Why This Martial Arts Expert Is Training Britain’s Haredi Jews

Kinan David, a martial arts expert and former IDF soldier, is working to bring fitness and self-defense training into the heart of Britain’s Haredi community.

“When I walk down a street in London, I can be anyone. No one knows I’m Jewish,” he explains. “But Haredi people are an obvious target for antisemites, and my goal is to teach them how to defend themselves.”

Amid concerns about antisemitism in Britain, David believes it has become increasingly important for visibly Jewish communities to have the skills and confidence to protect themselves in the event of an attack.

“I have a club dedicated exclusively to the Haredi community, with all the adjustments and nuances that characterize it,” he told Yedioth Ahronoth. “It takes time to reach them, convince them that this is important, and give them the tools, but I see the change and the desire to learn, and it is growing.”

Adapting Martial Arts for the Haredi Community

David grew up in South Africa before immigrating to Israel. He later worked in security for community institutions before eventually opening his own training clubs tailored to different communities.

His Haredi club operates separately and has been specifically adapted to the community’s values and sensitivities.

“It’s completely different, even in the choice of words I use in marketing,” he explains. “I can’t market it with any mention of aggression, and I hardly use the words ‘self-defense,’ because that’s problematic.”

Instead, he focuses on the wider benefits of martial arts training.

“The way I market it is more in terms of physical activity, health, discipline, and self-confidence. When people come to my club in the Haredi community, it is usually for things like weight loss, fitness, getting stronger, and building self-confidence.”

More Than Self-Defense

For children in particular, David says the training can serve several purposes beyond learning how to protect themselves.

“If parents send me their children, maybe it’s because the child has too much energy and is driving them crazy at home, or maybe because they have problems at school, are being bullied, and need more self-confidence.”

His classes therefore incorporate plenty of fitness and physical exercise while also quietly teaching practical self-defense skills.

“I incorporate a lot of fitness exercises into the training, but we do also practice self-defense,” David says. “I just don’t market it that way.”

For David, the goal is ultimately broader than teaching people how to respond physically to a threatening situation. By adapting martial arts training to the needs of the Haredi community, he hopes to give participants greater strength, discipline, fitness, and confidence, along with the skills to protect themselves when necessary.