Cohn, Emil, 1881-1948

Cohn was born in Berlin in 1881 into a liberal and observant Jewish family with Zionist sympathies. After completing his religious education he was appointed as a Prediger in the Berlin Jewish community, but he was suspended in 1907 because of pro-Zionist comments ascribed to him. His suspension unleashed an uproar within the Jewish community of Berlin, which at the time was strongly divided over Zionism and Herzl's writings. Despite organized protests and community meetings, Cohn was forced ultimately out of his appointment in the Berlin community. Over the next decades, he served elsewhere as a rabbi and began publishing plays and essays under the pseudonym Emil Bernhard. He emigrated to the United States in 1939 and remained there until his death in 1948.

From the guide to the Emil Bernhard Cohn Collection, 1899-1948, (Leo Baeck Institute Archives)