The Katz Prize was founded 50 years ago by Marcos and Adina Katz, in memory of Marcos's mother, the late Golda Katz. They initiated the prize to encourage individuals and institutions that work to implement and integrate Halacha into modern life. Nominations for the prize will continue until the 4th of Elul this year.
Last year, due to the war, the prize was awarded without a nomination process to several prominent figures. Among them were Elisha Medan and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the Hesder yeshiva in Sderot led by Rabbi David Fandel, the Hillel international organization, Rabbi Yaakov Roja who faithfully worked on identifying casualties at the Shura institute, Sharon Laufer, a member of a unique team established to give final honor to female casualties, Ari Spitz, a soldier from the Hesder yeshiva in the Golan who was considered one of the most severely wounded in the 'Swords of iron' war, and others.
The judges of the prize committee who choose the winners are Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson, Rabbi Shlomo Dichovsky, and Rabbi Haim Sabato. Prizes of up to $25,000 for each winner will be awarded at a ceremony in Jerusalem after the holidays.
The Katz Prize has been awarded since 1975, and its goal is to encourage and recognize projects and individuals involved in the application and integration of Halacha in modern life, in both written works and practical endeavors.
Mordechai David (Marcos) Katz, of blessed memory, was a Holocaust survivor, a zealous and well-known Zionist, and a man of great deeds in Israel and around the world. Together with his wife Adina, they dedicated much of their strength, wealth, and time to Jewish education in Mexico, Israel, and the United States.
The story of Marcos Katz began on the banks of the Vistula river in the city of Krakow, Poland. As a descendant of a Hasidic family, Marcos Katz was excitedly preparing for his Bar mitzvah. Under the Nazi German occupation at the height of World war ii, he was ordered to report to a labor camp.
In what would become the guiding principle of his life, his family decided to take their fate into their own hands. With the help of forged passports, they crossed the border on their journey to Turkey and then to the Land of israel. Golda, Marcos's mother, remained at home and was sent to the Bergen-Belsen labor camp. At just 14 years old, alone, Marcos first set foot on the soil of the Land of israel. A few months later, Marcos's father joined him from his layover in Istanbul after Marcos secured his immigration papers.
In 1944, the Katz family was informed that the family's mother, Golda, had perished in the Holocaust. Marcos Katz refused to believe the message, and in 1946, he waited for the immigrant ship arriving at the Atlit port. His feelings were justified when his mother disembarked from the immigrant ship.
In 1947, Marcos Katz followed his family to Mexico, and at just 20 years old, he was appointed director of the Jewish school in the city of Motrin, Mexico. After about three years in Mexico, Adina joined him, and together they began to write the story of their shared life. Even though they built their lives thousands of miles away, the moral compass of Adina and Marcos Katz was always directed towards the State of Israel, and they worked to strengthen ties with the young state, influence the building of its power, and shape its Jewish and Zionist identity.
Marcos Katz immediately stood out as a successful industrialist, a lawyer, and a prominent leader in the Jewish community, but above all, as a teacher and educator who understood the importance of the connection between the Jewish people in the diaspora and the State of Israel.
Among the recipients of the Katz prize so far are dozens of individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the application of Halacha in modern life, including: Rabbi Lord Dr. Jonathan Sacks, Rabbi Tzvi (Hershel) Schachter, the late Rabbi Yehoshua Neuwirth, Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg, the late Rabbi S.Y. Zevin, the late Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Dr. Chana Katan and Professor Shulamit Levenberg, Supreme court justice Professor Menachem Elon, Professor Aviad Hacohen, Professor Nahum Rakover, Professor Yehuda Felix, Rabbi Shmuel Yaniv, the Talmudic encyclopedia project, and others.
This article was written in cooperation with Katz prize