Angie Irma Cohon (née Reinhart, born September, 1890,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, Oregon, died 1991) was a Jewish author and educator, known for her seminal book, ''Introduction to Jewish Music in Eight Illustrated Lectures''.

Early life and education

Born to parents J.F. and Amelia (Marks) Reinhart in 1890, Cohon lived in Portland, Oregon until moving to Ohio at 19 to attend the

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. She transferred to the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1912. On June 12 of the same year she graduated, Cohon married Rabbi

Samuel S. Cohon Samuel Solomon Cohon (22 March 1888 – 22 August 1959) was a rabbi and Chair of Theology at Hebrew Union College, a prominent leader of American Reform Judaism in the mid-20th Century. Biography Early life Cohon was born in Lohi (modern Belorus ...

. They had one son, Baruch Joseph.

Works and legacy

Cohon wrote poetry. One of her early books, ''A Brief Jewish Ritual'', was published by Women of Mizpah in 1921. Most notably, however, were Cohon's contributions of the field of Jewish music in the English language. The National Council on Jewish Women published ''Introduction to Jewish Music in Eight Illustrated Lectures'', with a second edition coming out in 1923. This work became a basis for the council's study of music for nearly 30 years. She collaborated with another contributor to the field, A.Z. Idelssohn, on ''Harvest Festivals, A Children’s Succoth Celebration''. The American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati houses Cohon's papers and music manuscripts. The Rabbi Samuel S. and A. Irma Cohon Memorial Foundation Award, named for Cohon and her husband, "honors individuals for outstanding service to the entire Jewish people in the areas of rescue, unity, education or the creative arts." Irma's son has served as the chief financial officer, while her grandson has served president of the Cohon Memorial Foundation.

References

External links

A. Irma Cohon Papers
*http://www.cohonaward.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohon, Angie Irma 1890 births 1991 deaths Writers from Portland, Oregon Jewish American writers 20th-century American Jews