Norman C. Cohen — 169th Anniversary Honoree
The Congregation honors Norman Cohen at our Anniversary Gala and in our 169th Anniversary Commemorative Journal for his three incredible years of service to the Synagogue as the President of our Congregation, and for his contributions to the community.
Please read on to find out more about our honoree!
Norman C. Cohen, President of the Congregation
Our outgoing President of the Congregation, Norman Cohen, has led Kane Street Synagogue since 2022. Stepping into this demanding role in the waning days of the pandemic, Norman led the Synagogue’s transition to the tenure of a dynamic new rabbi (Michelle Dardashti), guided us toward a balanced budget, and warmly welcomed every new member during a period of explosive growth in both the Congregation and the Hebrew School.
Norman has dealt with severe and sometimes emergency construction situations, and has been our leader as we began an ambitious fundraising project to reimagine and renew our historic buildings. Throughout it all, he has led with grace and calm.
Professionally, Norman has worked as a television producer and currently works in banking content strategy. Born in Montreal, Canada, Norman’s family moved to the Washington, D.C. area when he was 10 years old. His father, Stanley, was always active in Jewish organizations, and his Manhattan-born mother, Barbara, was the only child of the Registrar at Yeshiva University. Norman remembers attending the Jewish People’s and Peretz Schools in Montreal, learning Hebrew, French, and Yiddish.
Growing up, Norman attended Adas Israel Congregation in northwest Washington and became Bar Mitzvah there, as well as the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School and Camp Ramah in New England. Norman attended Oberlin College, where he met his wife, Karina Gaige. They reside in Brooklyn’s Kensington neighborhood. Their family joined Kane Street in 2008, where both of their sons, Eli and Will, attended Kane Street’s Hebrew School and became Bar Mitzvah. Eli and Will currently attend McGill and Binghamton Universities, respectively.