I've Always Wondered
What Is the Origin of the Name “Katz”? Originally Published December 23-25, 2021.

Katz or Catz is from an abbreviation for Kohen tzedek (כהן צדק), or “priest of righteousness.”  The acronym of those two words - כʺצ - spells “Katz.”  (Remember that the gershayim ʺ indicate an abbreviation - see https://bethshalompgh.org/what-are-those-thingy-dos-in-that-abbreviation-originally-published-march-6-7-2020/ for a reminder.)  And that is nearly always the derivation of the name among Jews of Ashkenazi […]

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