Rabbi Moshe Cohen
An 80's boy born and bred in the cold of Canada, where snow and skiing were part of my memories. I am the oldest of a family of 8 children, growing up in the Jewish community of Montreal, where I attended day school, yeshiva and summer camps.
In my later teens and twenties, I studied abroad in a number of Jewish schools and graduated with my Rabbinics degree in Pretoria, South Africa.
In April of 2014 I married my better half Mushky of NYC. She was coming from having a close relationship and impact with the Jewish community of Birmingham, Alabama.
After living in NY post marriage for over a year, we took our next plunge of spreading the love and teachings inspired in Birmingham, and extending it to the Jewish community of Huntsville and North Alabama. We started our Chabad House - part of a global Jewish outreach network which heeds to the Rebbe's call to reach out and service all fellow Jews no matter which corner of the globe.
We like to think of a bright future - with programming to include every Jew at every stage. As well as the broader Huntsville community, to do what it takes to make this world a kinder, happier place, one good deed at a time.
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Mushka (nee Gerlitzky) Cohen
Brooklyn was home. Growing up in NY where everything was walking distance, friends' homes, the superette, school, community.. it was all a walk or subway ride. I am the seventh child from a family of fourteen children. My parents took great pride in raising us to be proud Jews and proud of our heritage and ancestry.
With a love for outreach, I've spent summer and winter breaks from High School onward to volunteering at a number of Jewish centers around the globe- Thailand being the farthest!
Birmingham is where I originally got my first taste of sweet home Alabama. As a long time friend of the Rabbi in Birmingham's daughter, she invited me to come spend an intern year with her at her parent's thriving Jewish center. That year was transformative, full of growth, and everlasting friendships.
2+ years later, after marrying my beloved husband Moshe Cohen, I had him introduced to my Birmingham family, and we would visit frequent.
When the opportunity came up to branch their efforts to North Alabama as well, I just couldn't turn down an opportunity to do my mission, in a place like sweet home Alabama, and since 2015 I've been living that dream! We are raising our daughter Sara, son Tzvika, and toddler son Arik here too. They play an equal part in our vision and mission!
I strive daily to fulfill my potential and influence my surroundings for the positive, and try to make this world a better place - one soul at a time.