HR0665 LRB095 12924 GRL 38487 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to congratulate Rabbi Kenneth
4 Cohen on the occasion of his 10th year as spiritual leader of
5 the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Rabbi Kenneth Cohen is a native of Brooklyn, New
7 York and was raised and educated in the Farmingdale/North
8 Massapequa area of Long Island in New York; he is a Phi Beta
9 Kappa graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, where
10 he received honors in religion; he studied for 2 years at the
11 Hebrew University in Jerusalem; he received his master's degree
12 in religion from Temple University in Philadelphia,
13 Pennsylvania and was ordained as a rabbi at the
14 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1975; and he was
15 awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Jewish
16 Theological Seminary in 2001; and
 
17     WHEREAS, Rabbi Kenneth Cohen served as rabbi of
18 Congregation Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Delaware for 14 years,
19 where he began his active involvement in interfaith relations,
20 establishing a dialogue between his congregation and the Roman
21 Catholic parish St. Joseph's on the Brandywine; he was also a
22 member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews; he
23 continued his ecumenical endeavors while serving as rabbi of

 

 

HR0665 - 2 - LRB095 12924 GRL 38487 r

1 the Ohev Sholom congregation of York, Pennsylvania for 8 years;
2 and
 
3     WHEREAS, Since taking the position of spiritual leader of
4 the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation in 1997, Rabbi
5 Kenneth Cohen has acted as the Rabbinical Assembly's liaison to
6 the Joint Conversion to Judaism class, and has served as the
7 Assembly's President of the Chicago region; he has served on
8 the board of the Midwest Region USCJ; he has served as a member
9 of the planning committee for the annual interfaith clergy
10 retreat; he has served on the Executive Committee of the
11 Chicago Board of Rabbis, and served as its treasurer from 2003
12 to 2004; he also teaches Judaism to students at St. Gregory the
13 Great High School in Chicago as a hobby; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Rabbi Kenneth Cohen is married to Hedvah
15 Campeas-Cohen, and is the proud father of 3 sons, Jonathan,
16 Gabriel, and Michael; therefore, be it
 
17     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
18 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
19 congratulate Rabbi Kenneth Cohen on the occasion of his 10th
20 year as spiritual leader of the Northwest Suburban Jewish
21 Congregation and wish him continued success and happiness in
22 the future; and be it further
 

 

 

HR0665 - 3 - LRB095 12924 GRL 38487 r

1     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2 presented to Rabbi Kenneth Cohen as a symbol of our esteem and
3 respect.