Hayim Katsman
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| Born | (1991-10-03)3 October 1991
Israel
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| Died | 7 October 2023(2023-10-07) (aged 32)
Holit, Israel
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| Cause of death | Holit massacre |
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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]
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 Washington, he taught Hebrew at a Seattle 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]
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 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[1]
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