Jules D Cohn

Jules was born on February 20, 1947 in Queens, NY to Melvin and Miriam Cohn z”l. The family eventually moved to Massapequa, Long Island. Jules graduated from Farmingdale Senior High School and attended Hofstra University, also on Long Island. He graduated in 1969 and, having been in ROTC, was commissioned into the US Army as a Lieutenant. After marrying Bonnie z”l, he shipped out to Taiwan as it was during the Vietnam War. He was a communications officer and managed a staff of 100, both military and civilian.

After returning and finishing his active Army service, Jules remained in the reserves for 23 more years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. Jules and Bonnie z”l moved to Manalapan and raised their family here. Jules went back to school and earned an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University.

Jules spent 30 years in IT (information technology) starting out at New Jersey Bell. He then spent the rest of his career in retail holding positions of higher management positions, moving from Manager to Director to VP to CIO. Jules worked for Pathmark, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barney’s New York, Party City and Syms Corporation. At the end of his career he worked for IBM Global Services as a Managing Consultant in their retail practice, travelling worldwide – US, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Jules loved retail – it was in his blood.

Jules has been active in Synagogue life since coming to Manalapan more than 50 years ago. He was a founder of Temple Beth Shalom in Manalapan in 1978, and served multiple terms as their President.

After Bonnie’s untimely death from cancer, Jules met and married Beth Banks Cohn, who survives him. He is also survived by his son Steven, daughter-in-law Nicole and grandchildren Xander, Isabel and Sophia.

Jules and Beth joined Marlboro Jewish Center (MJC) over 20 years ago and quickly became an integral part of the community. Jules served as the chair of the Israel Affairs Committee for ten years. Most recently, Jules had revived the monthly Israeli Movie program that had been discontinued during the pandemic. This has become a crowd favorite, often drawing 50-60 people on a Sunday afternoon to watch the movie, learn and connect to Israel, and, of course, enjoy all the treats and popcorn. Jules has also organized the annual MJC Yom HaAtzmaut Shabbat Dinner, always bringing a speaker from Israel to talk about a different aspect of Israeli life.

In 2013 Jules was asked if MJC would be interested in applying for a grant for from Jewish National Fund in a pilot program in Israel Advocacy. This was the start of his involvement in JNF. As part of his involvement, Jules discovered the important work JNF was helping to support in the Arava. Jules quickly became involved and joined the Arava Task Force. Jules was also currently serving as the Central NJ JNF Board Secretary.

During their almost 22 years of marriage, Beth and Jules made 25 trips together to Israel, visiting family and friends and his beloved Arava. For his 75th Birthday, Beth made a sizeable donation in his honor to fund the Arava Emergency Response Services. They spent a wonderful week in the Arava diving deep into the life and work of those who make the Arava their home. They tried to visit the Arava on every trip to reconnect and be inspired by the growth and resilience of its residents.

Jules was a proud American and a proud Jew. He loved his family, his country, his Synagogue and Israel. He had friends from all parts of his life that he kept in touch with, both here and in Israel. He will be sorely missed by all.

A Funeral Service will also take place at Bloomfield-Cooper Jewish Chapels, 44 Wilson Avenue, Manalapan, NJ 07726, US, on March 9, 2026, at 11:00 am. Friends and extended family should arrive between 10:15am-10:45 am for the 11:00 am service time.

Burial will follow at Mount Sinai Cemetery & Mausoleum, 374 Hwy 79, Marlboro Township, NJ 07751, US, on March 9, 2026, from 12:15 pm to 1:00 pm.

The Period of Mourning will be observed at the Cohn Residence as follows: Monday following the burial, Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Donations in Jules's memory may be made to either the Jewish National Fund or to Marlboro Jewish Center.

A live stream available at

https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c26036002158236