Herbert J. Cohen, at The Blogs

Sep 10, 2024, 5:45 PM

What role does fate play in the trajectory of your life? Do you consciously make choices that influence your future? In my many years of teaching Literature, the novels of Thomas Hardy come to mind when I think about...

Apr 5, 2024, 6:08 PM

Kosher Movies: Anatomy of a Fall

Many years ago, a congregant of mine was interviewed in the local press. The journalist asked him who were some of his mentors, and he answered that I was. Surprised by his answer, I asked him why he saw...

Mar 26, 2024, 9:01 PM

Kosher movies: Full Time

When I was a synagogue rabbi in the 1970s, I had a conversation with a member who indirectly reminded me of how challenging leading an ordinary life can be. He praised me for my ability to get so many...

Jan 30, 2024, 12:45 AM

Kosher Movies: Killers of the Flower Moon

I regularly study Jewish Law with a dear friend from Netanya. A recent topic we discussed was genaivas daas, which translated literally means “stealing of the mind.” The Talmudic Sages explain that this phrase, in fact, refers to the...

Nov 23, 2023, 4:50 PM

Kosher Movies:There Will Be Blood

Thank God, I have known very few mean people in my life. In my formative years, I had friends and teachers who always wanted the best for me. My college instructors, in particular, modeled sensitivity and grace, and took...

Sep 18, 2023, 10:18 PM

Kosher Movies:The Lost City of Z

A friend of mine was recently given the opportunity to move to a better paying position in his company if he would relocate to the West Coast. He had just bought a home in Westchester and had planned to...

Jun 13, 2023, 3:44 PM

Kosher Movies: Living

The motion picture Living is about living. I have a friend who never wants to take a vacation, who never wants to veer from his everyday routines. But in recent years, he has a started to take a break from...

May 3, 2023, 12:43 PM

Kosher Movies: Tetris

I am not an aficionado of video games, so I had little interest in watching Tetris, the story of the origin of the game and the determined effort of Henk Rogers to secure rights to distribute it in a...

Feb 13, 2023, 3:57 PM

Kosher Movies: Belfast

Considering the current volatile political climate in the United States, several of my friends who were comfortable with their homes and jobs in America are now revisiting their view of aliyah. Some feel it would provide a safer environment...

Nov 28, 2022, 1:55 PM

Kosher Movies: All Quiet on the Western Front

Mitch Ginsburg in an article in The Times of Israel in August of 2014 wrote: “Leading from the front during Operation Protective Edge, soldiers in command positions accounted for 44% of IDF deaths.” Maj. Uzi Ben-Shalom, the head of research...

About Me

Originally from Mt. Vernon, New York, Herbert J. Cohen served in the pulpit rabbinate in Atlanta at the beginning of his career. After six years, he moved into the educational rabbinate and served for 23 years as Principal of Yeshiva High School of Atlanta. In 2010, he and his wife came on aliyah to Israel. His latest book, published by Urim Publishers, is "Kosher Movies: A Film Critic Discovers Life Lessons at the Cinema." He may be reached at rabbihjco@msn.com.