Is it War?
By Moshe Katz
CEO
Israeli Krav International

September 30, 2014, Maaleh Adumim, Israel

I  returned home to Israel after a month teaching Krav Maga abroad. When I am on the road I try not to follow Israeli news too closely. Sometimes I just need a break and I must do my job.

So I come home and ask, Is the war over?

It is a silly question because we all know that in fact the war is never over. We just have little breaks in between enemy attacks. So now it is quiet again, relatively speaking, and now we can use the Biblical phrase...and the land rested for .....lets hope a long time. But we know it is only a rest.

And yet despite it all we are really quite safe.  Yes, foreign governments issued travel advisory warnings telling people not to come here, and yes, most foreign airlines cancelled their flights. But no, it was truly not dangerous.

This is not due to the enemies desires, oh no, they did try their best. But we are just better than they are, better trained and smarter. Yes, the UN and many foreign nations criticized us heavily for having a disproportionate "low casualty rate", this greatly upset them as being "unfair". They seem to have forgotten our casualty rate during World War Two before we had the State of Israel. We before the odds now.

But now all is quiet. For the moment.

Shortly after leaving on tour I arrived in Puerto Rico. During my first weekend there were 6 murders in San Juan. During our entire war here there were 2 civilian deaths, and one was at the border handing out gifts to the soldiers.

So where is the real war? And where is the real danger?

In July I was in South Africa. I will let Alan Mann do the speaking for me. Here is a letter he recently sent me about the "war" over there. But is it a war? Well, people are being killed, many more than in our wars in Israel, so perhaps it is as he calls it, a slow war. The effects are the same.

"Hi Moshe,  Just some more info from RSA.   I think we have more of these deaths than you do . . . . and you are in a war.   Well we are in one too – but it is called a slow war . . no one realizes it is taking place while more &more people die.   Best regards,   Alan.    

Geagte vriende, Dear Friends,  

En dan is daar nog mense wat wonder en vra hoekom daar optogte teen die moorde gehou word . And are there more people that wonder and ask why there are no follow ups against these murders.  

Besef net baie mooi.  U of een van u familie lede kan môre die volgende slagoffer wees ! Realize this very well. You or any of your family members could be the next victim.  

Groete Greetings,  


Sent: 22 September 2014 04:39 PMS
Subject: VOLKSMOORD STATS    

23 Name... in 21 Dae... Dit is hoe September 2014 verloop! Tot dusver die bloedigste maand die jaar naas Maart toe ons ook 23 van ons mense begrawe het. 23 Names.. in 21 days...That is how September 2014 ran! Until now the bloodiest month this year next to Markh when we also buried 23 of our people.  

Ek kan nie vir julle vertel wat dit aan my doen en hoe ek hier diep in my binneste hieroor voel nie... I cannot express what this does to me and how deeply I feel about this...

September 2014:  (deur Sunette Bridges ) •Nico Lens (56) Paulpietersburg – Shot dead. 
•Marsha Lens (53) Paulpietersburg – Shot dead. 
•Nelmarnie Coetzee (55) Bloemfontein – Raped and tortured to death. 
•Erns Boller (74) Meerensee – Tortured and set alight
•Lilo Boller (86) Meerensee - Tortured and set alight.
•Nicolene Hamman (34) Harding – Tortured and set alight. 
•Kerridge Singleton (64) Meerensee – Stabbed to death. 
•Les Snyman (58) Knysna – Murdered. 
•Elderly Man (86) Pinetown – Shot dead. 
•John de Lange (53) George – Stabbed to death. 
•Cornelius Oosthuizen (47) George – Stabbed to death. 
•Dries Lombard (64) Amanzimtoti – Stabbed to death. 
•Mr. De Freitas (88) Linnmeyer – Bludgeoned to death. 
•Shaun Pienaar (25) Johannesburg – Shot dead. 
•Helmut Wohlfarter (73) Bonnivale – Hacked to death. 
•Kobus Scholtz () Stella – Bludgeoned to death. 
•Ron Wiggett (76) Great Brak – Stabbed to death. 
•Sarel Janse van Rensburg (76) Tonteldoos – Tortured to death. 
•Tjaart Booyens (76) Dunnottar – Shot dead. 
•Rose Howard (86) Craighall Park – Raped and murdered. 
•Virgil Pappas (45) Muldersdrift – Shot dead. 
•Vicky le Roux (17) Algoa Park – Shot dead. ...hoeveel gaan ons nog verduur... Sx ... how much (more) are we going to experience...   Sx.  

Warriors; there will always be trouble and we must always be prepared. When the going gets tough the tough get going, no matter the age. Always prepared. Alan, Moshe and Shai, school of counter-terrorism, Israel.

So yes, there are troubles everywhere. If we call it a war everyone panics. But if it is a slow war, yet more people die then it draws much less attention.

Israel remains the safest country in the Middle East, and probably one of the safest places in the world.

I know I feel safe here.

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