques for distinguishing friend from foe, what to do if a terrorist enters a home or building, and how to make split-second decisions that could save lives in an enemy attack.

Stroh said he had been contacted by Yisrael Margolin, a former Highland Park resident who made aliya in 2000 and who helped to found Magen Yehuda in 2004. Margolin now serves as its director.

Margolin, reached in Israel by e-mail, said the idea to create volunteer teams to counter terrorist infiltrations came from the IDF itself. There are now 320 such teams all over Israel that have been trained by Magen Yehuda, which means "shield of Judea."

"The IDF, however, did not and still does not have the budget and manpower to do the training, so Magen Yehuda was created as a nonprofit by a mother who lost her son in battle and wanted to create something to help prevent other losses," wrote Margolin, a former member of congregations Ohav Emeth and Ahavas Achim in Highland Park.

Margolin noted there have been more than 40 terrorist infiltrations since 2001. He said the organization's two security chiefs are former IDF officers. The units are given basic equipment — like targets and bullets — by the IDF when funds are available. All training is planned and approved by the military. "We have given these civilians the skills and confidence to use if the terrorists enter their communities," he said. "Unfortunately, our training has been put to the test with great results for our side."

Margolin said groups of American Jews frequently visit Magen Yehuda "to see if it is a wise philanthropic investment for them." Stroh was the first person from central New Jersey to bring such a group.