When Laura Cohen has a vision, she goes after it. But not without the help of the “village” around her — longtime friends, family, colleagues and community members.
She founded the local nonprofit MoCo Mitzvah Moms, which aims to help families with children receiving prolonged medical care, and runs the organization with four fellow Jewish moms.
Cohen works in early elementary education at Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, a role she took on after serving as a preschool teacher and pedagogy staff member at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center.
She is also the vice president of membership services for Congregation B’nai Tzedek’s executive committee. The working mom of two lives in Bethesda.
Tell me about your Jewish upbringing and background.
I grew up in Baltimore as part of the Chizuk Amuno Congregation, and from an early age my family really instilled in me Jewish values and traditions. We went to synagogue on Shabbat. We were involved in our synagogue life. I was involved in [Jewish day] camp, sleepaway camp and Hebrew school. We talked a lot about Israel and our connection to Israel here in America, so we had a common thread linking everything.
What are your responsibilities at B’nai Tzedek?
Initially, my children joined the preschool and, very quickly, I discovered that B’nai Tzedek was special. The preschool is an incredible place and I knew I wanted to be involved. I initially led, with a bunch of other moms, the PTA. I was on the board as the preschool chair and when my older child moved into religious school, I moved into the religious school chair [position]. Now, I am a [vice president] of member services and I love the opportunity to connect with new members of our community.
What about your responsibilities with Milton?
This is my 15th year at Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School. I taught kindergarten here for many years. Now, I am the early elementary project work development chair and I help develop the curriculum alongside the teachers. My favorite part of the job is getting to go into classrooms and work with the children. Milton is an incredible school and I feel lucky to be a part of the community.
When founding MoCo Mitzvah Moms, why was it important to you to incorporate Jewish values into the organization and its mission statement?
Jewish values have always been a part of my upbringing and my identity. So naturally, our mission embodies Jewish values like tikkun olam and chesed. So many of my friends share these Jewish values and I knew these incredible women in my life would love to support this effort.
What’s a piece of advice you’d share to another young person who wants to make a difference in the community?
For me, it’s always come from a place of passion. If you start with things you truly care about and that you love, you will throw your whole heart into it. Then, bring on friends and others who can share in your passion. Excitement is contagious.
How do you incorporate Judaism into your day-to-day life as a working mom?
As a working mom, it can be challenging to balance it all. We try to celebrate every Shabbat together in some way every week. Every Friday, my kids come home from school all excited and ask if I bought the challot. As a family, every night before bed, we say Shema together. Even if we’re busy, we make time to make Shabbat special, whether we’re taking a moment while driving to baseball practice or playing a game together.
I try to instill Jewish values in my children. For example, if they earn some money, I’m always encouraging them to think about donating part of it to someone who’s in need. Or if they get a bunch of birthday gifts, even if they really love all of the presents, I encourage them to consider which toy they can give to a child in a hospital [through] MoCo Mitzvah Moms. Our children also attend Ramah Day Camp and Capital Camps, where they enjoy their summers immersed in Judaism.
What do you want your kids to know as they grow up?
The two main things that come to mind are the importance of kindness in their lives and in the world, and how important it is to have a village and loving community around them.
