Interviewed by Dr Neil Levin
for the
Milken Archive Oral History Project
Los Angeles, 30 March 1998
Cantor Cohon: Okay, I gotta tell you a story because I need to clear something up. When Rabbi Heller retired from Temple Emanuel and they were interviewing rabbis, of course, those of us who were on the senior staff had to interview each one of them separately, and the one who finally got the job was Laura Geller.
Laura came in to see me that afternoon and she said:
I know how you feel about women cantors. How do you feel about women rabbis?
Cantor Cohon:
Well, I expected you to ask me that question, and I have good news and bad news.
Laura Geller:
What’s that?
Cantor Cohon:
Well, the bad news is I never worked with a woman. I’m not looking for it, and I’d be more comfortable with a man. The good news is that, philosophically, I have no problem with it because Halakhah is different for rabbis than it is for cantors. A rabbi is essentially a teacher. Women have been teachers since the year 1, and so I have no problem with that.
So, if people tell you that I retired from Emanuel because they hired Laura Geller, that’s not true.
But with female cantors, it’s a different situation. Number one, I felt that a shaliach tzibur—as I read Jewish law—has to be responsible for the same mitzvos as his constituents. Since men are obligated to certain mitzvos that women are not obligated to, women cannot represent men in prayer. They can represent other women, but they can’t represent a mixed congregation. Therefore, to hire a women as a shaliach tzibur for a mixed congregation is against Jewish law. I mean, you’re welcome to interpret it your way, that’s how I interpret it.
The second factor that led to, to my activity with, and my separation from the Cantors Assembly, was the way they handled it politically. They took votes three times in the convention to admit women or not to admit women, they lost all three times, and then the executive committee decided that they’ll do it without a vote. And that I objected to. And so I wrote to the president of the Assembly that year and I said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t support an organization if I don’t support its policies.” So I left them.