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Until It Happens to You
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
October 2, 2026, Israel
In Israel we are on a bit of a high. In just a few hours the Festival of Simchat Torah begins, and we remember how on this day, according to the Hebrew calendar, the tragic October 7th invasion and massacre took place three years ago yet this year we are celebrating a great deliverance from what could have been another major tragedy but thanks to the initiative, awareness and bravery of a few individuals, the tragedy was averted. Less than two days ago a plane carrying about 180 passengers and crew was nearly taken hostage, by a co-pilot, possibly assisted by some crew members. The plane would have crashed, possibly into downtown Tel Aviv, potentially killing thousands.
And yet the day was saved; there were many heroes.
The Little Girl who Need the Bathroom
There was the little girl who needed to use the bathroom and chose the toilet next to the cockpit. This aware little child grew up, like all of us, with war and terrorism. She is attuned to spotting danger. She heard sounds coming from the cockpit that gave her reason for concern, sounds of a struggle. Perhaps a little girl in another country would have dismissed it as nothing serious, but not an Israeli girl. Awareness; the key to self-defense. You do not need to be a black belt to save the day.
Enter the Mom
She yelled for her mother who was sound asleep. Every second mattered. Her mother came, she too was not a warrior and did not dare enter the cockpit on her own, so she yelled at the top of her lungs for her husband. He came forward, this is a Nation of Warriors, he is an insurance man by profession but today he was a counter-terror fighter. Soon he was joined by a plumber, and then by a dentist.
The Pilot
The heroic pilot had fought back against his attacker, who had shouted Allahu Akbar in an act of terrorism. As he was bleeding out and collapsing, he managed to unlock and open the door to the cockpit. Without this desperate act it would have been nearly impossible to enter the cockpit. The plane would have been under the complete control of the terrorist. (and perhaps his accomplices).
Enter the Plumber
The plumber came in and put the terrorist in a chokehold, but he needed help, he called for others who were already pushing to get in the narrow path. Once they managed to subdue the terrorist the plumber sat in the pilot's seat, took the controls and stabilized the plane, just seconds before it would have crashed. He had never been in cockpit before. The terrorist was tied up using the headphone wires the airline hands out. Improvisation.
Enter the Dentist
The pilot was bleeding badly, losing blood. He needed urgent medical care. The dentist managed to stop the bleeding and kept the pilot alive until they landed an hour later, at which point an ambulance arrived for him. He is now in stable condition.
Enter the Reserve Pilots
There were off-duty pilots on-board, they came in and despite the aircraft being badly damaged, they managed to fly it to safety and bring it down with a very smooth landing.
A terrible fate was prevented.
but there is other news today, for the first time in many years an execution was to take place of a woman, in the state of Tennessee, USA, and this too caught my attention. A woman by the name of Christa Pike committed a terrible brutal crime in 1995. She has been on death row ever since. Her execution did not work, despite two lethal injections this woman is still alive, but suffering, perhaps a little payback for the woman she tortured and killed.
While we celebrate our heroic deliverance in Israel others still suffer around the world. These events trouble me greatly. This is why I teach, this is why I never give up, despite the many obstacles in my way. This is more than a job, it is a calling, a mission from God.
The victim of this murderer was lured into a trap, a trap that a more experienced person would not have fallen for. Pike along with two friends lured Slemmer, the victim, to an isolated, abandoned steam plant. She was outnumbered. There she was attacked, tortured for an hour, cut alive, and brutally murdered. For this Pike justly received the death penalty.
Being able to defend yourself does not take years of martial arts training. One need not devote their entire lives to disciplined martial arts training. A system like ours can give you the tools for survival in a very short amount of time. and it is not all physical, it is not what most people think. None of the heroes in the Flydubai heroic defense were trained martial artists. Each one used the tools that they had, Awareness, their voices, teamwork, the wires from the headphones; improvisation.
I think of this girl who was murdered, the terror and fear she felt during the last hour of her life. She begged for her life, she pleaded, but the cruel girls took no pity.
Begging is not a Strategy
I do not see Krav Maga as a hobby, or as a sport, or even a proper martial art. Not our style, IKI Krav Maga, which is a new and unique form of self-defense based on my lifetime of training and research along with our dedicated instructors all over the world.
You will learn to think differently, like an Israeli who grew up with war and terrorism. You learn to become alert; you know what to look for. Beware of private meetings, or out of the way meetings. Avoid being outnumbered. Avoid danger before it finds you. Learn how to look for clues, learn to read body language. The difference between life and death, torture and getting home safely, is not years of training martial arts, body building and cross-fit training. You could be a little girl, an insurance salesman, a mom, a dentist or a plumber. Of course, all that training helps, but not everyone has that kind of time, ability, or inclination. IKI Krav Maga is for everyone!
There are countless stories of young people, woman in particular, who were murdered by "friends", sometimes over boyfriends, petty jealousy, and I know that everyone must train in Krav Maga. We can help you. We need to wake people up like the little girl woke up her sleeping mother on the plane. Time is of the essence; this is not a hobby.
Will my voice reach anyone?
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach to you
But my words like silent raindrops fell (Paul Simon)
Moshe Katz, 8th 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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