Joseph Cohen
January 2019
I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the membership, for this great opportunity that I have had to serve in this role. I joined Shomrim while in the academy because I was thrilled at the opportunity as a proud Jew to participate in this fraternity within the fraternity that is the NYPD. I later joined the board because I wanted to do all that I could to help the Society be successful. I hope that I’ve lived up to that goal. While this experience of writing my final column is bittersweet, I look forward to the leadership of my friend and academy classmate, Spencer Strauss, as well as the board he will have serving with him.
I do not exaggerate when I say that serving as Shomrim’s President has been one my proudest accomplishments so far in my career, as well as one of the most humbling. In particular, I was proud to participate in the 2018 mission to Israel with some of our members and members of South Florida Shomrim. I was also particularly proud when we participated in the unity rally in Pittsburgh in response to the horrific attack inside the Tree of Life Synagogue on October 27th. With most of the board in attendance, we stood with members from Shomrim chapters across the country in support of both the Pittsburgh Jewish community, and members of the Pittsburgh Police Department and other first responders.
While there is not enough room in this column to thank all those who deserve my sincere and profound thanks, I do want to especially thank our spiritual director and Department Chief Chaplain Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass. I thank him for his years of friendship and his years of service, both to the Society and to the job. I can’t imagine having served in this position without his guidance. Rabbi, may your guidance and wisdom persist for many years to come.
In closing, I’d like to encourage everyone to do a little bit more, as able. Try to make it to one more meeting a year, and one more event. Don’t be afraid to approach the board with new ideas, and don’t be afraid to get involved to make those ideas happen. I hope to see you soon and I look forward to sitting back in the crowd during the meetings. Again, thank you for this meaningful experience, and mazal tov to Brother Strauss and the 2019 board.
Joseph Cohen
President