Should the State of Israel pursue Krav Maga as an intangible cultural heritage of the Jewish people? History and politics say yes.

Guy Mor^a ; Andrea Molle^b

aPh.D., Israeli College of Sport guy@ics.org.il
bAssistant Professor of Political Science and Research Associate, Institute for the Study of Religion, Economics and Society molle@chapman.edu

Abstract

Krav Maga (‘contact combat’) is an Israeli combat discipline arguably one of the many intangible cultural heritages of Israel and the Jewish people. It has played a unique role in the (re)creation and preservation of the Jewish identity and the formation of the state of Israel.

Recently we observe a growing academic literature debating the role of martial arts in international affairs and domestic political processes. It is the scope of this paper to contribute to this proposing a framework for understanding Krav-Maga as a means of cultural diplomacy as seen in other nations.

Keywords:

Krav-Maga, cultural diplomacy, martial arts, self-defense

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