Rabbi Norman Cohen '72 Visits Holy Cross

On March 1, Rabbi Norman M. Cohen gave a speech at Holy Cross titled "What’s a Nice Jewish Boy Doing at Holy Cross?" The lecture was sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture and the Kraft-Hiatt Fund. A 1972 graduate of Holy Cross, Cohen is currently the spiritual leader of Bet Shalom Congregation in Hopkins, Minn. Prior to this position, Cohen served Rockdale Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In his lecture, Cohen spoke of his experiences as a Jewish student at Holy Cross, how he came to choose his career path as a rabbi, and the many individuals that have had significant impact on his life. In addition to personal, and often humorous accounts of his younger years, Cohen insightfully described the overlaps and differences that exist among the Christian and Jewish religions. He placed stress on the idea that "We need to forgo the luxury of separate ways when a common path can be found." Opening his talk by defining the Yiddish term beshert as an event in which God has played a role, Cohen ended his lecture by reminding his audience that "One does not have to be a minister, priest or a rabbi to have a calling or spiritual destiny. It comes from what we do when we discover ours, when we experience something beshert."

Cohen received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters degree from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Cincinnati, Ohio) in 1975 and Rabbinic Ordination in 1977. He has taught at numerous colleges, including Xavier University (Ohio), Macalester College (Minn.) and the United Theological Seminary (Ohio).

He is the author of "Jewish Bible Personages in the New Testament" (University Press of America). The past president of the Midwest Association of Reform Rabbis, he has served on a number of boards of Jewish and inter-religious organizations.