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Uncomfortable Questions for comfortable Krav Maga instructors
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
November 6, 2025, Israel
Back in 1987 "Uncomfortable Questions for Comfortable Jews", made many Jews feel uncomfortable.
Today there is a popular term, to think outside the box, for me that is still a relatively recent term. When I was growing up, I never heard that term. However, I did have a father who challenged me and I had a life journey that led me to ask questions and to challenge the accepted social norms of the Jewish community. As a result, I became an outsider. This has had a profound impact on my life, and as a result, on the lives of thousands of others.
Some background to my critique of Krav Maga. 1980's, Rabbi Meir Kahane, a great scholar and a great Jewish activist, has been fighting for unpopular Jewish causes for many years. The establishment is against him, that is the Jewish establishment, for he is shaking things up, he is asking very uncomfortable questions. He is asking why is it that we allow the Arab population of Israel to grow unchecked and risk a democratic end to the Jewish state? Why is it that for the sake of politics the Jews trapped in the Soviet Union are being ignored, swept under the carpet? Why is it that the Jews of America are losing their Jewish identity and the Jewish Establishment refuses to address the issue for fear of alienating some of its financial and political supporters? Why is it that poor and elderly Jews are left behind in "changing neighborhoods" subject to violent crime? These are all uncomfortable questions indeed, and it made many Jews very uncomfortable.
The reaction was, naturally, to shut up, ban, excommunicate, the whistle blower, there is no place for Truth in our society.
Uncomfortable questions can lead to two reactions; 1. Think about the matter deeply, perhaps I was wrong? Perhaps I need to reevaluate the way I was looking at this? This is the approach used by scientists or mathmagicians, trying to find a solution to a complex problem. The other option, 2. Shut down the person daring to ask such questions. Leave us alone! Go away! We do not wish to be challenged, we want to stay "inside the box" where it is safe and warm, and familiar. All heretics must die!
The Hegelian concept is you have your Thesis, your starting point, this represents the status quo, and then you are presented with your Antithesis, the Challenging question, the conflicting or opposing viewpoint. and then you arrive at the Synthesis, or the merging of ideas. The idea is that we progress through Challenge, Conflict, and Resolution. This is how we grow and progress. This is how IKI has developed over the years. If you look at our early videos and DVDs and compare them to our current ones, you will see the process quite clearly. We are very transparent.
Key to our Success
The key to our success? We learn from real cases, and we are open to questions, challenges, from all over the world. Of course there is a way to ask a question, a proper respectful way that will guarantee a receptive response. There are no gods in Krav Maga, there is no technique or instructor beyond question. As long as we breath, we should be learning.
A Jew was asked, why do you question everything? the answer? Why shouldn't we?
At IKI we have answers, but we always welcome questions. Questions are the path to growth.
Instructors, we need to be willing to face uncomfortable questions, we need to leave the comfort zone, our box, and go to unchartered territory. We must never be content. And I recall driving around New York with Prof. Arthur Cohen as he would point out to me places where violent crimes took place, things we would not think of, and he thought and taught outside the box. He would ask, what if...what if the guy had spikes on his arms, vaseline, silk sleeaves, big winter coat, on the stairs, how would you cope?
These are indeed uncomfortable questions, but we must ask them.
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
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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