Jacob Katz

Jacob Katz (Hebrew: יעקב כ"ץ) (born 15 November 1904 in Magyargencs, Hungary, died 20 May 1998 in Israel) was an acclaimed Jewish historian and educator.

Katz described "traditional society" and deployed sociological methods in his study of Jewish communities, with special attention to changes in halakhah (Jewish law) and Orthodoxy. He pioneered the modern study of Orthodoxy and its formation in reaction to Reform Judaism.

In his youth he pursued both religious and secular studies, receiving rabbinic ordination and a doctorate in social history. At the age of 12, he left to study in Celldomolk. Afternoon hours were devoted to Jewish studies in the Talmud-Torah of the community. During this period he lived with a host family and returned home every few weeks for Sabbaths and holidays.

Awards and recognition Katz was recognized as "one of this century's greatest and most influential historians of the Jews." In 1974 he became an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

In 1980, Katz was awarded the Israel Prize, for "history of the Jewish people.

Published works

Tradition and Crisis: Jewish Society at the End of the Middle Ages From Prejudice to Destruction: Anti-Semitism, 1700-1933 Exclusiveness and Tolerance: Studies in Jewish-Gentile Relations in Medieval and Modern Times The Darker Side of Genius Out of the Ghetto: The Social Background of Jewish Emancipation, 1770-1870 The "Shabbes Goy" Divine Law in Human Hands: Case Studies in Halakhic Flexibility A House Divided: Orthodoxy and Schism in Nineteenth-Century Central European Jewry