Founder and President of ESD Global Inc. – a US non-profit organization, is a thought leader, speaker, and educator on Empowerment Self Defense (ESD) with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is a fourth-degree black belt in Judo and holds an MBA with a background in psychology and currently resides in Israel.

Yudit is committed to making Empowerment Self Defense training, a proven Violence Prevention Education program, accessible worldwide. She is also co-founder and CEO of El HaLev, an award-winning Israeli non-profit organization dedicated to providing Empowerment Self Defense and martial arts training to thousands of women and girls, that has reached over 80,000 people, and is the director of IMPACT Self Defense in Israel.

In 2019, El HaLev received Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council), in recognition of its authority as an expert resource. A speaker on all that is Empowerment Self Defense, Yehudit regularly presents at international conferences on the importance of bringing ESD to all women and girls, as well as men and boys. In February 2020, Yudit spearheaded the very first International Violence Prevention Education Conference, which took place at El HaLev. The conference was an opportunity for experts in a variety of fields to collaborate on developing methods of primary prevention in which education is key.

She has won various awards, including the Israeli Ministry of Social Equality’s award for prevention of violence against women, the Colleen Gragen Award of Inspiration by the National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, Jerusalem Woman of the Year (WIZO) award, the Woman of Valour Award from the Ambassadors’ Club of Israel and she was counted among Nashim Magazine’s top 50 women in Israel. Yudit’s work to eradicate violence against women – one of the world’s largest health issues – revolves around Violence Prevention Education. Under her leadership, ESD Global and El Halev have trained thousands of people, including women, children, and other vulnerable populations in Empowerment Self Defense.