Moshe Katz Update and clarification 2026
BY MOSHE KATZ 
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL

August 3, 2026, South Africa

The value of an instructor is measured only by his ability to teach and pass on valuable useful knowledge.

We present these ranks and awards only as a means of establishing background, credibility and legitimate accreditation. 

All ranks and awards can be verified at the source! 

I have written the words above on my Ranks and Accreditation page as a statement that ranks, diplomas, paper, are not the ultimate measure of an instructor or black belt. What truly matters, the only thing that really counts, is whether or not you can you teach and pass on legitimate valuable information that will save and impact lives. I have been in this field for many decades and have seen more fake diplomas and illegitimate teaching methods than I have seen proper ones. As the old adage says, Buyer beware! Always check out an instructor before you sign up. Thus I present my ranks, accreditation and awards, not as a means of self-glorification but as a transparency method for students to verify that I am what I present myself as. 

I see myself as an instructor but also as a student, a Krav Maga self defense researcher, and mostly as a seeker of truth in all ways. Our bottom line at IKI, Israeli Krav International, is to save lives. 

I want to address here two questions that came up last night, I was asked, am I an American or an Israeli? and, who promotes me, who awarded me my 8th dan in Krav Maga?

I shall answer, first, about the rank. My Krav Maga ranks from Orange belt through fourth dan black belt were awarded to me over a period of more than 18 years of daily training by my teacher Itay Gil. I trained several days a week, 3 lessons per day. I also trained with many internationally recognized experts, see Martial Arts Leaders. 

At this point Itay stopped issuing ranks and was no longer actively running a dojo. My further ranks were all awarded by recognized and respected long-established international organizations. As IKI is a new evolution of self-defense, a new and more progressive form of Krav Maga, there is no longer anyone who can promote me in my own system. It is our creation, myself and our instructors all over the world and our dedicated team of Israeli expert IKI instructors. Thus I view my promotions of 5-8th dan, (degree, level) as Awards of Recogntion. After many years, and much investigation by these international boards, I have been awarded these ranks. These are boards consisting of the world's top internationally respected experts. My most recent ranks come from MAA-i Martial Arts Association International. This is the world's premier organization, devoid of politics, and operating in more than 120 countries worldwide. I was awarded my most recent rank after more than 40 years of active martial arts training and more than 20 years teaching around the world. Last February in Mexico I was recognized for having acheived the milestone of over 1,000 international seminars outside of Israel, my home country. And thus we move on the second question.

What am I? American? Israeli?

I am both. 

I was born in the USA. I am a Jew. 

I was born in the USA to parents who were both born in the USA to families that immigrated from Eastern Europe; Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Hungary, Romania.

I was born in the great state of Ohio, in the most truly democratic country on earth, the United States of America, of which I remain a proud tax-paying citizen. At a young age, together with my parents, I fulfilled the Biblical command “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you."  (Genesis, Chapter 12)

I reside in Israel and I will stay in Israel for eternity, but I do travel frequently to help people learn to defend themselves in the best possible way. My home is in the Judean desert, “This is My resting place forever and ever; here I will dwell, for I have desired this home." (Psalms 132,14)

I generally return to the USA twice each year to teach, and visit family and friends. In my seminars I often use analogies derived from the wisdom of baseball, and from violent street encounters in Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Florida, places I have lived for a considerable amount of time, in my younger years. 

My English is American. Culturally I am a mixture of Israeli and American, my faith is the one God as experienced by Abraham and passed down through the generations.

My Krav Maga is a result of my belief in the pursuit of Truth, our life goal of constant challenge and improvement, and the obligation to assist others. 

I believe in community as outlined by Moshe (Moses) וַיַּקְהֵל—Hebrew for "and he assembled," or "and he gathered" i.e.. he created a community of shared values, in the Book of Exodus. 

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Moshe Katz, 7th dan Black Belt, Israeli Krav Maga. Certified by Wingate Institute. Member Black Belt Hall of fame, USA and Europe.

Understand the Israeli Fighting Mentality - Israel a Nation of Warriors by Moshe Katz

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What is the cultural background of Krav Maga?  What makes it unique? What makes the Israeli military so effective? Why are Israeli security systems used all over the world?

What are the Biblical origins of Krav Maga and who was the first Krav Maga instructor?

What weapons and military strategies did our Biblical ancestors use?

How has Krav Maga developed in Israel and what are its goals?

All that and more in this unique book.

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