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Loss of Innocence
BY MOSHE KATZ
CEO
ISRAELI KRAV INTERNATIONAL
December 24, 2024, Israel
My personal "loss of Innocence" dates back to seeing this photo in 1967. (Warsaw Ghetto) Since then, nothing shocks me.
An innocent comment from a friend whom I never met but with whom I share a name. She commented about October 7, 2023, the date of the great Arab massacre against our people and spoke of the "loss of Innocence".
I responded with a question mark, as in... how could a Jew be so "innocent" given our history?
For me that day marked no change, no change of "conception", no change of world outlook, my only surprise was how deeply our military and political geniuses fell asleep, for me there was no loss of innocence, I never put my faith in frail fickle human beings. And I wrote to her that if there was a loss of innocence for me, it happened long ago...very long ago. And here I shall elaborate.
I was born in the USA, a great country of which I am very proud, but I have always known that I am a Jew and that our true home is in Israel. In 1967 my parents decided it was time to move to Israel, or as we say, to return home, for that is the true home of every Jew. No matter how much we may love our host country, and Jews have always been known as being very loyal and patriotic to their host countries, our true home is in Israel, only in Israel. So we packed up our bags and went home to the land of our ancestors.
I recall our arrival vividly, a new country, a new language, a new way of life. Israel in the 1960's was very different from today, there were no American conveniences. We had to adjust to new foods. Our Yemenite housekeeper taught my mother to make Shakshuka, pita and humus became my favorite food. But there was more, much more. I can trace my "Loss of Innocence" to a particular day, it was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust and Heroes Memorial Day, 1967. All the children were very somber, and very sad, but I did not understand.
On that day other little boys, aged 6 years old, enlightened me. Granted my education that day was crude and simplified, but it sparked a lifelong quest to study the causes of Jew hatred, and to arm myself with protection. You might say my destiny as a Krav Maga instructor was born that day.
The boys of my class explained that ...just a few years ago there was an evil man, and he hated us very much, and he wished to kill us all, the Jewish people, and the entire world stood by and did nothing (not fully accurate but not too far off). The entire world hates us and wants us dead. And that is what we mark today.
I was shocked.
Please note that this was only a few months after all our Arab neighbors, once again, attacked us in a War of Annihilation! i.e. the goal of finishing what Hitler started.
Under these circumstances my education began. My path of life had begun...
We were taken to see movies, in horrible cold dark, cramped old fashioned auditoriums, there was no introduction, at least none that I understood, and then the films ran, skeletons, some alive, some dead, piles of dead emaciated bodies, gas chambers, and the most horrific was a helpless little boy with his arms up and a German soldier pointed a rifle at him. and I was told that is you! For if you were there, that would have been you.
That was my loss of innocence. On that day in 1967 my worldview was formed. Years later I would hear the slogan Never Again. and this would be my life. Since then, nothing has shocked me. In fact, it has been the opposite.
Rabbi Meir Kahane may the memory of the Righteous be for a blessing, (He was murdered by an Arab in New York City and the killer was not convicted, proving his life point), said to us, I am not shocked at the behavior of our enemies, I am shocked at Jews who are constantly shocked.
And so it is, the events of October 7 did not shock me, I was only shocked by the fact that so many Jews were shocked.
I said, for me it has been the opposite. For me when I discover how many non-Jews actually care so deeply for us, I am constantly pleasantly surprised. I can no longer be disappointed. For me life is full of pleasant surprises. As always, I am reading a book about the Holocaust, I have read hundreds, and I am learning of how much the Italians did to save and rescue Jews. Every discovery is a delightful experience. Yes, it is true that most of the world did not care, we cannot accept the lies of the ordinary people of these countries that they did not know, they simply did not care, or did not care enough, but there were many great heroes among the Gentiles who risked everything to save Jews. I have written blogs praising Nazis, yes Nazis, who saved Jews, and there were such people! The Holocaust is a complex story with many villains and heroes, in many countries, this is not the place to recount them as the stories fill many volumes, from Sweden to Japan, from Germany to Spain, there were many righteous gentiles. For this, for these people, we are eternally grateful.
Nonetheless, my worldview is one of Distrust. History is a cruel teacher, and I have learned the lessons.
Innocence? I was 17 years old when I heard Rabbi Meir Kahane speak. He spoke of the Arab pogroms against the Jews, in Hebron in 1929. We saw photos of dismembered bodies, women violated, eyes gouged and limbs cut off, bellies of pregnant women cut open. This was 1929, not 2023. And the rabbi spoke, This is the Arabs doing then what they will do now, if we allow them. On October 7, 2023, we allowed them. Our leadership is guilty of being "innocent", there is no excuse for this behavior.
I did not lose my innocence on October 7, 2023, I lost it many years earlier, as a young child, and the lessons have only been reenforced since then.
I have not been silent, but I have become discouraged. For many years I was an activist on college campuses, I continued as a volunteer after I was graduated. I became a Krav Maga instructor and taught at over 120 college campuses, and now I head an organization that stretches over 40 countries worldwide, but it is not enough. People are not waking up (in the correct sense of the word), people prefer....Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am, I'm only sleeping.
Rabbi Kahane said, I am shocked at Jews who are constantly shocked, but I personally, sadly, am no longer shocked. Innocence in this world? No.
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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