Israel and Judy Cohen

Israel Cohen has committed his life to communicating the Good News of Jesus the Messiah to the Jewish people. Raised in a conservative Jewish home in Philadelphia, PA, Israel attended traditional Hebrew school at eight years of age, and at thirteen had his Bar Mitzvah, the customary coming of age of a Jewish youth. But after his Bar Mitzvah, Israel terminated his Jewish religious education. After high school, Israel joined the U.S. Navy, and was stationed in Morocco. It was there that a Gentile (non-Jewish) sailor introduced him to his Messiah. On May 16, 1961 at 3:00 AM, Israel Cohen was “born again”, and became a “child of God.”

In 1973, ten years after being discharged from the Navy, and after having held a successful sales position in the electronics field, Israel felt the call of God to attend Bible college full-time. While in Bible school, Israel gained extensive experience in Jewish evangelism, and graduated from Northeastern Bible College in 1980 with a B.A. in Biblical Literature.

Israel and his wife, Judy, joined Chosen People Ministries’ staff in 1978, and began their active ministry in the Metropolitan New York and New Jersey areas, helping to establish CPM’s exciting outreach in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where 150,000 Russian Jewish peopel reside. Using every means available to spread the Gospel, Israel’s ministry included door-to-door witnessing, one-on-one evangelism, and a Russian book table on Brighton Beach Avenue, Brooklyn. In colder weather, Israel distributed evangelistic literature in area shopping malls and even reached commuters through a literature table in New York’s Pennsylvania and Grand Central railroad stations. As a result of these efforts, many unsaved Russian Jewish people have accepted Jesus as their Messiah, and are currently being discipled under Chosen People Ministries’ ongoing work in the New York/New Jersey areas.

Israel and Judy Cohen have relocated to the Metropolitan Philadelphia area to serve the Lord in their golden years. Israel is a capable teacher of Jewish evangelism, including teaching the local church body as well as short- term summer missionaries in Jewish evangelism. He has successfully led evangelistic teams for CPM’s Summer Training and Evangelism Program (S.T.E.P.) both in the U.S. and in Europe. Israel endeavors to fully use every gift and ability that God has given him to bring Glory to His name. Along with being a gifted evangelist and teacher, Israel Cohen is also an effective preacher of God’s Word.