This week saw Moshe Feldenkrais’ birthday. He had an extraordinary life. He was born in Slavuta, Russia (now Ukraine) in 1904, and grew up in part of White Russia, now Belarus.
At 14, after members of his family narrowly survived a Russian pogrom, they sent Feldenkrais alone to make his way to Israel, then under the British Mandate. He walked across Europe, eventually arriving in Jaffa.
In the early years he worked as a labourer building Tel Aviv. He needed to earn money to go back to school, after which he worked as a cartographer for the British.
1920-learning self defense
During the 1920s, having escaped Russian anti-Jewish brutality, Feldenkrais became interested in self defense. He began learning Ji-jitsu. Living under the divide and rule of the British Mandate wasn’t an easy time for Jews.
Feldenkrais was caught up in the 1921 Arab Riots. Ji-jitsu taught over a few months as drills failed in the face of a real enemy with weapons. Feldenkrais and his colleagues realised techniques had to include instinctive movements to be useful. So they researched and created a new method which worked better. This work evolved into what we know today as Krav Maga.
1930s Paris
In the 1930s Feldenkrais moved to France to study Physics and Electircal engineering at the Sorbonne. During this time, he translated his book on self defence into French, which ended up being used by the French Resistance in WW2! The book also led to him getting his black belt in Judo, and co-founding the first Judo club in France. In Paris he worked as a research assistant for Frederic Curie, a nuclear scientist.
WW2, escaping Paris to Britain
In 1940, Feldenkrais managed to escape France on the last boat out the eve before the Nazi invasion. He arrived in Britain, with heavy water and research material for the British Admiralty in his suitcase! After a time on the Isle of Man as a foreigner prisoner, he was taken up to Scotland to aid the Allies, working for the British Navy.
During this time, he slipped on a submarine deck, and hurt his knee, aggravating an old injury. Whilst offered a knee operation, he found it was unlikely to suceed. So instead he decided to work out how rehabilitate himself. It’s around this time that Feldenkrais began to work with others. He started sharing his self-discoveries, leading to experimental classes with his colleagues.
Post war,
Feldenkrais worked in London for a time, and studied with somatic thinkers including: FM Alexander, Gurdjieff, Elsa Gindler and Gerda Alexander. In 1951, he returned to Israel in 1951. Amongst the many hundreds of students he taught, one of the more famous was David Ben Gurion, whom he taught to stand on his head. Now immortalised with a statue on a beach in Tel Aviv!
His later years saw him writing, and teaching, including teaching teachers both in Israel, Europe and North America. I hope he’d be pleased to know his work is still being taught across the world today!
So Happy Birthday Moshe!
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