THE HISTORY OF CHOSEN PEOPLE MINISTRIES
Chosen People Ministries was founded by Rabbi Leopold Cohn
in 1894 to bring the gospel of Jesus the Messiah to the Jewish
people. In carrying out this purpose, the Mission also seeks to
inspire the Church to participate in and support the work of
Jewish evangelism, helping fellow believers carry out this vital
part of God’s divine redemptive plan.
Rabbi Leopold Cohn founded Chosen People Ministries in
the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, shortly after
he received Jesus as his Messiah. In its earliest days, people
affectionately referred to the Mission as the Brownsville Mission
to the Jews. Rabbi Cohn established an outreach headquartered
in a renovated horse stable, where the Mission offered a variety
of services and classes for the growing population of Jewish
immigrants. His wife, Rose, was instrumental in organizing some
of the outreach programs. The Mission published the first issue of
its monthly newsletter, The Chosen People, in October 1895.
The proclamation of the gospel to the Jewish people encountered
resistance from some, but there were many in the Jewish
community who welcomed the message that the Jewish people
could receive Messiah’s gift of eternal life while maintaining a
Jewish identity.
After a few years, the Mission moved its headquarters to
Williamsburg (Brooklyn), and then to Manhattan. As ministry
expanded beyond a regional focus, the Mission changed its name
to the American Board of Missions to the Jews to reflect the
wider scope of the organization. Missionaries began following
God’s call to reach the Jewish community throughout North
and South America, Europe, and Israel. Eventually, the Mission
changed its name to Chosen People Ministries, and, after
a number of years in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Mission
headquarters returned to its birthplace in New York City.
60 | Never Again: A Holocast Remembered