Label A. Katz was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 22, 1918 to Ralph Katz, who had emigrated from Odessa in 1903, and Matilda Counterman Katz, a New Orleans native. After receiving a BA (1938) and LLB (1941) degree from Tulane University, Label Katz practiced law and invested in housing rehabilitation and real estate.
Highly active in Jewish organizations, Katz was especially involved with B’nai B’rith, starting in 1932 as a 15-year-old member of its youth organization, Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA). He went on to become president of B’nai B’rith Lodge No. 182 of New Orleans, 1946-1947; president of B’nai B’rith District Grand Lodge No. 7, 1953-1954; chairman of the B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation League Committee in New Orleans, 1955-1958; and president of B’nai B’rith International, 1959-1965. During his B’nai B’rith International presidency, Katz focused on issues of Jewish education and international affairs, particularly in respect to Soviet Jewry. He also served as district chairman of B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation and the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization and chairman of the Anti-Defamation League Mid-South Regional Board.
Additionally, on the national level, Katz was chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, 1960-1961, and president of the National Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds. Locally, Katz served as president of the Communal Hebrew School of New Orleans, 1943-1948, which he himself had attended; president of the New Orleans Jewish Welfare Fund, 1955-1958; and vice president of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans. Katz was a member of both Orthodox and Reform Jewish congregations.
In 1940, Katz married Alice Mayer, who became president of the Ida Weis Friend chapter of B’nai B’rith Women, and they had two sons, William and Robert, and a daughter, Walda. Katz died on April 3, 1975.
References
"Necrology: United States." American Jewish Year Book, 1977, p. 596.
“Autobiographical Materials;” Label A. Katz Papers; P-92; Box 1, Folder 1.
From the guide to the Label A. Katz Papers, 1910s-1969, bulk 1953-1965, (American Jewish Historical Society)
