from Israel Post; this stamp will be issued February 7, 2017:
Krav Maga is an Israeli martial art designed for self-defense, a method that allows anyone to defend him or herself against acts of violence. Krav Maga students learn how to protect themselves from arm and leg blows, strangulations, stabbing, bludgeoning and even how to deal with gun threats. Krav Maga is unique due to its simplicity and effectiveness in utilizing the attacker’s weak points. The technique was developed during the Yishuv period prior to the creation of the State of Israel, when the British Mandate government banned the bearing of arms following the 1936-39 Arab revolts. The Yishuv Council decreed that every Jewish boy and girl from the age of 13 and up must learn how to defend themselves in time of need. Krav Maga was also an inherent part of the training for members of the various underground defense organizations. The early Krav Maga was a combination of boxing and Japanese jujutsu. The jujutsu drills, however proved to be too difficult to master and therefore new, original drills, unique in their effectiveness and simplicity, were developed.
In the Yishuv, Krav Maga was initially called ìface-to-face combatî and included the use of a hoe handle as a defensive and offensive tool, providing a sense of security at a time when it was illegal to bear arms.
When the State of Israel and the IDF were established in 1948, Krav Maga became part of the standard training for combat soldiers. The head instructor was Imi Lichtenfeld, who founded the first civilian school for Krav Maga when he retired from the IDF in 1964. Lichtenfeld expanded the method to provide a solution to civilian threats, utilizing the military principles of simplicity and efficiency. In the 1980’s the method was exported outside of Israel. Today, Krav Maga is taught in every large Western city and is the chosen method of security forces in Israel and abroad.
— Aviad Segal
Israeli Fighting School for Krav Maga
Description of the Stamp and First Day Cover
The stamp presents the development of the method. The stamp features trainees practicing a side kick against a punch from the side (photo: Pini Hemo). The tab features a Krav Maga fight from the Yishuv period, when trainees used hoe handles. (courtesy of the Palmach photo curator, Palmach Museum). The First Day Cover design is based on a photo courtesy of Aviad Segal.
