CANCER KARATE

Forest Hills resident Rabbi Sensei Gary Moskowitz is using martial arts to help children battling cancer and other diseases through his non-profit organization Martial Arts Therapy.
Moskowitz said that Martial Arts Therapy, also called Kids Combating Cancer, got its start in 1979. Moskowitz has been studying martial arts for about 37 years, first getting involved in it while growing up in the Bronx in a tough neighborhood.
While he was teaching students, he required them to perform community services, believing that, “If you want to learn how defend yourself and potentially hurt people, you have to learn how to heal them and help them.”
Initially, Martial Artists for a Better Community was formed to help any children who were underdeveloped either physically or emotionally. For instance, they worked with those in wheelchairs or those who were blind.
Four years ago, the program began to pick up again. Moskowitz said that this time the focus was on children with cancer, since they had heard many stories about ones who could not train or had trouble training.
“Each year thousands of children in the USA are diagnosed with cancer and related diseases,” the organization’s mission statement reads. “Our children suffer from the fear of death and pain of chemical infusions that make them feel ill, cause their hair to fall out and make them lonely. We teach them how to battle the darkness through the light of martial arts.”
Because of the special circumstances, Moskowitz had to develop different techniques for the children to use during their training. He created a “virtual karate” system where the children fight from a distance and are judged and scored. For judo, the children fight against a person holding a uniform. He also does a sword fighting class.
“There’s a lot of therapeutic value here,” said Moskowitz, who has also worked with those with drug addictions and is planning a program for domestic violence victims. “We focus on pain management, physical rehabilitation and emotional support.”
Moskowitz, a former police officer, said that they try to get the children involved in their healing process, which is very important. He teaches them a guidance imagery technique where they envision the bad cells as ninjas and themselves as warriors who are sending in troops to help the white blood cells.
Although Moskowitz has been working with children on his own, he said he is trying to get funding to start up the classes again, which are given free of charge. He is also looking for more locations to hold them in, particularly ones that are in close proximity to hospitals.
Moskowitz said that there are many people interested in helping with Martial Arts Therapy. However, he said that there are specific requirements to be an instructor. Along with going through a background check and having the ability to work with people, they must take part in a special 15-hour course.
The program is not just for the children, either. Moskowitz said that he gets the families involved during classes, showing them how to work with the kids so that they can help them practice at home.
Even though the program began as a way for children to help those with illness, Moskowitz said that the children with cancer are also helping others. This happens as they show others that their problems really aren’t so bad.
“They become like heroes,” he said. “These kids are very courageous and they’re like little warriors. They’re warriors of hope.”
For more information on Martial Arts Therapy, contact Moskowitz at 917-916-4681 or Gavriael@aol.com.