The History and Culture of the Jews of Australia
Rabbi Cohen was welcomed to Temple Anshe Sholom as of July, 2007. Originally from Toronto, Rabbi Cohen previously served as Rabbi of the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong, the only Liberal Rabbi at the time serving in Asia. Rabbi Cohen has worked and studied in Canada, Israel, and the United States, and served for five years as Rabbi of the North Shore Temple Emanuel in Sydney, Australia. Rabbi Cohen holds a Bachelors Degree in English Literature from the University of Waterloo (Ontario) and a Masters Degrees in both Hebrew Literature and Education from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (California). He was ordained as a Rabbi at the Hebrew Union College in New York and last spring added another degree to his impressive resumé. In addition to his congregational work, Rabbi Cohen has worked extensively in the areas of Jewish Education (youth and adult), Inter-faith Relations and Jewish Folklore. A respected teacher and avid story-teller, Rabbi Cohen has served as Associate Director of Kolel, the Adult Centre for Liberal Jewish Learning in Toronto and on the faculty of the internationally renowned Brandies-Bardin Institute in Los Angeles. Rabbi Cohen has published in the areas of Jewish education and folklore, and his weekly Internet Torah commentaries have been translated into three languages. Rabbi Cohen is married to Paula Baruch, and together they share six wonderful children.