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Hayim Katsman

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Hayim Katsman
Born(1991-10-03)3 October 1991
Israel
Died7 October 2023(2023-10-07) (aged 32)
Holit, Israel
Cause of deathHolit 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

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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-cordinator 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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "US citizen Hayim Katsman's funeral to take place at 7 p.m." The Jerusalem Post. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
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