Joseph Hoffman Cohn
2nd President
J h Joseph H ff Hoffman C h Cohn was th the d second ld t eldest son f of L ld Leopold d and R Rose C h Cohn d and i ht eight years ld old h when hi his f th
father began
the work in Brooklyn. At the age of three and half, the boys started in Hebrew school; by the age of seven Joseph had
read through the five books of Moses three times and was able to recite the Psalms in Hebrew from memory. Every
morning, Joseph and his brothers had to read one chapter of the Torah or Psalms and repeat it back to their father in
Yiddish so he knew that they understood what they were reading. At an early age Joseph would follow his father to
the mission, attend Bible classes, and distribute literature. By the age of twelve he was writing for The Chosen People
magazine, and by age sixteen he was leading a boy’s club. With the help of patroness, Miss Frances J. Huntely, Joseph
went on to study at Moody Bible Institute. In 1911, he took a more active leadership role in the Mission, serving as
field secretary, treasurer, and office manager. The Mission saw rapid growth under his leadership, as he applied sound
business principles and established international branches. Joseph increased the Mission’s support base of North
American Christians through The Chosen People magazine. During the turbulent years preceding World War II, Joseph
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was instrumental in providing relief for European Jewish people, which included “buying out” Jewish families and
resettling them to put them out of harm’s way. Joseph passed away on October 5, 1953 at the age of 67.