In November of 1974 I began studying Okinowan Goju-Ryu Karate, and received my Shodan (1^st degree black belt) from Bob Sparks in Belmont, Massachusetts in June of 1977.  In July, 1980 I tested for Nidan with Chuck Merriman of Karate International in New London Connecticut.  Although I passed the test, I never received the printed 2^nd degree certificate and to this day there is a blank space on my wall.

In 1982 I began training with Teruo Chinen Sensei who, at that time, was a member of the International Goju-Ryu Karate Federation (IOGKF).  In April of 1990 Sensei Chinen awarded me my Sandan (3^rd degree), under the auspices of Jundokan.

In 1996 I moved to Jerusalem Israel, where I now live and teach, and in 2003 began training with Leon (Yehuda) Pantowitz in Netanya.  Back in the IOGKF, I tested for and received my Yondan in July of 2005.  I also began traveling extensively to train with Higaonna Sensei and other senior instructors of the IOGKF.  From 2004 to the present I have attended training camps here in Israel, as well as the US (twice), Canada, Spain, Okinawa (three times), England, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal and Belgium (twice).

In October 2006 Sensei Leon passed away.  In July of 2010 I received my 5th degree black belt (Godan) from a panel of judges including Higaonna Sensei at a training camp in Denmark.  I cannot teach unless I am a student; my love for the martial arts is dependent on my continuing growth.

I began studying at the University of Massachusetts in January, 1978, a part-time student, supporting myself through odd jobs until I opened my first dojo in 1979.  On the ‘Mommy Track’ I finally graduated, Magna Cum Laude, in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in English.

The Israeli government requires even seasoned professionals to get a local teaching certificate, so in 2004 I took a course at Wingate Institute, run by Sensei Pantanowitz, to officially become a karate teacher.  In 2012 I went back to Wingate and studied with Gabi Michaeli to get my coaching certificate.

As a young martial artist I competed in many tournaments, both public and private, and amassed over 100 medals and trophies between 1975 and 1986.  The wins that meant the most to me were my Maccabea victories, the 1^st place trophy I won at a local tournament while visibly six months pregnant with my first son in 1986 and the 2^nd place medal I won when coming out of retirement after many years to represent Israel at the Miyagi Chojun Festival in Niagara Falls, Canada in May of 2006.  The following is a list of some of the other competitive experiences I accrued:

• Massachusetts Regional AAU Advanced Women’s Kata Gold Medalist: 1977-1983 and 1986
• National AAU Advanced Women’s Kata Gold Medalist: 1977, 1981 (weapons), 1982 both Open and Mandatory), 1983
• National AAU Advanced Women’s Kata Silver Medalist: 1981
• National AAU Advanced Women’s Kata Bronze Medalist: 1978, 1980, 1983
• Pan-American Women’s Kata Gold Medalist: 1981
• Traveling member of the USAAU National Karate Team: 1979-1984
• 5^th WUKO Championships, Madrid, 1980
• Maccabea Silver (kata) and Bronze (kumite) medalist, Israel: 1985

It has been a privilege to encourage women all over the world to persevere and succeed in the martial arts which, let’s face it, has always been dominated by men.  A founding member of the US based National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, I served as the co-editor of the NWMAF newsletter from 1982-1984.  Here in Israel I was honored to be asked to help organize the Israel Women’s Martial Arts Federation (Elhalev) in 2003, and to help write the curriculum for its first self-defense teacher’s training courses.

From 1984-1987 I served as a volunteer lecturer with the Massachusetts Governor’s Alliance Against Drugs.  Here in Israel I also lecture extensively on this topic, and have spoken to groups ranging from Youth at Risk, religious high school girls, elderly deaf people and Holocaust survivors.  In 2014 I decided to give 40 lectures – free of charge – to celebrate my (then) 40 years of karate study.  I was hoping to complete this within a year, but the pace was too much!  I’m still at it.  But as we say in karate: never give up!  To reserve a lecture, give me a call.

In February, 2018 I traveled to Okinawa and trained with Higaonna Sensei.  Upon completion of the course, he awarded me with my rokudan (sixth degree black belt).  On January 8th, 2023 I proudly joined the Traditional Okinawan Karate-Do Federation under the World Chief Instructor Moria Higaonna, 10th dan and disciple of Ani’chi Miyagi Sensei – who trained under Chojun Miyagi Sensei, the founder of Okinawan Goju-Ryu.

I have published articles in diverse places such as:  The Jewish Homemaker, Home Education Magazine, Jerusalem Post, Whole Family Web Site, the IOGKF Newsletter and currently the TOGKF newsletter.  An article about me was featured in the book Great Jews in Sports.

All this is what I’ve done.  But who I am is: a teacher.  Since 1975 I have been teaching karate and self-defense to men, women, children and teenagers all over the world.  I’ve taught blind people and deaf people, senior citizens, people with mental, physical and developmental challenges, survivors of sex crimes and youth at risk.  I’ve taught at colleges such as Harvard, Brandeis and MIT, community centers such as the JCC and YWCA, battered-women’s shelters and kindergartens.

My biggest accomplishments aren’t medals, trophies or degrees.  They are the students who come back, sometimes years after a self-defense course, to tell me that they successfully fought off an attacker; getting a wedding invitation from an abuse survivor who was afraid to get married until she took my classes; hearing a little orange belt tell about how he stood up to the class bully, and then made friends with him.

I am a single mother of five children (ranging in age from 16-30) and I have six grandchildren.