Hayim Katsman

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Hayim Katsman
חיים כצמן
Born(1991-10-03)3 October 1991
Israel
Died7 October 2023(2023-10-07) (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]

Contents

Life

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] He grew up in a Religious Zionist household. Katsman was an avid reader from a young age. As a teenager he read works by Richard Dawkins, which significantly influenced his decision to stop being religiously observant. At 16, he was expelled from the religious high school he attended after refusing to stop openly criticizing religion despite a request from the school administration. He was sent to attend at an external high school program and at age 17 began studying philosophy at the Open University of Israel. He had to pause his studies to do mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces. [4]

Katsman grew up in Petah Tikva, [5] 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] [6] He later opened a bar there. [2] He was also a DJ who played a wide range of Arabic music. He deejayed at friend's parties and various events under the stage name "Dr. 3abass". On the evening before the October 7 attack, he had deejayed at a farewell party close to the Nova music festival. [7]

Following his military service, Katsman resumed his philosophy studies at the Open University of Israel. After discovering that the university did not offer a standalone philosophy degree and that he would need to pursue a double major, he chose political science as his second major. During his studies he developed a passion for political science and decided to pursue further academic studies in the subject. [4] He subsequently earned a master's degree in political science from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where he led the adjunct professors' union. [2] [1] [3] He then 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] [6] Katsman returned to Holit after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] He completed his degree remotely, winning the Baruch Kimmerling prize (given by the Association for Israel Studies) for best graduate paper in 2020 [5] and graduating in 2021. [1] [3] His dissertation focused on religious Zionism in Israel. [5]

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] [8] He testified for Breaking the Silence, [8] volunteered to transport Palestinians from Gaza to medical appointments in Israel, and was also involved with volunteer work in Rahat. He was fluent in Arabic. [2] [7]

Katsman was working as a lecturer on philosophy, politics, and Israeli society at Hadassah Academic College at the time of his death. [1] [4] His academic research focused on religious Zionist communities. [3]

Death

Katsman was in Holit when it was attacked by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023 and attempted to assist his neighbors. He initially ran to the home of his neighbor Tehila Katabi and found that she had been killed. He then ran to the home of his other neighbor, Avital Alajem and hid with her in the closet with her, shielding her with his body. Katsman was shot dead after Hamas fighters entered the house while Alajem survived. [2] [1] [9] She was then taken by Hamas militants to Gaza along with two children from the kibbutz, a four-month old baby and a four-year old child. They were abandoned by their captors and Alajem was able to take the children 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. [10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hayim Katsman, 32: US-Israeli scholar and peace activist". The Times of Israel. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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. 1 2 3 Dr. Hayim Katsman: A Brilliant Academic Lecturer and Car Mechanic
  5. 1 2 3 4 Girgis, Lauren (9 October 2023). "UW alum among those killed in Israel by Hamas". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  6. 1 2 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.
  7. 1 2 Philosopher-turned-DJ who believed in human kindness was murdered on October 7
  8. 1 2 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.
  9. ↑ A Survivor's Last Day
  10. ↑ "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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