Tsahi Shemesh, at The Blogs

Aug 28, 2026, 12:51 AM

What a Culture Sings Reveals What It Worships

What We Sings and Pray For Reveals Our Culture

How can we understand two national cultures that have fought over the same land for 78 years? Read what they wrote. Listen to what they sang. Study the words they gave their children, the heroes they placed at the center...

Aug 25, 2026, 3:07 AM

It’s Not Bravery. It’s Fear Demanding Action

Sometimes fear is the reason to act before the danger becomes harder to stop.

People sometimes tell me I’m brave for speaking up against antisemitism. I understand why they say it, but bravery isn’t how I experience it. I speak because I’m afraid of what happens when people recognize a danger and choose...

Aug 21, 2026, 9:56 PM

Who Benefits From Keeping America Confused?

A young activist holds a collection of symbolic hats representing gender politics, socialism and capitalism, racial activism, climate change, policing, immigration, Israel, and other modern political causes. The image illustrates how separate social issues are increasingly packaged together into broader ideological identities.

I teach people how to function under pressure. Confusion is one of the first things we deal with because a bad read creates bad decisions. If you don't understand what is happening, you can have all the tools in...

Aug 17, 2026, 12:02 AM

Hiding Behind ‘As a Jew’ Will Not Save You

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On Friday evening, August 14, 2026, a man disrupted Shabbat services at Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Police said he struck a 63-year-old congregant, leaving her with a cut lip and an injury to her forearm. He spat at and...

Aug 15, 2026, 12:22 AM

The Progressive Activist Stopped Looking for Peace

For years, much of the Western left spoke about Israel and the Palestinians through the language of peace. Its members called for negotiations, territorial compromise, coexistence, and two states. I often disagreed with their understanding of Israeli security, yet...

Aug 10, 2026, 6:57 PM

The ‘Good Jew’ Will Not Be Spared

Condemning Israel may earn a Jew approval from the crowd. It offers no protection from the hatred that crowd helps legitimize.

The first failure in self-defense often happens before the attack. A person sees the warning signs and explains them away. He questions his judgment, looks for his own mistakes, and finds reasons to excuse the person moving toward him. Some...

Jul 31, 2026, 10:56 PM

Spain’s Border Crisis; Its Hypocrisy on Israel

This week, Spain faced a mass breach of its own border. Its response revealed exactly what the Spanish government believes about sovereignty when Spanish territory is at risk. Beginning on July 30, tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco...

Jul 6, 2026, 3:03 AM

When “Good Enough” Becomes Dangerous

One of the moments I watch for most is when a student starts feeling comfortable in a Krav Maga class. We practice different kinds of escapes and defenses. The student handles the problem a few times, the movement becomes...

Jul 2, 2026, 10:59 PM

America, Social Media, & the Mouse Utopia Problem

I teach self-defense for a living, so I have learned to pay attention before a threat becomes obvious. A good decision usually starts before the punch is thrown. You notice behavior, timing, distance, distraction, and opportunity. You act early...

Jun 25, 2026, 8:57 PM

The Blind Spot of the ‘Moral’ Movement

There is a film from 1995 called The Last Supper. It is a dark comedy, almost too strange to explain without making it sound ridiculous. A group of liberal graduate students invite people they consider dangerous, hateful, or bigoted...

About Me

Tsahi Shemesh is an Israeli-American IDF veteran and the founder of Krav Maga Experts in NYC. A father and educator, he writes about Jewish identity, resilience, moral courage, and the ethics of strength in a time of rising antisemitism.

Contact Me