Oral history interview with Rabbi Malcolm Cohen conducted by Barbara Tabach on December 15, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Cohen talks about the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish community and the growth of Temple Sinai, which is a merger of sorts between two smaller congregations: Adat Ariel and Temple Beth Am.
Temple Sinai is a Jewish Reform congregation in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded in 2007 when Temple Beth Am and Congregation Adat Ari El merged. Temple Sinai has over 300 member families and its sub-groups include a Sisterhood, Men’s Club, Chavurah, Youth Group, and committees. Kenneth Segel was the first rabbi of Temple Sinai and was succeeded by Rabbi Malcolm Cohen in 2009.
In this interview, Rabbi Malcolm Cohen speaks about observed differences between British and American Jewish communities as well as new Temple Sinai initiatives to build community and engage younger congregants. Rabbi Cohen and his wife have two children, Elijah and Rachel.
Rabbi Malcolm Cohen was born on October 7, 1973 in London, England. He describes having the typical Reform Jewish upbringing of a second generation Londoner. His mother worked as an office assistant, and his father ran a bookshop and also prepared youth for their bar and bat mitzvahs. It was his father?s dedication to Jewish education and service that greatly influenced his career path. After earning a degree in psychology from Southampton University, Rabbi Cohen went on to get a professional qualification in youth and community work. He subsequently became the British Reform movement?s first outreach officer, leading the efforts to engage 20- and 30-year-olds to Judaism. At his wife, Sarah?s, encouragement, Rabbi Cohen enrolled in Leo Baeck College to become a rabbi. Upon finishing his studies in 2006, he got a job at West London Synagogue, a large Reform congregation, where he worked with a team of rabbis. In 2009, Rabbi Cohen took the position as Temple Sinai?s rabbi, where he has served ever since. In this interview, he speaks about observed differences between British and American Jewish communities as well as new Temple Sinai initiatives to build community and engage younger congregants. Rabbi Cohen and his wife have two children, Elijah and Rachel.