Rabbi Moshe Cohen Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Rabbi Moshe Cohen only went to shul twice a year: on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“My upbringing wasn’t very Jewish,” he said. “There was a one-size-fits-all synagogue, which was Orthodox in name, Conservative in practice and Reform in outlook. It was a real mish-mash of everything.”
He became a lawyer, then ended up studying Torah in Israel. During his time there, he met Rabbi Noach Weinberg, of blessed memory, founder of Aish HaTorah.
“He was a fascinating person,” Cohen said. “He was very charismatic and he just spoke to me in a way that was very engaging.”
Cohen got hooked on Torah. He spent so much time studying in Israel – 10 years – that he needed something to show for it. That’s when he became ordained.
“I didn’t decide to be a rabbi,” he said. “I was there in Israel and I was studying for so long. My parents kept saying, ‘How long does this course last?’ and ‘Will you come home with a degree?’ Eventually, I decided I’d take ordination. I did it because that’s what my parents expected, like when you go to college and get a degree.”
Cohen moved to Los Angeles more than 30 years ago, and today, he is the rabbi of The Community Shul in Pico-Robertson. The shul, he said, is made up of ba’alei teshuvah, or Jews who did not grow up religious but became religious later on in life—just like he did.
“They didn’t have a background in Judaism, and there are a lot of gaps that need to be filled in,” he said.
To help fill those gaps, Cohen teaches individual and group classes where he connects Torah to the hot topics of today. He gave a series of classes on issues such as capital punishment and using marijuana and the Torah perspective on them.
“I really have a unique ability to get people connected to their Judaism and to give them a real, authentic way of feeling Jewish and making it very relevant to their lives,” he said.
Since Cohen is a ba’al teshuva, he has experienced both a secular and a religious life, and he uses that experience in his work. “I come with a breadth that most rabbis don’t have,” he said. “There’s a Joni Mitchell song where she sings, ‘I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now.’ I’ve seen what the secular world is and I’ve seen what the religious world is. I can give them a better perspective than what they would otherwise get.”
However, what really attracts Jews to Judaism is interacting with religious families.
“No class is going to be as effective as seeing a happy family on Shabbat. That’s it. That’s the cake, the icing and the cherry on top.” – Moshe Cohen
“No class is going to be as effective as seeing a happy family on Shabbat,” Cohen said. “That’s it. That’s the cake, the icing and the cherry on top.”
When Cohen isn’t teaching, he studies Torah and Talmud and also serves as a rabbi for a virtual community in Mission Hills. He writes a regular newsletter called “Torah in the Desert” for them and goes out there once a month to hold events.
“I have a broad enough background that I can speak to them about many different things,” he said. “I like to read self-growth books, like books by Malcolm Gladwell.”
While Cohen said that the ba’alei teshuvah movement crescendoed after the Six-Day War, now it has plateaued a bit. However, that doesn’t stop him from continuing the work that is most meaningful to him.
“Now, it’s very difficult because there is so much else out there vying for people’s attention,” he said. “It’s very difficult to get them interested. But they are interested. You just have to know how to speak to them.”
Fast Takes With Moshe Cohen
Jewish Journal: What do you do for fun?
Moshe Cohen: I’m a chess player. I’m up until 2 a.m. most nights, and most of the time I’m studying. But sometimes, I take a moment to play a game of chess.
JJ: What’s your perfect Shabbat look like?
MC: One where I’m home with my family and friends.
JJ: You ran a marathon a few years ago. Where in LA did you practice running?
MC: I ran into Beverly Hills and Melrose all the way down to La Brea and back again. I did it between 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. I really enjoyed it because of the challenge and I had time alone to think.
JJ: What’s your favorite Jewish food?
MC: Anything my wife cooks.
JJ: How about your favorite Irish food?
MC: Either fish and chips or bangers and mash. I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.
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