September 6, 2016

The International Rabbinic Fellowship together with the whole house of Israel, mourns the passing of Rabbi Shear Yashuv Hacohen zt"l, Chief Rabbi of Haifa, and a leading rabbinic scholar and voice of religious Zionism.

A scion to a long line of rabbis and an illustrious family, as a son to the Nazir, R. David Hacohen zt"l as well as the brother in law of Rabbi Shlomo Goren zt"l, Rabbi Cohen was a voice of halakhic leadership, compassion and creativity throughout his storied career. His life was intertwined with the growth and founding of the State of Israel, as he served in the Irgun and the Haganah and later in the IDF during the War of Independence in 1948. 

He served as head of the Ariel Talmudic Institute and the Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research as well as serving for over 25 years as head of the committee for Dialogue between the Chief Rabbinate of the State of Israel and the Vatican. 

May his memory be forever a blessing and may his family be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.