Military Reporter to Offer Analysis on Israel’s Security
Noted journalist, author and Nieman Fellow, Yaakov Katz will give a lecture on “Israel’s Security in a Changing Middle East,” Thursday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rehm Library at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, supported by the Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding, is free and open to the public.
Katz is a military correspondent and defense analyst for the Jerusalem Post, and he is the Israel correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, the international military magazine. His first book, “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War,” became a national bestseller in Israel in 2011 and was published in the United States in May 2012.
In his talk at Holy Cross, Katz will discuss the changes in the Middle East and their impact on Israel’s strategic standing in the region. He also will analyze the threat posed to Israel by Iran with its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Katz has covered Israeli military operations over the past decade including the pullout from the Gaza Strip in 2005, the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009. A popular lecturer on military affairs and former correspondent for USA Today, Katz is a frequent contributor to numerous American publications and a regular commentator on Israel Television, Sky News, Al Jazeera, and other networks. As a current Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, Katz is studying the use of censorship in the digital age to determine whether it is relevant and consistent with democratic values and if it can be applied differently, especially in coverage of Israel and the Middle East.
Originally from Chicago, Katz moved to Israel in 1993 and served in the Israel Defense Forces Armored Corps. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children and has a law degree from Bar-Ilan University.
The Kraft-Hiatt Fund for Jewish-Christian Understanding, administered by the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture at Holy Cross, is committed to deepening understanding of Judaism, Jewish life around the world, and Jewish-Christian relations. To learn more about this event and find lectures online, visit www.holycross.edu/mcfarlandcenter.
About the Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J. Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:
Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the McFarland Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College’s commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope. The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.
For additional information, please contact Cristal Steuer at 508-793-2419.