Mark Cohen, a distinguished educator, has been appointed executive director of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies, succeeding Denis Diamond. He will assume office in December. Cohen was born in 1934 in Muizenberg and obtained his BA degree at the University of Cape Town. He also holds a teaching certificate from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
He is considered an erudite commentator and lecturer on Jewish scholarly subjects with specific expertise in Hebrew literature and the Bible. He is a Hebrew linguist and grammarian and is bilingual in English and Afrikaans.
Cohen has held a number of prestigious posts in the Jewish day school system, including vice principalship of Herzlia School in Cape Town and nine years as headmaster of the Thedor Herzl School In Port Elizabeth. Since 1977 he has served as headmaster of Yeshiva College in Johannesburg. His election as chairman of the Headmasters Association of the Jewish day schools in South Africa and as chairman of the Headmasters Associ- ation of the Eastern Cape is indicative of the high esteem in which he is held by his professional colleagues.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.