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In Memory of Zion Cohen

Created by Tamar Simpson

Tamar Simpson

On Sunday, October 6, 2019, our father Zion Cohen passed away after a yearlong battle with metastatic colon cancer. In loving memory, Zion's daughter, Deanna Cohen Mardekian, delivered a beautiful eulogy at his funeral. Deanna's eulogy is excerpted below. As a family, we decided to create this memorial page to honor his legacy and help fund JNF's mission to ensure a strong, secure, and prosperous future for the land and people of Israel. JNF's projects over the next decade include community building in Israel's north and south, connecting the next generation to Israel, and developing infrastructure for ecology, special needs, and heritage preservation. These are initiatives Dad would be proud to support. Zion was born in Morocco, the fifth of ten children, on Erev Rosh Hashanah in 1950 to Moshe Cohen and Esther Ben-Zikry. As a young child, his family immigrated to Israel. When he was 10 years old, he stole the family food money and bought out the candy store in Tel Aviv. He was returned to his mother after a police officer noticed him binging on ice cream and chocolates. After this experience, he was inspired to begin work. His first job was a butcher at 11 years old. He enlisted in the Israeli army at 17 and despite his short stature, he drove a tank. He moved to New York in early 1973 after completing his service. He returned to Israel briefly for voluntary service after seeing on the news that Israel was attacked on Yom Kippur. He returned to New York in the spring of 1974. He met his first wife, Robin Klein, shortly after. They married and had two children - Tamar in 1978 and Lee in 1980. His second marriage was to Margaret Kustowski in 1986. They had two children - Deanna in 1987 and Jessica in 1990. The families were blended with many Sundays spent at Nunley's and Toys-R-Us. He continued to work hard in the U.S. and developed several successful businesses including owning retail stores, window trimming, and home improvements companies. He loved to fix things and paint. Zion had a passion for music. He credited learning English from listening to the Beatles and Elvis. He played drums and guitar from the time he was young. He loved to spend nights in the village singing, dancing, and playing in bands. His other passion was food. He loved to cook and would prepare enough to feed an army. He used to say "bread is my best friend." His recipes were hard to replicate - a little of this and a little of that. Some of the house specialties were his "Zion Burgers", "Zion Fries", and "Zion Pizza". His met his life partner, Katie Wong, ten years ago. She brought out the best in him. They spent the last years traveling, going to concerts, and enjoying life. She provided support and encouraged him to pursue things that he loved. Despite his diagnosis, he was positive and optimistic. In one of his final doctor's appointments, he said "I love life." He spent his final days watching his favorite movies and reminiscing about old times. He was one of a kind and is greatly missed.

Please help me support Jewish National Fund by making a contribution to my fundraiser and sharing this page with your family and friends. Every dollar I raise will help the memory of my loved one live on and help to support the land and people of Israel. The donations and Tzedakah I raise for my loved one are so meaningful to me.

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