Obama: Peres represents Israel’s self-defense, desire for peace

Published on June 13, 2012

Awarding Shimon Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Obama said the Israeli president embodied Israel's need to simultaneously defend itself and to seek peace.

Karate moms

By Jay Firestone
Published on August 7, 2008

Etta Israel Campers Learn Skills for Life

By Julie G Fax
Published on August 4, 2005

Mark Worland -- six-foot-something, dressed in tight black and skinhead bald -- grabs Navid by the arm.

"Come with me!" he barks.

"No!" screams Navid, barely 5-feet tall.

Navid throws himself on his back, locks the bottom of his feet to Worland's knees, and shields his face and head from Worland's flailing fists.

"Great job," says Worland, a self-defense specialist, shaking Navid's hand and helping him up, as Navid's friends applaud.

This self-defense class is part of a repertoire of life skills that Navid and his peers are learning at Independent Living Skills, a summer program for developmentally disabled adults run by Etta Israel Center, a mid-Wilshire nonprofit for people with special needs.

It’s Not Our Right to Challenge Israel

By Avi Davis
Published on January 9, 2003

Whatever our opinions about Israel's claim on the territories, its attitude to Palestinian nationalism or its rights to self-defense, no one was asking us to risk our lives for Israel's sake.

I had neither the right nor privilege to challenge the government of Israel's decisions on how to protect its citizens. If I did so, I was in some way undermining that government and endangering Israel's existence in a hostile world.

In a cynical age such as ours, this parochial attitude might seem charmingly out of date. And yet, this central tenet of a Zionist education remained embedded in my consciousness throughout high school, through my student leadership days and even into my 30s, when I had to make strenuous efforts to channel my bitter opposition to the Oslo process into nonpublic activism.

The Necessary Fight

By Gary Rosenblatt
Published on September 5, 2002

With all the discussion, confusion and controversy about the Bush administration's planned actions against Saddam Hussein,it's ironic that President Bush, a born-again Bible reader, appears to have rejected the Christian position and adopted instead the Jewish stance on self-defense and responding to evil people.

Self-Defense Vitalfor Women

By Nancy Sokoler Steiner
Published on July 25, 2002

Each year in January, female friends, co-workers and family members of Nicola Shocket can count on receiving a phone call or e-mail.

We Need Self-Defense

By Michele Goldman
Published on July 25, 2002

I'm 16 years old. People often ask me, "How do you feel growing up in this crazy time?" "Terrified," I answer.

If You Had Her Moves

By Keren Engelberg
Published on June 27, 2002

Gouging out eyeballs and hitting people with chairs are just some of the actions taught by Wade Allen. For Allen, the director of Krav Maga Worldwide's Hollywood division, it's all in the name of self-defense.