RABBI H. Hirsch Cohen

H. Hirsch Cohen, revered rabbi who began his distinguished career as the assistant rabbi at the Cape Cod Synagogue, died peacefully in his sleep on November 25, three weeks shy of his 97th birthday. A fifty year resident of Centerville, Hirsch recently moved to Connecticut to be closer to family after his beloved wife, Claudia, passed away in 2017.

Hirsch grew up in Lowell, MA. His mother, Alice Ziskind, was a homemaker who also performed in Yiddish plays. His father, Nathan Cohen, owned and operated the Merrimack paper tube factory.

Hirsch graduated magna cum laude from NROTC Tufts University as an Economics Major. During World War II, he served as ensign in the Japanese language school in Boulder, Colorado, before locating to the South Pacific. Under the G.I. bill, he later studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel, while serving as Near East correspondent for Fairchild Publications.

After enrolling at Hebrew Union college in Cincinnati, Ohio, Hirsch was awarded a master of Hebrew letters degree. In 1949-1950, he was the summer rabbi at the Cape Cod Synagogue. A seminal experience, he later brought his young family to the Cape each summer beginning in 1960, forging life long friendships with native Cape residents. His outgoing, convivial personality earned him the moniker, “the mayor of Kalmus Beach.”

In 1952, Hirsch was awarded a master of Hebrew letters degree and assumed a new position as assistant rabbi of Reform Congregational Kenneth Israel in Philadelphia. It was there that he met Claudia Abraham, a bright, vivacious member of his congregation. They were married in 1953. A daughter, Deborah Lynn, was born in 1955. In 1957, he received a doctor of sacred theology degree from the school of theology of Temple University. After relocating to Contra Costa, California later that year, a son, Douglas Jonathan, was born.

Hirsch joined B’nai B’rith Hillel Foundation and was assigned to the University of Illinois in Urbana. In 1965, he became the Hillel rabbi at the University of Connecticut in Storrs and also lectured on biblical literature for nearly two decades before retiring in 1993. He wrote two books based on stories from Genesis: The Drunkenness of Noah (University of Alabama Press, 1974) and All About Eden: The Genesis of Sex, published last May by FriesenPress.

In 1994, Hirsch and Claudia made the Cape their full-time home. Hirsch’s firm handshake, disarming smile, contagious laugh, eloquent manner, intellectual curiosity and zest for life impacted all who knew him. He was an avid walker and adept conversationalist who continued to inspire neighbors and members of the community.

He is survived by his brother, Dr. Arthur Cohen of Keene, NH, his daughter, Deborah Hall, a recently retired healthcare business owner in Knoxville, Tennessee, and his son, Douglas Cohen, a musical theater writer and vocal coach in New York City, as well as 3 grandchildren: Colin Curlee and Alison Smith, and Jeremy Cohen. He is also survived by his son-in-law, James Hall, and daughter-in-law, Catherine Kiliper.

Services will be conducted Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 11:00 AM by Rabbi David Freelund at the Cape Cod Synagogue. The family requests that all donations in Hirsch's honor be made to mazon.org and the Cape Cod Synagogue.

**PLEASE NOTE PROOF OF VACCINATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL IN ATTENDANCE**