H EADLINES
Social Justice Pioneer Rabbi Henry Cohen Dies at 93
described him as a person
of deep integrity who really
walked the walk.”
Over the next couple of
decades, Henry Cohen demon-
strated his interest in social
justice, Lisa Cohen said.

Accomplishments included
creating a Black-Jewish nursery
school; chairing the Jewish
Coalition for Peace; being part
of an interfaith clergy group
OB ITUARY
ANDY GOTLIEB | JE MANAGING EDITOR
RABBI HENRY COHEN,
who served at Beth David
Reform Congregation for
nearly 30 years and was a
longtime social justice activist,
died June 18. He was 93.

Rabbi Beth Kalisch, the
current rabbi at Beth David,
said Cohen was among a
vanguard of rabbis pushing for
social justice issues at a time
when that wasn’t common.

“A primary expression of
Judaism today is standing up
for others,” she said. “We owe
a big debt of gratitude to Rabbi
Cohen.” “I believe the main function
of a rabbi is to teach Judaism.

Th e question is, ‘How do you
teach?’”, he said in a 1993
Jewish Exponent article about
his pending retirement. “To me,
teaching Judaism is bringing
values of Judaism into people’s
lives. How do you do that? Not
by telling little Chasidic tales”
but “by creating a community
where those values are lived.”
See Cohen, Page 17
Jewish Exponent archives
Army chaplain, he served as an
assistant rabbi in Great Neck,
New York, and met his late
wife Edna.

Cohen next moved to
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois,
receiving a master’s degree in
the philosophy of education
and serving a congregation
there. But Cohen sought more
diversity and moved to
Philadelphia in 1964 to lead
Beth David — then one of only
three Reform congregation in
the area, according to the 1993
American National Community Commemoration of the 45th Anniversary
Honoring Lt. Col. Yoni Netanyahu
Monday July 5, 2021
Historic Congregation Mikveh Israel
44 N. 4th Street, Olde City, Philadelphia
- Steps from the Liberty Bell
Celebrating the Miraculous Rescue of Jewish hijacking victims of
terrorism, and the Heroism of Lt. Col Yoni Netanyahu and the IDF —
a “Virtual” and On-site Event
— Video Address by
Benjamin Netanyahu Former Prime
Minister of the State of Israel
– younger brother of Entebbe Hero Yoni Netanyahu
Emcees of Miracle at Entebbe Ceremony/Seminar:
Amb. Ido Aharoni, Ceremony MC
Gil Hoffman, Seminar MC
- Israel’s “Branding” Expert
- Longest serving Consul General of Israel to the
New York Consulate
- Jerusalem Post Chief Political
Reporter/Analyst Neshama Carlebach, Award-Winning Singer Songwriter
– performing during Ceremony and VIP Reception
RABBI BETH KALISCH
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM watch the news while we were
eating dinner, and there was
always discussion,” she said,
noting that those lessons helped
propel her to a career in social
work. “He would ask, ‘What
do you think?’ He wanted us
to think and look at the world.”
In the 1970s, Beth David
sponsored several Laotian “boat
people,” and Cohen was in the
forefront in helping them get
Rabbi Henry Cohen in 1993
A primary expression of Judaism today is
standing up for others. We owe a big debt of
gratitude to Rabbi Cohen.”
Th e Houston native was
born into a family of reform
rabbis who set the tone for
Cohen’s activism. Cohen’s
grandfather, also named
Henry, was the only rabbi on a
1930 list Th e New York Times
published, by prominent Rabbi
Stephen S. Wise, of “the ten
foremost religious leaders in
this country.”
Cohen graduated from the
University of Texas, then was
ordained at Hebrew Union
College. Aft er a stint as an
that visited Israel, Lebanon and
Jordan in 1974; and visiting
refuseniks in the Soviet Union
in 1986, then successfully
campaigning for the release of
Beth David’s then-Cantor Lilia
Kazansky’s parents.

Lisa Cohen said her father
was always thinking about his
place in the world and making
things better.

“Every night, we would
Exponent article — which was
then located in Philadelphia’s
racially mixed Wynnefield
neighborhood, daughter Lisa
Cohen said. It was something
his grandfather might do.

“He was most proud of
being his grandfather’s legacy,”
she said.

“Th at history gave him the
strength of conviction to know
that people wouldn’t always
agree with him ... but he knew
that what he had to do was
right,” Kalisch said. “Everyone
Noting the special significance of the American and Philadelphia connection in the Birthplace of American Liberty.

This is a story that is CENTRAL to the IDENTITY of Israelis … intending to become a touchstone for American
young adults to understand their own Jewish story.

The program will consist of:
• Seminar: emceed by Gil Hoffman, 11am ET; (6pm in Israel)
• National Ceremony: emceed by Amb. Ido Aharoni, 2pm ET,
(9pm in Israel)
• VIP Reception: with national community leadership and our
Israeli guests to “Launch” the American Foundation Creating
Leadership for Israel (AFCLI), 3:30pm ET.

This endeavor has been ongoing for the past 30 years, celebrated every five years by Young Jewish Leadership
Concepts (YJLC) and Rabbi Albert Gabbai of Congregation Mikveh Israel. In 2016 with the lead role of Steven L.

Friedman, Esq., who now serves as the national Chair for American Foundation Creating Leadership for Israel (AFCLI),
this truly became a national commemoration.

REGISTER AT: www.afcli.org
American Foundation
Creating Leadership
for Israel (AFCLI)
JEWISH EXPONENT
For more information contact: LBalcher@AFCLI.org
or text: 215-932-2974
JULY 1, 2021
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