Born in London, Rabbi Henry Cohen served congregations in Jamaica and Mississippi before arriving in Galveston in 1888. When the 1900 hurricane demolished most of the city and left thousands dead, Cohen sprang into action, delivering food and medical supplies in a mule-drawn wagon. He is perhaps best known for his role in the Galveston Movement, which brought Jewish immigrants into the Port of Galveston to settle throughout Texas and the Midwest. Cohen met immigrants at the dock and provided advice and assistance, sometimes purchasing clothing and supplies for them with his own money. In honor of Cohen's lifetime of charitable work and dedication to social justice, President Woodrow Wilson called him the "foremost citizen of Texas." More»
