From Disaster to Victory? A Conversation with Author Yaakov Katz
Hosted By: The New York Jewish Week, UJA-Federation of New York
Israel was surprised on October 7 and drawn into its longest war. How did the country fall asleep and what can be done to prevent this from ever happening again? The war may be over, but the uneasy peace that has followed leaves us with more questions.
Join New York Jewish Week and UJA-Federation New York for the next event in our Folio literary series: author Yaakov Katz and Ami Eden, CEO & Executive Editor of 70 Faces Media will discuss the latest developments in Gaza and While Israel Slept, the inside story of how Hamas, Israel’s weakest enemy, succeeded in launching a surprise attack on one of the world’s most powerful militaries. Through a detailed examination of the events leading up to October 7, 2023, the book exposes the intelligence and strategic failures that enabled this devastating invasion. It takes readers back in time, showing how years of complacency, mistaken intelligence analysis, and a misguided policy of containment enabled Hamas to prepare for an assault that Israel did not believe was possible and that would change the Middle East.
Yaakov Katz, former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post and a Nieman Fellow specializing in military history, tactics and weaponry, is the author of best sellers Shadow Strike, The Weapon Wizards, and Israel vs. Iran. His new book, While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East, is an inside account of the failures leading to October 7 and lessons for the road ahead. He writes a weekly column for The Jerusalem Post that incisively translates current events into strategic assessments.
