Cohen returns to congregational world

STAFF REPORT

Barry Cohen, Jewish News editor and an ordained rabbi, will be returning to the congregational world to serve as rabbi of Temple B'nai Israel in Oklahoma City, Okla.

He will be at Jewish News through May 14.

"We are thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Barry," said Jewish News Publisher Flo Eckstein. "He has significantly improved our newspaper's coverage of our community and its relevance to our growing readership. He also led us through a long-awaited redesign."

"It was not an easy decision to leave the newspaper," said Cohen. "However, the opportunity to serve the congregation in Oklahoma was too attractive to pass up."

Cohen was assistant rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Scottsdale for almost two years following his ordination from Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion.

He joined the Jewish News staff in May 2000 and became editor on April 1, 2001.

"I will always be appreciative to Jewish News for taking a risk in hiring me," he said. "I had no formal journalistic training and had to learn on the fly."

Observing and reporting on the Valley Jewish community's rapid growth has been rewarding and exciting, Cohen said. The work also has provided a global view of the complex nature of the Valley's Jewish and non-Jewish communities, he added.

"In a way, I have served a congregation without walls and have been able to communicate ideas to a much larger community than I ever could within a conventional rabbinate," said Cohen.

"I will miss the talented Jewish News staff and the excellent chemistry of the editorial department," he said. "I have made some good friends here."

Cohen also served the Desert Foothills Jewish Community Association as High Holiday rabbi for four years.

In Oklahoma City, Cohen will be the rabbi at Temple B'nai Israel, which has 400 member families and is the city's only Reform congregation. He succeeds Rabbi David Packman, who served the congregation for 28 years.

"The temple has had three rabbis in a century. Talk about stability," said Cohen. "The congregants have been warm and inviting."

A search is underway at Jewish News to find a replacement for Cohen.

"I am confident that during our search and beyond, readers will find uninterrupted excellence in our reporting and editing," Eckstein said.

Continuing editorial staff members are Leisah Namm, managing editor; Beth Olson and Jennifer Goldberg, staff writers; and Vicki Cabot, contributing editor.

Applicants for the editor's position may contact Eckstein at publisher@jewishaz.com.

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