In the Purim story, the evil person Haman set out to destroy the Jews. Sadly, in every age there are those who seek to hurt the Jewish people. In the face of rising antisemitism in the 1930’s Imi Lichtenfeld developed the sport of Krav Maga, a combination of self-defense and martial arts. This program is designed to teach some basic self-defense and relate it to Israel, as this is where Krav Maga became an institution. Including this as a part of the Purim celebration allows you to do something active and think about the big picture of the Jew’s need to defend themselves against someone out to hurt them.

MATERIALS:

• Space to practice 
• Instructor 
• Source sheet on Krav Maga. Krav Maga and Israel Connections.pdf 

PROGRAM OUTLINE (60 minutes):

• Introduction (15 minutes)
• Practice (30 minutes) 
• Wrap up (15 minutes) 

Introduction 15 mins 

• Using the source sheet on Krav Maga, participants will learn some history of Krav Maga and the connection to Israel and the IDF. 

Practice (30 mins) 

• This program can be done in a public space (a Krav Maga studio, JCC, park) or at one’s home.   
• Looking for a way to hire a Krav Maga instructor?  Here is a list of instructors in multiple geographic areas.   

Wrap up (15 minutes) 

• Ask participants how they felt as they learned Krav Maga?  Consider using the questions on the end of the source sheet to facilitate conversation. 
• As you wrap up, ask participants to relate this to the Purim story by explaining who Haman was. Use this sheet if you want a refresher:  The people of Purim – what would you do.docx 
• Ask the question of whether looking at Haman, Esther’s actions, or the Purim chain of events, impacts their practice of Krav Maga, or vice versa.