WILLIAM VAN CLEAVE

It is very difficult to write a few hundred words about such a great and multifaceted man, Shmuel Katz, whom I have long admired and loved. I am not going to try to summarize his lifetime of activity and accomplishment. I only wish to give a partial feeling for the kind of man he was. He was a man of principle, one of fierce integrity, of selfless dedication — a leader and a fighter. Jabotinsky once exclaimed tongue in cheek to him, “Katz, why is it that you can never stay out of trouble?” He was a teacher, mentor, historian, keen analyst of political realities, and unsurpassed writer. His books are timeless and should inform generations. His writings covered a broad range. The man who could conduct meticulous research to produce the scholarly, two volume Lone Wolf, could also write a short piece entitled “Middle East History for Dummies.”

Shmuel Katz was first and foremost a Zionist —perhaps the last of the great ones—going back to the age of 15 at least. The Jerusalem Post recently called him a “Zionist icon.” He not only believed strongly in the justice of a State of Israel, he also believed—along with Jabotinsky—in an unpartitioned and strong Eretz Yisrael. The opening lines of Jabotinsky’s poem, “The Song of Betar,” read : “From the pit of rot and dust, A nation shall arise, Proud and generous and hard.”

All the same, the attributes that have greatly impressed me about Shmuel, but are not sufficiently mentioned, were his modesty, his generosity, his capacity for love and friendship, and his constant sense of humor. A few examples and anecdotes:

In all of the many photos in the two volume Lone Wolf, Shmuel included only one of himself, and that with his back to the camera.

His possessions were never too precious to share with or give to friends, as when he gave me his own—and only— original copy of The Story of the Jewish Legion, nearly falling apart with age.

A few years ago I married a German Professor. For a honeymoon I took her to Israel, as much to meet Shmuel as to sightsee. Shmuel came shuffling into the lobby of the Wizo Parents Home with a smile. I said, “Shmuel I would like you to meet my wife.” As he extended his hand, his first words were, “Tell me, my dear, how does it feel to be married to a Zionist?” They spent the next couple of days in deep conversation.

And when occasionally speaking about money, which Shmuel really did not care about, his favorite line was: “There is no shame in being poor. Of course, it is no great honor either.”

I will miss this unique man terribly. I apply to Katz what he once said in an interview about Jabotinsky: “I tried to look for major faults. I really did. The problem was that I couldn’t find any.”

Dr. William R. Van Cleave is Professor Emeritus at the Department of Defense & Strategic Studies at Missouri State University.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 23rd, 2008 and is filed under news. You can leave a response.