I and my two brothers, Joel and Kenny, were brought up in Milwaukee. Our parents are Lorraine and Dr. Donald Cohen, who still live in Milwaukee and have been active in the Jewish community there for the past 60 years.
My parents raised us in a kosher home with a strong Jewish identity. We were affiliated with Beth El Ner Tamid Synagogue and attended it regularly.
We also had many strong connections with the Orthodox Jewish community. My mother taught at the Hillel Academy Day School and helped found a Summer Evenings of Jewish Music series in Milwaukee.
My father, a pediatrician, took care of the children from a large percentage of the Jewish families in Milwaukee. He also served on various committees at the Jewish Community Center (now the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC) and in synagogues.
My parents have been members of the Anshe Sfard Kehillat Torah synagogue for the past 30 years. They have been active supporters of Hillel Academy and the Wisconsin Institute of Torah Study.
I left Milwaukee after finishing Nicolet High School in Glendale. I moved to Madison to begin my studies for my first degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
I finished my first degree there with a major in botany. Shortly thereafter I found work at a newly founded Plant Biotechnology Company, Cetus Madison Corp (later changed name to Agracetus Corp), currently part of Monsanto.
I worked at Agracetus for 14 years performing some of the first plant genetic transformations ever produced. I worked primarily on corn, soybean and peanut plants.
We were one of the developers of a new technology called biolistics — “gene gun” — to introduce new genes into plants. The original gene gun that we used is now at the Smithsonian Institute.
Israel beckons
I lived in Madison for some 17 years. Although I really liked Madison, I saw my future elsewhere.
I was still single in my 30s, the company I worked for was being bought up and many of the old timers’ jobs were in jeopardy. So I made the decision to move.
Initially I considered other cities in the U.S. with large Jewish populations and good job possibilities in the plant sciences.
But in the end I chose Israel for several reasons. The prospects of finding a mate and work in my field had the most potential there.
In addition, being a religious Zionist (dati leumi) with no concerns on how my family would have to adjust to a new life made the move much “easier.” The icing on the cake was I had family already in Israel, my younger brother Kenny, his wife Rachel and the first four of their eventual six children.
I initially thought I might just move to Israel and then look for a job. However, I had only a B.S. in plant biology, and I was informed that jobs would be hard to come by and the pay would be low.
Nevertheless, I took a trip in the fall of 1994 to investigate work possibilities. I was put in touch with Professor Jonathan Gressel, from the Plant Genetics Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science, thanks to my friend Dena Safer, who is Gressel’s niece.
Gressel suggested I consider going to graduate school for a Ph.D. in plant sciences. He asked that I keep in contact with him via e-mail.
Several months later, I applied to the Feinberg Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute. With Gressel’s help, I was accepted to the Ph.D. program and began my research studies in the fall of 1995. In the spring of 2001, I finished my Ph.D. thesis.
After dozens upon dozens of sincere set up dates through friends or family members, I went to a shadchan (matchmaker), Judy Stern. She told me about Dr. Miriam Krausz, an economist from Bar Ilan University, who came to Israel from London, England at a young age with her family.
We married in November 2006. We have two children: Devora, 6, and Netanel, 4.
We live in Rehovot, a very pleasant town centered around the Weizmann Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Agriculture and a high tech park. The town attracts academics, including many Anglo and Russian immigrants.
Rehovot was once surrounded by citrus orchards, but now it is built up due to its proximity to Tel Aviv, its job opportunities and its rail station. I have been for many years a regular attending member of The Rabbi Jacob Berman Community Center for Torah and Tefila, which serves English-speaking and Israeli modern Orthodox Jews.
Since the birth of my children I have become more integrated in the Israeli community, in addition to the Anglo community. We live in a mixed religious-secular neighborhood and we got to know our neighbors mainly through the children.
The American holidays have been replaced by the Jewish holidays and my Hebrew skills are improving with the help of my children and my colleagues at work.
Despite the challenges faced by an American living in a mainly Middle Eastern culture, it was a wise decision to make aliyah. Living in Israel has enriched my life greatly.
Barry Cohen, Ph.D., is a botanist working for Danziger Innovations Ltd. This article is one in an occasional series by Wisconsinites who have moved to Israel.
Loading ...