A Las Vegas rabbi has told how America’s gun issue is so divisive he would never deliver a sermon on the issue, despite some Jewish groups calling for tougher gun control.

Rabbi Malcolm Cohen, who grew up in Edgware before moving out to work at Vegas’s Temple Sinai shul, revealed some members of his own community had lost friends, while others were still waiting to hear the extent of injuries to people caught up in the horrific incident.

“I'm not calling for anything right now,” he told the JC. “I'm just trying to help people get through these initial days.

“I'm not in favour [of] the Reform movement I represent jumping in and talking about gun law right now.

“My congregation is very mixed politically. The reform movement do a lot of amazing work – but they should let the dust settle before jumping in on something like this.”

There would be sombre moments of reflection in this week's Succot services, he said, but the city's shocked residents are largely responding with “bravery and love”.

59 people died and hundreds more injured when gunman Stephen Paddock opened fire on crowds at a music festival from the 32nd floor of his hotel room, using dozens of weapons.

Rabbi Cohen, who lives with wife Sarah and their two children about 20 minutes away from where the incident took place, said: “At first the true scale of what happened wasn’t clear.

“I had just come into my house after building my Succah when my phone lit up with alerts about what was going on.

“I immediately phoned my parents and my wife's parents in London to say that we were safe. Then I sent a message to my congregation to say my phone would be on all night for anyone who needed to contact me.

“There were people from my congregation who were in the areas when it happened and some of our community has had friends who died or were injured.

“We have one congregant whose friend, a police officer on duty there, was killed. We've also got people with friends with kids in a dance team who were shot at.

“It's too early to say at this stage if anyone from the Jewish community is among those killed. As we speak more information is still coming in.”

Rabbi Cohen said “plenty” of members of his shul were gun owners – but he did not know how ownership of weapons within his community matched up with others.

“I do know there are plenty of gun owners in my congregation,” he said.

“I have had conversations about guns – but not from the pulpit. That's overtly political and it would split the shul down the middle.

“I don't own a gun and I don't know how to shoot one either. While it is foreign to me, there are plenty who do use guns in my shul.”

He decided to move to the area after receiving an advert for the job while still working at West London shul.

He had been among a team of ministers there, but relished the prospect of building his own congregation at the Reform movement shul in Vegas.

“Everyone knows their own version of Vegas – British people love coming over here,” he reasons.

“But there’s a lot to be said for being a clergy person in place like this. There are probably more problems compared to somewhere like north-west London.

“Things may take place that are against Jewish values – but I'm not doing them.

“And when people fall prey to them they need people like me.

“But overall I love Las Vegas and the people out here.

“Everyone should know that the people here are fantastic and they are responding with bravery and love to what has just taken place.”

He said despite the horror of the shooting, services at shul for Succot and Simchat Torah would still attempt to capture the joyous nature of both festivals – but he would be speaking to his 900-strong congregation about the killings.

“We are still going to celebrate the holiday,” said Rabbi Cohen. “But there will be moment when I will talk about the shooting.

“And where the particular choice of liturgy and songs and prayers that we make will reflect a slightly more sombre mood - even though we can't reject the holiday and what it brings.”