Yehuda Katz was born in Ramat Gan, Israel, on July 18, 1959 to Yosef and Sarah Katz. Yehuda, as his parents say, "is a serious young man, but he also has a good sense of humor."
Yehuda's abiding passion in life is the study of Torah and Jewish Law. After high school, when Yehuda was drafted into the army, he served in the Hesder program, combining military service with religious studies.
He spent the study component at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, where he was the star student of his class. Friends recall that Yehuda was so immersed in learning that he barely slept four hours per night - less than in the army.
Yehuda planned to continue learning, and eventually become a Rabbi and teach at a Yeshiva upon his release from the army.
When the Shalom Hagalil war in Lebanon broke out, Yehuda was sent into battle at Sultan Yakoub as a member of a tank crew, only ten days before he was to finish his army service.
The night before the battle, Yehuda felt the tension and fear amongst the other soldiers. A natural leader and role model, he gathered them around and began teaching them the laws of proper conduct for a Jewish soldier in battle, as set forth by the Rambam (Rabbi Moses Maimonides). After his lesson, he led them in singing a song from chapter 23 of Tehillim (Psalms): "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because You are with me."
On June 11, 1982, at the age of 22, Yehuda Katz was captured at the battle of Sultan Yakoub, at the same time as Zvi Feldman, Zachary Baumel, Hezi Shai, and Aryeh Lieberman. Hezi Shai and Aryeh Lieberman were later freed in a prisoner exchange. Zachary, Zvi and Yehuda remain captives, held incommunicado over 25 years.
The families - including the Katz family and the yeshiva community - spent years following every fragment of a clue, hoping to locate their beloved sons. The yeshiva supported Yehuda Katz’s parents and the rest of his family throughout their struggle to bring him home, accompanying their efforts with prayers and Torah study.
In 5766 (2005–2006), twenty-four years after his disappearance, the “Yehuda Ya’aleh” collection was established in the yeshiva library in honor of Yekutiel Yehuda Nachman Katz. It was created from his personal notebooks and books, together with a generous donation from his family.
The family also established a fund to encourage the writing of Torah essays. Each year during Hanukkah, scholarships were awarded to the authors of the three outstanding essays.
In Adar 5771, Sarah, Yehuda’s mother, passed away. In Av 5774, Joseph, Yehuda’s father, passed away.
In 5779, the remains of Zachary Baumel were returned to Israel, thirty-seven years after the battle. The remains of Zvi Feldman were returned in 5785, in a covert Mossad operation.
On the fifth of Elul 5786, the remains of the last soldier missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub were identified - yeshiva student Yehuda Katz, may God avenge his blood. After forty-four years of uncertainty, Yehuda was finally brought home for burial in Israel.
Yehuda was a truly exceptional Torah scholar - a gifted and spiritually elevated young man, outstanding in both Torah learning and character. All his friends and acquaintances testified to his humility and exemplary conduct. He embodied a unique combination of safra v’sayfa - the scholar and the warrior and his remarkable character served as a personal example to many.