By Kathi Santora
Judith Solomon Cohen (1766 – 1837) was the matriarch of one of the earliest Jewish families in Baltimore. She and husband, Israel, lived in England and were married there in 1787. The couple emigrated to Richmond where Israel worked as a constable.
When Israel died in 1803, his house and belongings were auctioned off, since women were not allowed to own property.
Judith moved to Baltimore with a goal in mind: she wanted her six sons and one daughter to get good educations. At the time, the state of Virginia refused higher education to people who were Jewish.
The family boarded in a home owned by Shinah Solomon Etting, also a widow who was earning a living by operating a boarding house.
The education that Judith’s children received helped to make them an incredibly influential force in Baltimore.
Jacob founded a bank, was president of the city council, and a director of the B & O Railroad; Mendes became a noted archeologist and donated his antiquities to JHU; Benjamin and David helped found the Baltimore Stock exchange; Joshua was a pioneer ear specialist; Philip became a postmaster in Norfolk, Virginia.
The following generations produced many more Baltimore luminaries. The family and most descendants are buried or memorialized in Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery in a family plot that contains a memorial to Judith and her husband and dozens of small footstones that represent the generations.