A 91-year-old New York rabbi who was also a Holocaust survivor died from the coronavirus on March 24.
The rabbi, Romi Cohn, was hospitalized a few days ago with COVID-19 symptoms, according to Yeshiva World News. At the age of 16, he helped save the lives of 56 people in Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust. Cohn lost his mother and four siblings to the death camps.
Rep. Max Rose (D-N.Y.) tweeted, “Our community has suffered a tragic loss from COVID-19 with the passing of Rabbi Romi Cohn. Was truly an honor to host him, his family and loved ones in DC just a few months ago. Keeping them all in my prayers.”
Our community has suffered a tragic loss from COVID-19 with the passing of Rabbi Romi Cohn z"l. Was truly an honor to host him, his family and loved ones in DC just a few months ago.
Keeping them all in my prayers.https://t.co/pHv5X7t6QG
— Max Rose (@MaxRose4NY) March 24, 2020
Rose was referencing Cohn’s appearance in the House of Representatives in January, where he gave the opening prayer on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz.
“At the age of 13, as a young boy, I was condemned to death along with my entire family by the evil of one man,” Cohn said at the time. “I was saved by my Father, the Father of the Universe, who brought me to the shores of this beautiful country, the United States, the land of the free, which provided me with a new, safe home. Blessed be You, Master of the Universe, who has granted me life and sustenance to this day. Accept with mercy our prayers for our land, our president, vice president and Congress. And pour out your blessings upon the United States of America.”
Another New York rabbi who was diagnosed with the coronavirus died on March 24, according to The Forward, although his family said he died from other causes. Rabbi Yaakov Meltzer was 60 years old and suffered from a heart condition.
