Lyon Cohen

Lyon Cohen (born Yehuda Leib Cohen;[2] May 11, 1868 – August 17, 1937) was a Polish/Lithuanian-born Canadian businessman and a philanthropist. He was the grandfather of singer/poet Leonard Cohen.

Lyon Cohen
Born(1868-05-11)May 11, 1868
Budwitcher, (Poland), now Budviečiai, Lithuania
DiedAugust 17, 1937(1937-08-17) (aged 69)[1]
NationalityCanada
Known forco-founder of the Canadian Jewish Times
Spouse(s)Rachel Friedman
ChildrenNathan Bernard Cohen
Horace Rives Cohen
Lawrence Zebulun Cohen
Sylvia Lillian Cohen

Biography

Cohen was born in Budwitcher, Poland, to a Jewish family on May 11, 1868.[3] He immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1871.[3] He was educated at the McGill Model School and the Catholic Commercial Academy in Montreal.[3] In 1888, he entered the firm of Lee & Cohen in Montreal; later became partner with his father in the firm of L. Cohen & Son; in 1895, he established W. R. Cuthbert & Co; in 1900, he organized the Canadian Improvement Co., a dredging contractor; in 1906, he founded The Freedman Co. in Montreal; and in May 1919, he organized and became President of Canadian Export Clothiers, Ltd.[3] The Freedman Company went on to become one of Montreal’s largest clothing companies.[4]

In 1897, Cohen co-founded with Samuel William Jacobs, the Canadian Jewish Times, the first English language Jewish newspaper in Canada.[5] The newspaper promoted the Canadianization of recent East European Jewish immigrants and encouraged their acceptance of Canadian customs[4] as Cohen felt that the old world customs of immigrant Jews were one of the main causes of anti-Semitism.[4] In 1914, the paper was purchased by Hirsch Wolofsky, owner of the Yiddish-language Keneder Adler, who transformed it into the Canadian Jewish Chronicle.[4]

He died on August 17, 1937, at the age of 69.[1]

Philanthropy

Cohen was elected the first president of the Canadian Jewish Congress in 1919 and organized the Jewish Immigrant Aid Services of Canada.[5] Cohen was also a leader of the Young Men’s Hebrew Benevolent Society (later the Baron de Hirsch Institute) and the United Talmud Torahs, a Jewish day school in Montreal.[6] He also served as president of Congregation Shaar Hashomayim[4] and president of the Jewish Colonization Association in Canada.[5]

Personal life

Cohen married Rachel Friedman of Montreal on February 17, 1891. She was the founder and President of Jewish Endeavour Sewing School. They had three sons and one daughter:

  • Nathan Bernard Cohen, who served in the World War as Lieutenant; he married Lithuanian Jewish immigrant Masha Klonitsky and they had one daughter and one son:
  • Horace Rives Cohen, who was Captain and Quartermaster of his battalion in World War I;[3]
  • Lawrence Zebulun Cohen, student at McGill University, and[3][10]
  • Sylvia Lillian Cohen.[3]

References
  1. Lyon Cohen, Canadian Jewish Leader Dies at 89 [sic] (PDF), New York City: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, August 17, 1937, p. 6, retrieved May 21, 2019
  2. Stephen, Lapidus. "Biography - Cohen, Lyon". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  3. The Quebec History Encyclopedia: Lyon Cohen retrieved April 22, 2012
  4. Kreitner, Richard. "Lyon Cohen - Freedman Company". Museum of Jewish Montreal. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  5. Cohen, Lyon Archived March 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Canadian Jewish Congress Charities Committee National Archives
  6. Newspapers of Jewish Montreal" (page 3), Jewish Public Library Archives.
  7. The International Who's Who 2004 retrieved April 22, 2012
  8. Cohen, Leonard (May 24, 1985). "The Midday Show With Ray Martin". ABC (Interview). Interviewed by Ray Martin. Sydney. Archived from the original on February 24, 2006. Retrieved October 1, 2008. My – my mother was from Lithuania which was a part of Poland and my great-grandfather came over from Poland to Canada.
  9. Leonard Cohen Biography Archived September 11, 2014, at the Wayback Machine: Leonard Cohen was born to a Polish father and a Lithuanian-Jewish mother in Quebec in 1934.
  10. Canadian Jewish News: "Earliest Canadian-made chanukiyah discovered" November 26, 2012
Preceded by
none		 President of the Canadian Jewish Congress
1919-1934		 Succeeded by
Samuel William Jacobs
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