:''Yehoshua Sofer is also the name of a victim of the
June 2010 West Bank shooting.''
![Yehoshua Sofer - closeup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Yehoshua_Sofer_-_closeup.JPG)
Yehoshua Sofer ( he, יהושע סופר) is an Israeli-Jamaican hip hop and rap artist, and a
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
.
Biography
He was born in 1958
in Jamaica and his family moved to
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1963 where he studied
Tang Soo Do
Tang Soo Do (Hangul: 당수도, Hanja: 唐手道 ) refers to a Korean martial art
based on Karate and may include fighting principles from subak (as described in the Kwon Bup Chong Do), as well as northern Chinese martial arts. Before the Ni ...
, receiving a black belt by 1968, aged ten. He studied
Kuk Sool Won
Kuk Sool Won () is a type of Korean martial arts. It was founded in 1958 by Suh In-Hyuk (서인혁), who also carries the formal titles of, ''Kuk Sa Nim'' (i.e. "national martial arts teacher") and ''Grandmaster''.
This Korean martial art is ...
from 1974, advancing to 6th dan, and worked as a trainer and bodyguard during the 1970s and 1980s.
Singing career
In the 1990s, he was a hip hop singer and rapper under the name Nigel Addmore, and was an MC on the album ''Humus Metamtem'' in 1993. The album's track "Hummus makes you stupid" was a club hit in Israel.
He appeared in the documentary films
Awake Zion
''Awake Zion'' is a 2005 documentary by Monica Haim that documents the connection between Jews and Rastafarians.
Synopsis
In ''Awake Zion'', Haim travels from Manhattan to Jamaica and Israel, interviewing Rastafarians and Rabbis to highlight ...
in 2005,
and
Hummus the Movie in 2016
Martial arts career
In 2000, he ran a Kuk Sool Won school at the
International Convention
International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
In 2002, he founded the Abir Warrior Arts Association of Israel, teaching his own style of “Abir-Qesheth Hebrew Warrior Arts” () in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, claiming it to be a tradition of his family dating to Israelite antiquity
preserved by an underground school of "Bani Abir" in
Habban, Yemen, and styling himself ''Aluf Abir'' "Grandmaster of Abir". Sofer perceives this style of martial arts training to be a continuation of the practices of the Jewish people prior to the
Second Temple period
The Second Temple period in Jewish history lasted approximately 600 years (516 BCE - 70 CE), during which the Second Temple existed. It started with the return to Zion and the construction of the Second Temple, while it ended with the First Jewis ...
.
The word ''abir'' in
Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...
means "
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
". The style takes inspiration from the Hebrew alphabet, basing moves and stances on Hebrew letters.
See also
*
Krav Maga
Krav Maga ( ; , ; ) is an Israeli martial art. Developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), it is derived from a combination of techniques used in aikido, judo, karate, boxing, and wrestling. It is known for its focus on real-world situation ...
, a 20th-century origin Israeli martial art conceived by
Imi Sde-Or in the 1940s
References
External links
* Hebrew Warrior Art
official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sofer, Yehoshua
1958 births
Living people
Israeli male karateka
Israeli hip hop musicians
Jamaican emigrants to Israel
Jamaican Jews
Israeli Jews
Jewish martial artists
Israeli rappers
Jamaican people of Israeli descent