Cary Nemeroff
Soke/President of Fukasa-Kai, Inc.
P.O. Box 20619
Cherokee Station
New York, NY 10021-0072
Describe your childhood, What type of Jewish up bringing did you have? Do you both have siblings? Any deaf family members? What are your education backgrounds? Your involvement with sign language and deaf community? Tell us about your company and future plans.
Cary explains, “I grew up in New York in a Conservative Jewish household. We were kosher in the house and observed most of the Jewish holidays, however didn’t adhere to Sabbath rules. I have one great sister. To my knowledge, I have no deaf family members ….”
“I became interested in Sign Language and the deaf community when I observed a “mainstreamed” classmate of mine having trouble understanding our 7th grade teacher. I befriended him and he introduced me to the members of the small deaf program within our school (which most pupils never even knew existed). We met daily at lunch time and I struggled to make sense of the Pigeon Signed English (PSE) that they used for communication. They were mostly profoundly deaf and were eager to teach me their language because I was interested in their camaraderie. My first attempts at communication were laborious because I didn’t know how to approach the whole situation (I was 13). However, I learned to gesture and they connected my gestures with bonifide signs. Motivated by the mystique of the language and my desire to acquire something that the hearing population in my school knew nothing about, I began heavily immersing myself with the deaf culture inside the school and began “hanging out” with them during the weekends also.”
“I’m currently finishing up a Master’s degree in Deaf Education at Columbia University. I attended New York University as an undergraduate and double majored in Philosophy and Hebrew and Judaic Studies. I’ve also studied Hebrew at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.”
“The name of my company is Fukasa-Kai, Inc. It’s located in New York City, however my mission is to license and accredit martial arts schools across the United States by attracting beginners and advanced instructors who have an interest to be associated with an Asian recognized and accredited martial arts organization. I’m scheduled to travel across the United States with my “demo team” to share my martial arts and mesmerize spectators with its aesthetic beauty and combat effectiveness.
I have recently established a division exclusively for the deaf and hard of hearing community and contend that I’ll have the first organization that will serve the deaf community in this type of capacity. I’m currently in the process of beginning regular classes for the deaf and hard of hearing in New York City and hope that other deaf and hard of hearing communities will quickly embrace my idea by having me demonstrate and then teach workshops so they can learn these ancient and practical martial arts. I’ll be conducting my classes in sign for ASL’rs and in tend to use hearing assistive devices, slow and clear word enunciation, and rooms with good acoustics for the Hard of Hearing that may be less manual. I’m a fluent PSE user that has about 15 years of signing experience.”
My Martial Arts Training:
“I have been training in the martial arts for about 24 years and have earned Asian accredited ranks in Japanese and Okinawan martial arts. I hold the highest title appointment attainable in the martial arts …. My title is “Soke,” that means “head founder” or “head of system.” In September I was granted this title by a legitimate Asian accredited Sokeship conferring body, the “Zen Kokusei Soke Budo/Bugei Kai” (The International Foundership Group) that is recognized on the mainland of Japan and island of Okinawa. Through my organization, I confer degrees/certificates that bear respect in all martial arts communities around the world. As a legitimate 8th Degree Black Belt in 6 different martial arts including Karate, Toide (Okinawan Throwing and Grappling), Ju-Jutsu, Kempo Jutsu, lai-Jutsu (the Samurai Sword) and Ken-Jutsu (an other Samurai Sword method), I can accredit and license my organization members with legitimate and respected credentials in my system, Fukasa-ryu …. This is why the Japanese name Fukasa-Kai, Inc. is my company name. Fukasa-Kai means “System of Depth or Deep Sand System” that refers to its profundity and comprehensiveness. My teacher and sponsor gave me this name.”
Contact Information:
“My main organizational website is at www.fukasakai.com and the web address for martial arts for the deaf and hard of hearing is www.deafkarate.com. Please use www.deafkarate.com as the main address for the deaf and hard of hearing community to access (because they can access the main website through this address.
For more information, contact Cary at email at [email protected] or (212) 737-2097 voice mail.
