GYMS IN ISRAEL that teach krav maga, an Israeli martial art, have seen enrolment soar following Hamas’s terror attacks on October 7th. Training in krav maga is up in other countries, too. Many of the new krav maga enthusiasts around the world are non-Jews, so media warnings about rising antisemitism are not the only explanation. Strong pro-Israeli feelings among some people are also playing a role. What is krav maga, and why has it become both popular and political?
Krav maga means “contact combat” in Hebrew. European Jews developed the fighting system in the 1930s to defend themselves in pogroms and from bullying by antisemites. Krav maga draws from a variety of older martial arts, including judo, karate and muay thai. But it also teaches how to parry modern threats. Students learn, for example, how to maintain control of a car if they are attacked by a passenger. In the 1950s the new Israeli state’s army adopted and refined krav maga. Today’s Israel Defence Forces (IDF) trains all recruits in the discipline. With military service obligatory for young citizens, krav maga has become strongly associated with Israeli culture.
