Photo by Robert ReiffIsraeli Martial Arts Academy
Honors Firefighters
T
he Woolsey Fire caused wide-
spread damage in the Conejo
Valley area of Southern California,
nearly destroying the Israeli Martial
Arts Academy in Westlake Village.
That prompted its staff and students to
show their gratitude after the flames
were extinguished.
“We hosted a karate sparring fund-
raiser called Fighting for Our Heroes,”
said Ethan Snyder, office manager
at the school, which is owned by
Hezi Sheli. (See the August/Septem-
ber 2018 issue of Black Belt.) “The
[youths] ages 10 to 15 sparred con-
tinuously for 50 rounds of one minute
each. The adults sparred continuously
for 90 rounds of one minute each.
With the community’s help, we raised
over $2,900 for the firefighters.”
After the 2018 Borderline shooting
in Thousand Oaks, California, and
the Woolsey Fire, the martial art-
ists felt the energy and spirit of their
community deteriorate, Snyder said.
“Everyone was feeling down and
hopeless. Our fundraiser event
was a way to elevate the public
and prove that when we work
together, we can make a differ-
ence. No matter what happens,
the show must go on!”
To say the show needed to
go on is an understatement.
When the evacuation order was
issued, the gym hosted several
displaced members. Two members
subsequently lost their homes while
others suffered property and busi-
ness damage. When the evacua-
tion order was lifted, the staff and
students returned to the school, only
to find it was dirty and filled with
smoke. They set about cleaning
and restoring the facility, and
Sheli said afterward that it
looked better than ever.12 BLACKBELTMAG.COM § AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019