The Jericho Jewish Center is delighted to welcome Cantor Kenneth Cohen to the synagogue and to the community. Cohen, who attended Hebrew School and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at neighboring East Meadow Jewish Center, will be returning to his roots on Long Island after a 30-year sojourn in Hawaii.
Cohen left Long Island to study music in California, earning a BA from the University of California at Santa Cruz. During his years in Santa Cruz he was hired as music director for the Shakespeare Santa Cruz Summer Festival and also served as director for Episcopal, Sufi and Hindu choirs. These experiences were the prelude to his arrival at the University of Hawaii to study ethnomusicology.
The path towards the Cantorate began at Temple Beth-El of Honolulu, where he was invited to serve as Hawaii’s first year-round cantor and began his formal Judaic studies. In the course of his training, Cohen traveled to unaffiliated congregations around the islands, teaching B’nei Mitzvah children and their parents, bringing generations together to learn and share texts of wisdom and worship. Cohen has been a member of the Cantors Assembly since 2006.
He has taught classes in Siddur appreciation, Hebrew reading skills, Jewish history, ensemble singing and basic calligraphy. Cohen has provided solo and ensemble accompaniment for numerous Israeli and international music and dance festivals, earning the prestigious designation Master Folk Artist in 2001 for outstanding teaching and performance of traditional and contemporary Jewish music.
Cohen will bring his unique background and energy to the Jericho Jewish Center engaging the multi-generational congregation through a combination of traditional and innovative worship services, musical programs and educational activities.
—Submitted by the Jericho Jewish Center