Rabbi Cohen’s upbeat attitude was legendary in the Klass home.
“My mother referred to Rabbi Simcha whenever she asked people how they were feeling and they replied with the standard ‘Baruch Hashem,’” recalled Mrs. Mauer. “She would say, “To quote Rabbi Jack Simcha Cohen, is that ‘Baruch Hashem great’ or ‘Baruch Hashem lousy?’”
Rabbi Cohen’s sefarim were published by Tzvi Mauer of Urim Publications, further cementing the warm relationship between Rabbi Cohen and the Klass family, a factor that came into play when Rabbi Cohen, who among his many prestigious honors was the first winner of the Rabbinic Award of the West Coast Region of the Orthodox Union, was nominated for the Jerusalem Prize for Rabbinic Leadership, which he later received.
“I was honored when I was asked to write a letter to the committee that was considering nominees for the Jerusalem prize,” said Mrs. Mauer. “It was surely an easy decision to award him the prize.”
Over the years Rabbi Cohen’s writing appeared in Rabbinical Council of America publications and he authored more than a thousand halachic responsa in addition to eight books on Jewish law and thought including Timely Jewish Questions, Timeless Rabbinic Answers and The Jewish Heart: Essays on Jewish Sensitivities.
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Many high-profile individuals came to speak with Rabbi Cohen about issues that pertained to Judaism.
“My father consulted with Supreme Court justices on the issue of yarmulkesin the military and I can’t even begin to tell you how many governors, senators, mayors, former presidents and, l’havdil, gedolei Yisrael came through our house over the years,” said Judah Cohen.
Cohen recalled how his father was invited to take part in the March of the Living, an annual education program that brings high school students to Poland to study the history of the Holocaust.
“They took the children to the Krakow Synagogue, also known as the Rema’s shul, where my father spoke. In his speech my father said, ‘Few people know the Rema, Rav Moshe Isserles, was a very wealthy man who was married to the daughter of R’ Shalom Schachna, who was my grandfather’s daughter. She died in the first year of their marriage and the Krakow Synagogue is dedicated in her name.’
“My father added that after all the pogroms, after the Holocaust, a member of the family had finally returned to the shul, proving once again that the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people can never be vanquished.”
Rabbi Cohen was known for his powerful speeches, which incorporated his incredible charisma and energy.
Those who attended Rabbi Cohen’s daily Mishnah Berurah shiur during his tenure in West Palm Beach were impressed with his breadth of knowledge.
“He was a very learned person who taught us a lot,” recalled Naftali Faska. “He would quote his father-in-law, Rabbi Yaakov Nayman, all the time and Rabbi Hutner as well. His shiur was very educational and it was clear he was a good person with a lot of knowledge, a very respected person who gave people respect too.”
Dolly Rothenberg of West Palm Beach spent several holidays with Rabbi Cohen and his wife at the Palm Beach Synagogue after Rabbi Cohen retired from Congregation Aitz Chaim.
“They gave him so much kavod there; his reputation preceded him and they showed him so much derech eretz,” she said.
Mrs. Rothenberg recalled one Yom Kippur when Rabbi Alan Ciner, a prominent speaker and vice president of Touro College, had been brought in to address the congregation.
“When he saw Rabbi Cohen was there, Rabbi Ciner refused to speak, insisting that Rabbi Cohen speak in his place,” said Mrs. Rothenberg. “Rabbi Cohen did speak and he gave a wonderful drasha. There was not a dry eye in the place.”