In Need of a Jewish Warrior

The year was 1987 when the Intifada started.  Just after few months after I had joined a Jerusalem judo club, our instructor, Dr. Yosi Lev, told us he was going to make a change in our practice sessions: we would now divide our classes between judo and krav maga ("contact combat").  "As a person who has gone through some wars in this country,” he explained, “I can tell you that these riots we are experiencing right now are not going to disappear quickly. The streets in Israel are going to be much less safe, and I want you to be equipped with a martial art more practical than judo."

We all respected our instructor.  Dr. Lev was a man who was struck with polio as a young child, a disease that left him paralyzed in both his legs.  With a will of iron, he overcame his paralysis, studied judo, and became one of the founders of the sport in Israel.  He holds a fifth dan in judo, a very high grade of black belt, and is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of martial arts for the disabled.  Dr. Lev studied judo, Jujutsu, and street self-defense under Denis Hanover, one of the most important figures in the development of what is now known as krav maga.