J. Simcha Cohen Explained

Jack Simcha Cohen^[1] (1936–2014) was an "18th consecutive communal rabbi in his family"^[2] and "the face of Orthodox Judaism" to a TV program "viewed by millions each week." He held positions in New York, New Jersey, California (18 years) and Australia, with his "final position in the rabbinate" in Florida.^[2]

Cohen, who died on his 78th birthday, was also a long time columnist in The Jewish Press and the author of several books. His first involvement in Jewish public life had been with National Council of Synagogue Youth (NCSY).

Education

He attended public school during his early elementary years while studying with his father, rabbi of an Orthodox synagogue in Asbury Park, New Jersey. His formal education continued at Yeshiva Chaim Berlin from which he received rabbinical ordination.

His use of "J. Simcha" and "Jack Simcha" can be traced to marrying Shoshana Nayman during his postgraduate studies, and his father-in-law's first name Yaakov, being the same as his.^[2]

Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty

See main article: Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. Cohen was their first executive director.^[3] Although known by shorter names,^[4] the full name was "Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty."^{[1] [5] [6]}

New Jersey

His first pulpit position was "at Congregation Ahawas Achim B'nai Jacob and David" in West Orange, New Jersey.

California

He was described by the Los Angeles Times as "Orthodox Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen, 50, spiritual leader of Congregation Shaarei Tefila in Los Angeles" when he became president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.^[7] The newspaper described the board as a "240-member body dominated by rabbis from the Reform and Conservative branches." Cohen served the synagogue for 18 years.^[2]

Australia

His involvement in the Jewish community of Melbourne, Australia included synagogue rabbi and kashrus supervision.^{[2] [8]}

He arrived there in 1996;^{[9] [10]} shortly after he died, an Australian rabbi/educator wrote about his "pleasant disposition .. a professional American style Rabbi with lots of grandeur."^[11]

Florida (final position in the rabbinate)

After leaving Australia Cohen became the rabbi of Congregation Aitz Chaim, in West Palm Beach. As of that time, he had authored six books.^{[12] [13]}

While in Florida he continued writing his Jewish Press column, but also began contributing to a 2007-founded Torah weblog, Jewish Ideas.

Jewish Press column

His Halachic Questions column originated when a future associate editor of The Jewish Press, while vacationing in Los Angeles, met and encouraged Cohen to talk with the New York-based paper's co-founder Sholom Klass.^[2] The latter two metwhen Cohen was visiting New York. He began "to write a weekly halacha column" for which "the final installment .. appeared in the paper .. days before his death."

Some topics were tip-of-the-iceberg.^{[14] [15]}

Appointing Women Leaders

An example of a topic he wrote about in 1999,^[16] which has become of practical application for Modern Orthodox synagogues by 2017, is the matter of synagogues with a woman president.^[17] He cited two earlier writings from prior generations with:

• "perhaps the requirement .. to be a male" is negated if she is more qualified than male alternative candidates.
• since it's compared to being a king, and Jewish kings were intended to rule in the Land of Israel, then outside Israel might be OK.

He conceded that both of these were "not reported as halachic rulings" and are just theoretical.

Family, privacy, charity

His Obligations of a Charity Collector^[18] backed with 3 citations that a communal charity official not only may but must reveal to family members that their relative needs financial assistance, even overriding "whether the claimant for funds gives such permission."

Books

Cohen, who was described as "a Talmud scholar and prolific author"^{[7] [19]} authored:

• Intermarriage and Conversion: A Halakhic Solution^{[20] [21]}
• The 613th Commandment: An Analysis of the Mitzvah to Write a Sefer Torah^[22]
• How Does Jewish Law Work?^[23]
• Shabbat: The Right Way: Resolving Halachic Dilemmas^[24]
• Timely Jewish Questions, Timeless Rabbinic Answers^[25]
• The Jewish Heart: Essays on Jewish Sensitivities^[26]
• Jewish Prayer: The Right Way^[27]

Notes and References

1. News: The New York Times. Aged Jews call Coney a jungle. October 28, 1973.
2. News: . A Silken Man, Made Of The Finest Fibers: Remembering Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen . Sandy Eller . August 6, 2014.
3. Web site: Our Mission. selected Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen as its first Executive Director .
4. Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty; Met Council; listed by Jstor as NY Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty
5. Book: Impact of Federal Policies on Employment, Poverty, and Other Programs 1973. President Jerome ... Executive Director Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen. 1973. UIUC# 30112106909374
6. News: JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) . Temporary Restraining Order Continued Against Jewish Anti-poverty Group . filed by Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen, Coordinating Council executive director. . May 15, 1975.
7. News: . Orthodox Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen, 50, spiritual leader . June 24, 1989.
8. Web site: Torat Zion : essays on contrmporary (SIC!) religious Zionist issues . J. Simcha Cohen ... Melbourne, Australia .
9. Book: Eshkolot: Essays in Memory of Rabbi Ronald Lubofsky . Hybrid Publishers.
10. Web site: Mizrachi: Religious Leadership. Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen, 1996-2003.
11. Web site: December 2, 2014. Farewell Rabbi Yaakov Sprung. That Rabbi was replaced by the recently deceased and well-known, Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen Z"L.
12. Web site: Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen.
13. His seventh work, Jewish Prayer: The Right Way, was published in 2012. One work was in two volumes.
14. Such as, before the OU's item regarding standing up when a Jewish bride and groom enter, something that wasn't done as recently as the 1980s. This column reached back that far/Rabbis Feinstein and Kaminetsky: News: . Standing for a Chatan and a Kallah . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen . June 6, 2003 . 32.
15. OU, 2017, followup to 2016/Ari Zivotofsky's "What's the truth aboutstanding for a Chatan and Kallah?: Jewish Action (OU) . Summer 2017 . 2. How a Minhag evolved . Peretz Perl.
16. News: . Appointing Women Leaders . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen . November 12, 1999 . 37.
17. News: Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) . Orthodox Union's new project says women don't need to be rabbis to be leaders . Ben Sales . October 23, 2017.
18. News: . Obligations of a Charity Collector . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia . December 27, 1996 . 57.
19. and whose life had the blessings of two numbers: 18 and 26. He was an "18th consecutive communal rabbi in his family" and lived to age 78, triple the number 26. Triple-strength is called Chut HaMeShuLash (Koheles, 4:12), described biblically as not readily broken.
20. Book: 978-0881-25125-8 . Intermarriage and Conversion: A Halakhic Solution . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen . 1987.
21. That which a review calls "a totally new solution" is referred to as "the doctrine of the 'minor convert' (Ger Katan) in: Book: 978-15575-3692-1 . Who Is a Jew? Reflections on History, Religion, and Culture . 143 . Greenspoon . Leonard Jay . 2014. ; the book, to which Rabbi Broyde contributed, acknowledges Cohen being there first (though still not widely practiced), and Cohen's solution is cited as reference# 41.
22. Book: 978-1568-21249-4 . 1983 . the conversion of children born to gentile mothers . 23259486 . author of The 613th Commandment and . Simcha Cohen . J..
23. Volume I published 1987, volume II published 1993. Book: 978-0876-68155-8 . How Does Jewish Law Work? . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen . 1993.
24. Book: Shabbat: The Right Way . 978-9655-24021-4 . Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen . 2009.
25. Book: 978-0876-68784-0. Timely Jewish Questions, Timeless Rabbinic Answers. Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen. 1990.
26. Book: 1985. The Jewish Heart: Essays on Jewish Sensitivities. Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen. 978-0881-25065-7.
27. Book: 2012. Jewish Prayer: The Right Way. Rabbi J. Simcha Cohen. 978-9655-24068-9.