The coronavirus is taking thousands of people’s lives every day right now – it is an unimaginable tragedy and crisis that is hard to take in.
Unfortunately, we have been forced to say goodbye to many people who have helped make the world a much better place.
New York Rabbi Avraham “Romi” Cohn, who recently led the US House of Representatives in prayer, died on Tuesday due to complications from the coronavirus. He is, among many other things, credited with having saved 56 families during the Holocaust.
“Rabbi Cohn lived an incredible life of service, helping 56 families escape Nazi tyranny. Two months after he led the House in opening prayer, I hope to join me in praying for him & his family. May his memory be a blessing,” Max Rose, D-N.Y., tweeted on Tuesday.
Cohn was 91 years old, according to the Times of Israel.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Cohn witnessed how the Nazis invaded and occupied many countries in Europe.
When Cohn was just 10 years old, Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia and the young boy got a close look at how the Nazis began to harass Jews. For example, he witnessed how members of the Hitler Youth attacked his own father.
Shortly thereafter, Cohn joined a group of Jewish partisans – becoming one of the youngest members of the resistance movement.
The majority of Cohn’s family was murdered during the Holocaust, according to Max Rose. Only Cohn, his father and two sisters survived.
After the Holocaust, Cohn immigrated to the US and began a new chapter in New York.
“Our freedoms are not free – we must fight for them or risk losing them,” said Rose, who is an Army veteran, after Cohn’s prayer on the House floor. “Rabbi Cohn is a model, an example for all of us to follow, and I thank him for his extraordinary life of service.”
