Hayim Katsman
Hayim Katsman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 October 1991 Israel |
| Died | 7 October 2023 (aged 32) Holit, Israel |
| Cause of death | Holit massacre |
| Alma mater | |
Hayim Katsman (Hebrew: חיים כצמן; 3 October 1991 – 7 October 2023) was an American-Israeli peace activist and academic. He was murdered in the Holit massacre in Israel, on 7 October 2023.[1]
Life
[edit]Katsman was born in Israel on 3 October 1991.[2][1] His parents immigrated to Israel from New York City in 1990.[2] His mother was originally from Cincinnati, and his father was from Seattle.[3] His maternal grandparents were both Holocaust survivors.[3] Katsman lived in Petah Tikva,[4] but after completing his mandatory IDF service, he moved to kibbutz Holit out of a desire to "revive" the community.[3] He initially worked as a car mechanic, before becoming a gardener for the kibbutz.[2][5] He later opened a bar there.[2]
Katsman attended Open University, where he studied philosophy and political science, before pursuing a master's degree in politics from Ben-Gurion University, where he led the adjunct professors' union.[2][1][3] He moved to Seattle to pursue a PhD in international studies from the University of Washington. While in Seattle, he taught Hebrew at a synagogue and was a co-coordinator of the university's Israel-Palestine research group.[2][5] Katsman returned to Holit after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] He completed his degree remotely, winning the Baruch Kimmerling prize (given by the Association for Israel Studies) for best graduate paper in 2020[4] and graduating in 2021.[1][3] His dissertation focused on religious Zionism in Israel.[4]
Katsman was opposed to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and refused to visit Israeli settlements there.[2] He was involved in several activist groups, including Machsom Watch[3] and a group that organized "protective presence" shifts for Palestinian communities in the Hebron Hills.[2][6] He testified for Breaking the Silence,[6] and was also involved with volunteer work in Rahat.[2]
Katsman was working as a lecturer on philosophy, politics, and Israeli society at the time of his death.[1] His academic research focused on religious Zionist communities.[3]
Death
[edit]Katsman was in the kibbutz of Holit when it was attacked by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023. He and his neighbor were hiding in a closet together in his home, and when they were found he shielded her with his body; she survived.[2][1] She was then taken by Hamas militants to Gaza, but was abandoned by her captors. She was able to take a four-month-old baby and a four-year-old child back to Holit.[3]
Katsman was 32 years old at the time of his death. He was buried on 12 October in Petah Tikva, at the Yarkon Cemetery.[7]
Katsman's friends and family have said Katsman would not have wanted his death to be used as justification for the Israel-Hamas war.[1]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g "Hayim Katsman, 32: US-Israeli scholar and peace activist". The Times of Israel. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Silow-Carroll, Andrew (11 October 2023). "Faces of Israel's fallen: Soldiers, peace activists, a family of 5 and more". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harpaz, Beth (12 October 2023). "He was a peace activist with a PhD. In dying, Hayim Katsman saved 3 other lives". The Forward. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b c d Girgis, Lauren (9 October 2023). "UW alum among those killed in Israel by Hamas". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b Rabin, Roni Caryn (10 October 2023). "Peace Activists Are Among the Israelis Missing and Killed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ a b Graham-Harrison, Emma; Kierszenbaum, Quique (19 October 2023). "'Do not use our pain to bring death': plea to Israel from peace activists' grieving families". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ "US citizen Hayim Katsman's funeral to take place at 7 p.m." The Jerusalem Post. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
- 1991 births
- 2023 deaths
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American academics
- 21st-century Israeli Jews
- 21st-century Israeli educators
- American anti-war activists
- American expatriates in Israel
- American terrorism victims
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev alumni
- Civilians killed in the Israel–Hamas war
- Israeli academics
- Israeli anti-war activists
- Israeli people of American-Jewish descent
- Israeli terrorism victims
- Open University of Israel alumni
- People from Petah Tikva
- People from Southern District (Israel)
- University of Washington alumni
- Kibbutzniks