Mestre Israel was born in 1973 and started street Capoeira in 1982, with a slave descendent. He is a graduate of Mestre Joanito Bahiano, founder of the group Ilha de Itaparica. Whilst with this group he met many famous mestres, including Mestre Carioca, Mestre Valdir , Mestre Demir (now deceased), Mestre Almir, Mestre Risada, Mestre Ananias, Mestre Miguel, Mestre Joel, Mestre Brazilia and Mestre Santana, to name but a few. Although his Capoeira lineage is short, it is very noble.
He trained and graduated with the group Ilha de Itaparica with Mestre Joanito Bahiano. Mestre Joanito Bahiano is in turn a graduate of the group Capitães de Areia led by Mestre Almir das Areias, who is a graduate of the group Cordão de Ouro led by Mestre Suassuna. In 1996, when he felt he was ready to teach, he founded the capoeira group Ginga de Quilombo.
In 1997 he started travelling and played Capoeira in more than 90% of the cities in the São Paulo state, and in São Paulo itself, one of the biggest cities in the world. He also played Capoeira in Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso do Sul, Panama, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Bahia and within numerous other states in Brazil. He also witnessed and played Capoeira with the indigenous Brazilians.
In 1998 he received the certificate of professional Capoeira teacher. It was given to him by the Brazilian Association of Capoeira, and signed by the president of the association and the secretary of employment and work relations. He became Mestre in 1998 after years of hard work and dedication put into Capoeira teaching and training. He learned a bit more about Capoeira Regional with Mestre Luizinho Machado, son of Mestre Bimba. He learned a bit more of Capoeira Angola with Mestre Jogo de Dentro, Marcelo Angola, and Marcelo son of Cobra Mansa among others.
He is the founder of the project ‘Capoeira in Childhood’. The project required him to teach Capoeira in primary and secondary schools to more than 500 children. He is also the founder of a project for street children, which was developed in conjunction with the Culture, Education and Sports departments of Brazil, and the support of the town council and its deputies. He was the organiser of the national meeting of Capoeira called Ginga Mogi Guaçu, where more than a 1000 Capoeiristas of more than 58 different Capoeira groups from several Brazilian states and more than 30 Mestres of Capoeira, came together to honour the biggest open Capoeira championship in Brazil in 2003.
In 2003, the group was implemented in several cities of the state of São Paulo, and the group was being taught by teachers that were truly his students. In the same year, the group Ginga de Quilombo started operating in London, England.