THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Krav Maga was created in the early 1940s. At that time the world was living the World War II and in the region known today as Israel, there were 3 groups fighting for the protection of the Jewish community and for the independence of Israel: Haganah, Etzel and Lehi. The situation was not easy and the need to defend and create a national state for the Jewish people was becoming more serious and urgent. And it was in this context that the Krav Maga arose, when Imi began to teach his techniques and philosophy to the Haganá, even before the country`s independence.
After years of struggle, and according the decision of the League of Nations after World War I, the Balfour Declaration issued by the British government that managed the region and the UN resolution of November 29, 1947, Israel established itself as an Independent State in 1948 .Then the Tzahal – Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was created, which would be in charge of protecting the country and its population. At that time, the Krav Maga was examined, tested and adopted as the only philosophy of defense of the army, police, secret service and national security service of Israel, a fact that remains to this day.
The day after the declaration of independence, the neighboring Arab countries invaded the newly created State of Israel in an attempt to conquer the territory and expel the Jews who lived there. However, against all predictions, Israel emerges victorious from the war and reaffirms its place on the map.
The same happened in 1967, in the Six Day War, when Egypt, Syria and Jordan, with military support from other countries, decided to attack Israel. And again, to everyone’s surprise, Israel wins the war in only 6 days of battle and regains the city of Jerusalem. From this moment, Jerusalem – the capital of Israel, becomes again open to people of all beliefs and religions, attracting tourists from all corners of the world.
Three other Israeli cities also deserve attention when we talk about the Krav Maga`s history: Netanya, where Imi lived and taught Krav Maga; Tel Aviv, the country’s financial center and another city where Imi taught Krav Maga; and Rehovot, science center and the place where Grand Master Kobi was born.
In the 1980s, science began to gain prominence in the country. As examples of technologies developed in Israel, we can mention: cellular, Pendrive, Waze, ICQ, Viber, MobileEye, pills with cameras, cherry tomatoes, drip irrigation, sea water desalination, Intel Centrino and Pentium-4 processors, epilator electric, Babylon translator, artificial hand, Uzi submachine gun, ZIP compression, portable cardiac ultrasound, among many others.
Geographically, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. The country borders Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt, as well as the Mediterranean and Red Seas. It is a small country, with deserts, mountains, snow and beaches; and a population of just over 8 million people, most of them Jewish. The country`s official language is Hebrew and the currency, the New Shekel.
So we are talking about a historical and religious country, which contains thousands of years of human history. A country surrounded by enemies, but that does not let it disturb their values of democracy and freedom that carries with it. A country that today is a benchmark in security and technology for the whole world. A country small in size, but giant in meaning, values, strength and impact.