05/26/2025
TRIBUTE TO IMI LICHTENFELD
Everyone who lived with Imi is unanimous in saying that he was exceptional in his qualities as a human being. Attentive, generous, a true reformer.
Krav Maga has taken on such magnitude and importance that it has spread in a way that many around the world use this denomination even if they have not actually lived a formation as Imi conceived. The good part about this is that today Imi's dream of making Krav Maga known and a way of life to make man better has come true.
On this date, we remember with affection and respect the memory of this man who changed the world forever, saved and saves many lives.
A LITTLE OF HISTORY
Imi Lichtenfeld was born on May 26, 1910 in Budapest and raised in Bratislava.
His father Sammuel was from Budapest and his mother Yenka from Bratislava.
Imi was the second child. His older brother, Arpad, was born in 1906.
At the age of four, World War I begins in Imi's backyard, the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Imi's father was a detective of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's secret police, the most decorated.
After World War I, movements against the minority grew in Europe. The economic crisis further aggravates the situation.
Soon Imi comes across friends from his youth wearing N**i uniforms.
The situation was so serious at the time that Jewish women and children were even beaten by anti-minority movements.
A group of friends join Imi to protect the Jewish community. Imi naturally takes the lead in this group consisting of less than 30 people.
Faced with this situation, Imi is forced to participate in several street fights, 1v1 and even one against several.
All of these experiences show Imi what works and what doesn't in real combat situations. Imi said that he did not create Krav Maga, but that it came naturally as a result of these experiences.
