Yossi Katz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2 June 1953 |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Occupation | Historical Geography |
| Employer | Bar-Ilan University |
Yossi Katz is professor emeritus at the Bar-Ilan University, an expert in historical geography. His main research interests include Jewish settlement in towns and villages in the new era, settlemental, economic, political and cultural aspects of the history of Palestine and Israel, including Zionism, land laws, kibbutzim, and communal settlements in Canada. [1]
As of 2021 [update] , Yossi Katz is chair for the Study of the History and Activities of the Jewish National Fund and Chair of University Publishing, Bar-Ilan. [1] He was also professor at the Department of Geography (later Department of Geography and Environment). [2]
While doing research on the Jewish National Fund (which was charged with buying and developing land in Ottoman Palestine (later the British Mandate for Palestine), Katz accidentally run into the issue of the Holocaust survivor assets held in Israel. [3] His 1997 article on the subject, "Forgotten Property. The Fate of the Property of Those Who Perished in the Holocaust in Israel" (in Hebrew) exposes that Israeli banks, the Administrator General and various land-dealing organizations held much property arisen from the investments of the European Jews in Israel during 1920s and 1930s. [4] [5] The article triggered political actions [3] and was instrumental in establishing a Parliamentary Investigative Committee on the issue, [6] and Yossi Katz was appointed a consultant [7] [8] by the Knesset to deal with the issue starting in 2000. The same year Katz expanded his article into the book (in Hebrew) Rechush Shenishkach [Forgotten Property]. [7] Katz wrote that much property (land, houses, shares, securities, etc.) in Mandate Palestine were purchased by European Jews, many of whom perished in the Holocaust. [9] Since a considerable number of these Jews were citizens of Germany and other "enemy states", their properties were seized by British Custodian of Enemy Property in 1939. But some of it remained in other hands. Later the British Custodian transferred the seized assets to the corresponding Israel Custodian, who treated them in the same way, as "enemy property". They were further transferred to Administrator General. [8] According to Israeli lawyer Mordechai Tzivin, under the British Law, Rabbanut formally became the apotropos (legal custodian) of some of these properties, but as Katz demonstrated, Rabbanut failed in this respect. [10]
Yossi Katz's activity in this respect was mentioned in the citation for his 2016 Israel Prize.
As of 2016 [update] Katz has written 27 books, 6 of which address the history of KKL-JNF and its struggle for land. [4]
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