{"id":92108,"date":"2026-03-30T14:28:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/?p=92108"},"modified":"2026-03-30T14:28:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T19:28:31","slug":"israeli-american-soldier-moshe-katz-killed-in-lebanon-rocket-strike-laid-to-rest-on-mt-herzl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/israeli-american-soldier-moshe-katz-killed-in-lebanon-rocket-strike-laid-to-rest-on-mt-herzl\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli-American soldier Moshe Katz, killed in Lebanon rocket strike, laid to rest on Mt. Herzl"},"content":{"rendered":"

By GRACE GILSON<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 Hundreds gathered on Sunday night at Israel\u2019s military cemetery on Mt. Herzl for the funeral of Moshe Yitzchak Hacohen Katz, an American-born Israeli soldier who was killed by a rocket strike on Saturday in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n

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People gather for the funeral of Stg. Moshe Itzhak Hacohen Katz, 22, on March 29, 2026 in Jerusalem. (Erik Marmor\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Katz, 22, from New Haven, Connecticut, is the fifth Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon since Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in Lebanon, resumed attacks on Israel following a 2024 ceasefire, after Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith unspeakable tragedy I regret to inform you that my 22 year old son Moshe Yitzchak a*h a sergeant in the idf, fell in battle in Lebanon,\u201d Katz\u2019s father, Mendy, wrote in a post on Facebook on Saturday. \u201cMy oldest Son with a zest for life and jokes. Burial is tomorrow in israel. Maybe we only share good news. My heart is shattered and the wound is real.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mendy Katz had been in Israel when the war began and posted on March 7 about witnessing his son\u2019s graduation from basic training with the Israel Defense Forces before returning to the United States via Egypt.<\/p>\n

During the funeral on Sunday, Katz, who was posthumously promoted from corporal to sergeant and was affiliated with Chabad, was eulogized by a host of fellow soldiers who referred to him as a \u201ctrue friend\u201d who \u201calways used to make sure that anyone around him was always taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMoshe was a brave soldier, we have proof of that, but more than that, he was a loyal friend, he was a hard-working son and a loving, caring brother,\u201d Adina, Katz\u2019s sister, said between tears during her eulogy. \u201cMoshe\u2019s body might be gone, but his legacy is not. He was a proud soldier and a proud Jew, and we are the proudest family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Adina Katz speaks during the funeral of Stg. Moshe Itzhak Hacohen Katz, 22, on March 29, 2026 in Jerusalem. (Erik Marmor\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered condolences to Katz\u2019s family in a post on X and wished a speedy recovery to three other soldiers moderately wounded in the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoshe z\u201dl immigrated to the land from the United States, enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought bravely for the defense of our homeland,\u201d Netanyahu wrote. \u201cOn behalf of all Israeli citizens, we embrace Moshe z\u201dl\u2019s family in this difficult hour and wish a swift and complete recovery to our fighters who were wounded in that incident.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Netanyahu announced that he had instructed the Israeli military to further expand its operations in Lebanon in order to \u201cfinally thwart the threat of invasion and to push the anti-tank missile \u200bfire away from our border.\u201d<\/p>\n

Menachem Geisinsky, a photographer and friend of Katz\u2019s, also eulogized him in a post on Facebook, writing that he \u201cforever will be my hero\u201d for \u201chis bravery in coming all the way from New Haven, Connecticut to fight for what he believed was right and also for being a man who wouldn\u2019t tolerate a frown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo be like Moshe. Be a hero. Make someone\u2019s day. Make someone giggle or smile,\u201d wrote Geisinsky. \u201cStep up, and be the man Moshe was, and forever will be remembered as.\u201d<\/p>\n

Katz is survived by his parents, Mendy and Devorah Katz; siblings Adina, Yehuda, Shua and Dubi; and grandparents.<\/p>\n

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