Newcomb professor Joseph Cohen succumbs at 88

JOSEPH COHEN, a highly regarded and longtime Newcomb College (and Tulane University  professor), who founded the Jewish Studies Program that has since been established as the Jewish Studies Department at Tulane, died on Thursday, September 25, 2014 in New Orleans. He was 88 years old.

Cohen began his career as a university professor in 1955 at Sophie Newcomb College and was active at Newcomb until his retirement in 1991. During his tenure as a professor, he served in the 1960’s and early 1970’s as associate dean of Newcomb College.

Cohen served as the director of the Jewish Studies Program until 1987. In connection with the program, he established the Gulf South Jewish Historical Archive, currently housed in the Tulane Rare Book Collection. From 1970 to 1971, Cohen served as the president of the National Collegiate Honors Council. He also established the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women.

Cohen published and edited four books, 50 scholarly articles and 250 book reviews. His most noted book titles he authored were “Journey to the Trenches: The Life of Isaac Rosenberg 1890-1918,” published in 1975; “The Poetry of Dannie Abse: Critical Essays and Reminiscences, published in 1983; and, “Voices of Israel: Essays on and Interviews with Yehuda Amichai, A.B. Yehoshua, T. Carmi, Aharon Appelfeld, and Amos Oz, published in 1990. In 2003, the University of South Carolina established the Joseph Cohen Collection of World War I Literature.

Born in 1926 in Central City, KY., he served in the U.s. Army during World War II as a Japanese interpreter. Cohen received his undergraduate and master degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He later earned his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Texas in Austin. Cohen studied under Harry Ransom, and later established the Wilfred Owen War Poetry Collection at the Texas Humanities Research facility, today known as the Harry Ransom Center.

Following his retirement, Cohen was proprietor of Great Acquisitions Books, from 1992 to 2012. He not only loved his scholarly work, but he relished collecting and selling antique books. He was one of the top experts in New Orleans in appraising literary collector’s items, letters, and documents; and was called upon often to perform this service professionally on many occasions.

Cohen was predeceased by his first and second wives, the late Gloria Plitman Cohen, and the late Dr. Ruth Samuels. He is survived by his beloved wife Theodora Sternberg Cohen; three children, Susan Cohen Levin (Gerald), Cynthia Cohen Larner (Keith) of Manchester, MO. and Jeffrey Daniel Cohen (Francine Gertz) of Austin; stepchildren Polly Lief Goldberg (Eliot) of Pittsburgh, PA., Felix Lief (Judith) of Brooklyn, NY., Michael Sternberg (Linda) of Montrose, NY., and Deborah Sternberg Bernstein (Howard) of Billerica, MA; and five granddaughters. He is also survived by sister Gladys Cohen Stillman of Nashville.

A memorial service was held at the Touro Synagogue Forgotson Chapel, 4238 St. Charles Avenue, on Monday, October 6, at 2:00 p.m. Rabbi David Goldstein, a close friend and colleague from the Jewish Studies Department, officiated. A mincha service led by Gates of Prayer Rabbi Robert Loewy followed at 4:30 p.m. at the home of Gerald and Susan Levin.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts are suggested to The Jewish Studies Department at Tulane University, 7031 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA 70118; The Center for Research on Women at Newcomb College, via the Newcomb College Institute, 7025 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA 70118; The Joseph Cohen Collection of World War I Literature, in care of Treasures Acquisitions Fund, USC Educational Foundation, University of South Carolina, 1027 Barnwell St., Columbia, SC 29208, or the charity of your choice.

Arrangements were by Tharp-Sontheimer-Tharp, 1600 N. Causeway Blvd. Metairie, La. 70001. Condolences may be expressed online here.