In honor of beloved Hebrew school teacher Yossi Cohen, the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis has renamed the Bureau of Jewish Education Auxiliary Fund to the Yossi Cohen Fund. This fund will honor his legacy and help sustain communal Jewish education in the greater Indianapolis area.
Community member Karen Rothbaum spearheaded the effort to change the name of the fund months before Yossi’s passing. Rothbaum’s connection to Yossi spanned multiple generations -- both she and her children had the pleasure of learning Hebrew from him.
Rothbaum said that Yossi cared deeply about communal Jewish education.
“He was just so steadfast in his commitment to bringing all Jewish kids together to feel connected to their Judaism,” Rothbaum said.
Yossi actively sought to unite the Jewish community. 
“He used to say, ‘If Judaism is to survive, all the kids need to feel united,’” she said. “He said, ‘I would teach for free, I feel so strongly about this.’”
Rothbaum says the intent for the fund is to go toward programming for kids in third grade through b’nai mitzvah age for communal engagement programming. The fund is a tool to help unite the Jewish community by bringing kids from across the community together for programming.
“We would love to continue this in perpetuity, because without communal Jewish education there is a risk of losing the continuity of generations,” she said.
Community member Mina Shirazi also learned Hebrew in Yossi’s North Central classes. She loved the language so much that she went on to minor in Hebrew at Indiana University.
“Mr. Cohen was the highlight of my day most days,” Shirazi said. “He was a familiar face in a sea of unknown. He felt like sunshine. He came into class everyday with carrot juice in a McDonald’s cup and spent the whole class singing.”
Shirazi said she saw Yossi’s passion for learning, teaching and connecting with his students.
“He was born to teach,” she said. “I feel so fortunate to have experienced him in real time.”
Lori Moss, Executive Director of Jewish Family Services, was a BJE parent. She knew Yossi for years. She said Yossi loved and remembered every single student who entered his classroom.
Rothbaum agreed; “Whether he had you in class 35 years ago or three years ago, he never forgot a student. You could always feel his love and kindness toward you.”
According to Moss, Yossi was always smiling, singing, with falafel or Turkish coffee in tow.
“He was tireless and selfless in his dedication to the kids,” Rothbaum added. “And he was famous for his falafel. Nobody ever wanted to miss a Mr. Cohen falafel day.”
To learn more about the Yossi Cohen Fund or if you are interested in contributing to it in memory of Mr. Cohen, contact Josh Lodolo at jlodolo@jfgi.org.