Budo family fighting for peace
AUSTRALIAN Carole Schlessinger recently won gold for Israel at the 11th Shotokan Karate World Championship in Sydney, which also saw 10 participants compete from the Budo for Peace (BFP) organisation, which sets out to unite Israelis and Palestinians through martial arts.
AUSTRALIAN Carole Schlessinger recently won gold for Israel at the 11th Shotokan Karate World Championship in Sydney, which also saw 10 participants compete from the Budo for Peace (BFP) organisation, which sets out to unite Israelis and Palestinians through martial arts.
Schlessinger, 45, has been training in Australia for the past year, but was unable to represent her home country because trials were held over Rosh Hashanah.
So she was persuaded by brothers Paul and Danny Hakim, who have both previously won world medals in karate, to represent Israel at the world champs, where she won gold in the 45-49-year-old category of the Individual Kumite competition.
“It was great, it was a really exciting event,” Schlessinger told The AJN.
“I was very surprised that I won, because I just went in to be a part of it, thinking it was just going to be a great experience. But I just kept winning and before I knew it, I had won.”
The Sydneysider made history as the first representative of the Jewish State to win a medal at the world championship event.
Though she doesn’t actually hold an Israeli citizenship, Schlessinger has lived in the Holy Land and felt proud to represent the blue and white.
“Over the years, I’ve lived in Israel a few times,” Schlessinger said.
“In 2009 I went for a year and also when I was younger and travelled there after high school for a year.”
Schlessinger was also involved in the BFP team, as Danny is the organisation’s founder, and said it was great to share the experience with the Jewish and Muslim participants who made the journey Down Under.
“It was amazing to see the team here,” Schlessinger said.
“On a personal level, my family hosted one of the Israeli-Muslim girls and she really became part of the family.”
Danny said bringing the team to Australia was the perfect opportunity to show the world the success they have had.
“They were showing off to the world and presenting the vision of Budo for Peace,” Danny said.
“From the beginning, our mission was to show how we can bring communities together, using sport, and particular martial arts, as a platform.”
Danny, 53, also received a huge award, being given a nana-dan, which is the seventh degree of black belt, becoming the only person living in Israel to have done so.
“It’s a big honour for me,” Danny said.
“It’s been 10 years since I got my sixth degree and it is a really difficult achievement, because you have to be ready for whatever they ask you to do.
“And it’s extra special because it’s 40 years since I started, so it was really great to be back.”
Ashley Shenker
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