About Jacob Katz in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume XXVII

About Jacob Katz

The article reviews Jacob Katz’s life and scholarship, from his dissertation completed in Germany in 1934 through his last book, which had already been submitted to the publisher when he died. Katz entered academia relatively late in life, at the age of fifty, and was a very prolific researcher and author. His research approach combined sociological and historical methods to produce insightful works on modern Jewish history in Europe, the development of antisemitism, and other subjects. Throughout his research Katz probed two central issues: Jewish-Gentile relations in changing times and in times of crisis; and the rift that has fractured modern Jewish society, including the process of fragmentation and adjustment to the surrounding society’s ideas and lifestyles. The authors address Katz’s originality, audacity, and independent thinking, the breadth of the eras and themes in which he dealt, and his numerous important and original writings.