Author(s)

Guy Mor

School of Martial Arts, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China.

Krav-Maga (“contact combat”) has attracted increasing attention, both in Israel and abroad, as a civilian combat discipline, a martial art and an effective self-defense system used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). This paper explores the interactions between the development of Krav-Maga and the history, culture and heritage of the Jewish population of Israel. Using qualitative research methods, it is demonstrated that the evolution of Krav-Maga is intertwined with ideological changes and historical events that affected the Jewish people in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, and with the cultural history and identity of Jewish immigrants to Israel in the mid 20^th century. We argue that Krav-Maga meets the criteria set out in UNESCO’s definition of intangible cultural heritage and that it should be included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Israel.

Krav-Maga, Society and Culture, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Culture History, Kapap

Mor, G. (2019) The Case for the Recognition of Krav-Maga as Part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Israel. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 294-303. doi: 10.4236/jss.2019.74023.