JHSSD-Rabbi Morton J. Cohn Collection

This extensive collection was donated to the Jewish Historical Society of San Diego by Morton Cohn, Jr., in 1996. This collection of 25 boxes chronicles the life and contributions of Rabbi Morton J. Cohn, founding rabbi of Temple Emanu-El in San Diego, California. Through numerous manuscripts, documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, books, plaques, notecards, and other forms of personal memorbilia, Rabbi Cohn has left a material legacy that documents every aspect of his incredible life: from his early rabbinate years as one of America's first regional rabbis in the Western and Southern States in the early 1930's; through his service as a Jewish Chaplain in the U.S. Navy during WWII when he served in the Pacific Theater; to his over forty years of service to the Jewish and Non-Jewish communities of San Diego which include fifteen years at Congregation Beth Israel. Researchers will find note-card records with names and dates of every marriage, bar-mitzvah, funeral, and other important life moments that Rabbi Cohn ever conducted, along with over 2,000 sermons, prayers, and speeches he delivered, spanning over fifty years. His collection provides valuable documentation for research into San Diego's community history for the last several decades.