Our Legacy

Imi Lichtenfeld was born in 1910 to a Hungarian Jewish family in Budapest. He grew up in Bratislava, Slovakia where his father, Samuel Lichtenfeld was a Chief Inspector in the Bratislava Police Force.

As a former circus acrobat, Samuel Lichtenfeld owned a gymnasium where many activities were taught, including self-defense. Due to the influences of his father, Imi became a very successful boxer, wrestler and gymnast, competing at both national and international level.

The home he grew up in, his father’s activities and teachings, the fighting sports, the real violent street conflicts, and his natural talent enabled Imi to later develop a system of techniques for practical self-defense in life threatening situations.

Imi developed his fundamental self-defense principle: ‘use natural movements and reactions for defense, combined with an immediate and decisive counterattack.

In the mid 1930’s, anti-Semitic riots threatened the Jewish population of Bratislava. Imi became the uncrowned leader of about 100 Jewish young men, boxers and wrestlers. Together they defended the Jewish neighborhood against racist and fascist gangs. Through these real world experiences Imi quickly understood that sport had little in common with real combat and even began teaching his fellow defenders.

In 1940, Lichtenfeld fled the Nazi occupation of his homeland, heading for Palestine, then under the British mandate, on the illegal immigration river boat name Pentcho, which shipwrecked on the Greek Dodecanese Islands.

He eventually reached Palestine after serving with distinction in the British supervised Free Czech Legion in North Africa and Imi was quickly welcomed into Israel’s pre-state Hagana military organization after it’s leaders immediately recognized Lichtenfeld’s fighting ability and ingenuity.

In 1948 the state of Israel was born and Imi was asked to develop an effective fighting system, which later became the Krav Maga System.  It is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces and is taught to all enlisted men and women ages 18-51.

In the 1960’s with military approval, Imi started teaching civilians in Israel.  In 1981, the Krav Maga Association of Israel and the Ministry of Education held the first International Instructor’s Course at Wingate Institute for Physical Education.  This is where our Chief U.S. Instructor Darren Levine began his journey with Imi.  Darren being one of only a few who passed the grueling six week, 8 hour, six days a week training schedule.  While training in Israel, Levine was befriended by Imi Lichtenfeld. In 1982, Lichtenfeld traveled to Los Angeles to stay with Levine and continue his training.

In 1984, Imi passed his own Black Belt on to Darren.   Years later Imi would award Darren with one of only two Founders Diploma’s he handed out before his passing.

Darren has continued the legacy by spreading it around the world so all people “May Walk in Peace.”  We now join Darren on this journey.