Cohen (surname)
Cohen (Hebrew: כֹּהֵן, kōhēn, "priest") is a Jewish surname of biblical origins (see: Kohen). It is a very common Jewish surname, comparable to 'Smith' in an English-language context.
Bearing the surname indicates that one's patrilineal ancestors were priests in the Temple of Jerusalem. A single such priest was known as a Kohen, and the hereditary caste descending from these priests is collectively known as the Kohanim. As multiple languages were acquired through the Jewish diaspora, the surname acquired dozens of variants.
Being a Kohen imposes some limitations: by Jewish law a Kohen may not marry a divorced woman, and may not marry a proselyte (someone who converted to Judaism). Nor should an observant Kohen come into contact with the dead.
An effort to trace whether or not people named 'Cohen' actually have a common genetic origin has been undertaken in the specific DNA signature associated with the name known as the Cohen Modal Haplotype.
Cohen may refer to:
Read more about Cohen (surname): People
Other articles related to "cohen":
... Henry CohenJ ... Cohen a prolific translator (into English) of European literature Jeff Cohen(media critic), the founder of Fairness Accuracy In Reporting, a media watchdog group in the US John Cohen a founding member of the New ... Cohen an American economist Larry Cohen(bridge player), American bridge champion Larry Cohen(union leader), American union leader Liepmann Cohen(c ...
Famous quotes containing the word cohen:
“Israel, and you who call yourself Israel, the Church that calls itself Israel, and the revolt that calls itself Israel, and every nation chosen to be a nation—none of these lands is yours, all of you are thieves of holiness, all of you at war with Mercy.”
—Leonard Cohen (b. 1934)