Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Original Ezra Cohen


The name Ezra reminded me of Ezra Cohen on Grand Street. I thought he might be a fellow Greek Jew. Cohen is often a name with a Sephardic history.I researched and found that he was Sephardic, but of Egyptian-Turkish-Syrian ancestry. In 1918 Ezra is living at 31 Norfolk Street and working at the Oriental Jobber's Company at 55 Allen Street. By the 1940's he was evidently successful enough to make the exodus to Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The image is of Ezra's WW2 draft registration card. btw Oriental is a term often use to describe Sephardic Jews.

2 comments:

MC said...

This is my great-grandfather. Thanks so much for posting. Do you have any additional information on him?

David Ballela said...

yes, email me at davidbellel@mac.com
and I will send.