interview

After I worked with Yudit both on our Sunday workshop and JCHS workshop, we were emailing back and forth and we finally concluded the interview we had started on April 7th in the Judo club before our workshop. The major points I concluded from our interview was that martial arts/ judo/ self-defense held more value to her then just being a sport she did for physical fitness. She didn't used to be interested in self-defense at all; abrupt and violent moves weren't actions she felt she could do to an attacker, let alone teach to mass audiences. So how did she overcome that fear? Martial arts and self-defense came to Yudit in a way most people would never want to have to be introduced to a sport. It was not out of new love for this physical activity, it was out of fear for her safety. Yudit's marriage was rocky and Judo was something that was her's, as she said "Judo was mine". As she progressed, her admiration, appreciation, and passion for the sport grew, along with her physical and emotional strength, and she got out of her unwanted marriage. She founded El Halev in 2003 with the goal to "effect social change through empowering women of all ages and reducing violence against women, teens, children, seniors and people with special needs by means of training in the martial arts and self-defense." After spending time with her one on one, with a group, interviewing her etc I must say I think she has done a very good job of fulfilling that mission.