Joseph Cohen (solicitor)

Cohen was born in Birmingham on 22 June 1889, to a greengrocer father of Russian-Polish descent and a British mother. Raised in St. Vincent Street in the city's Ladywood district, he was educated at George Dixon Grammar School. ==Career ==

Cohen trained as a solicitor and set up practice in Birmingham. All together he was involved with owning or operating fifty cinemas. Cohen's Birmingham news theatres had their own film crew, to record local events, led by his son, George. He also developed properties on what became Jacey Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham and Jacey Road, Shirley, Solihull. == Personal life ==

In the 1920s Cohen commissioned an art deco style house, later known as Woodbourne Manor, in the Birmingham suburb of Harborne. He served as secretary of the Jewish Literary and Debating Society, and of the Birmingham Jewish Athletic Club. He held "almost every executive position" during 40 years with the Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, and was credited with being responsible for the stained glass windows at the city's main synagogue, Singers Hill, where he was chairman of the council from 1944 to 1954. The Joseph Cohen Hall, adjacent to the synagogue, is named in his honour, and the synagogue has several plaques honouring his contributions. He also sat on the board of the University of Birmingham, == Coordinates ==