Jewish American Heritage Month Spotlight: Juline Cohen

Juline Cohen is a tax partner at MGO and works out of the firm’s Los Angeles office. Born in and raised in Beverly Hills, she graduated from UCLA and speaks fluent Farsi. Juline is proud of her Jewish heritage and enjoys honoring Jewish traditions with her family.

How has your Jewish heritage shaped the person you are today?

My Jewish heritage has had a profound impact on who I am today. I strive to live in accordance with the Jewish values that have been imparted on me by my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. These values are the foundation of both my professional and personal life.

Does your family have any traditions that are especially important to you?

Shabbat dinner on Friday nights is by far the most important tradition to me. Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest and falls on the seventh day of the week. According to the Jewish calendar, a week runs from Sunday to Saturday, and days start at the previous night’s sundown—so that’s why Shabbat starts each Friday night. It’s customary for Jewish families to congregate for Shabbat dinner each Friday, free from the distractions of everyday life, to be together. It really provides the opportunity to spend quality time with immediate and extended family each week, and I love how we celebrate a beautiful tradition that has taken place for so many thousands of years in our history.

What brings you joy about your heritage and culture?

The Jewish people have a well-documented history of being exiled from many of the places we have lived throughout the world. The strength of our culture, traditions, and values have allowed us to survive and prosper against all odds. I’m extremely proud of the fact that I can live openly as a Jewish person in the United States—it’s something my ancestors could only dream of, and I’ll never take it for granted.

What does Jewish American Heritage Month mean to you?

It gives us an opportunity to share our culture and history with the rest of society. Educating others about Judaism is a critical step towards preening the instance of anti-Semitism that have caused so much devastation to Jewish people both past and present. It’s a way to honor the efforts of my ancestors, who never had a chance to live in a place where Jewish American Heritage Month could even be a reality.