:''Yehoshua Sofer is also the name of a victim of the June 2010 West Bank shooting.'' Yehoshua Sofer - closeup

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.

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

Biography

Singing career

Martial arts career

See also

References

External links