Guide to the Elli Kohen Papers
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains the writings of Elli Kohen as they relate to Sephardic and Turkish Jews throughout history. In addition there is some correspondence related to the donation of these papers to the American Sephardi Federation and several diskettes containing his research files.
Dates
- Creation: undated, 1999-2002
Creator
- Kohen, Elli (Person)
Language of Materials
The collection is in English.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to researchers.
Use Restrictions
There may be some restrictions on the use of the collection. For more information, contact:
American Sephardi Federation, Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011
email: ASFinquiries@cjh.org
Biographical Note
Elli Kohen, was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1930. Earning his medical degree from the University of Istanbul in 1954. He served in the Turkish Army before pursuing a Ph.D. in pathology from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. As an expert in photobiology and cell imaging using fluorescence microscopy he published numerous articles and books, and taught at the University of Miami’s Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and the Department of Biology and conducted research at the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute. After serving the University of Miami community as teacher and researcher for nearly forty years he was named professor emeritus of the Department of Biology.
In addition to being a prolific researcher in his primary field of medicine, Elli Kohen found time to write on the history of Sephardic and Turkish Jews, create, with his daughter, a Ladino-English dictionary, wrote a book on the history and myths of cats throughout the world, and even, with his daughter, a novel.
He passed away in December of 2007 and was survived by his wife Cahilde, daughter, Dahlia Kohen-Gordon, and son-in-law, Sean Gordon.
In addition to his works on photobiology, unlisted in this finding aid, here is a list of his works relating to other topics:
- Elli Kohen, Dahlia Kohen-Gordon. Ladino-English, English-Ladino: Concise Encyclopedic Dictionary (Judeo-Spanish). New York: Hippocrene Books, 2000.
- Elli Kohen and Dahlia V. Kohen-Gordon. La Concierge. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2001.
- Elli Kohen, Dahlia Kohen-Gordon, Jacques Ovadia, Joseph G. Hirschberg. Dr. Nissim Joseph Ovadia: A Pillar of World Sephardi Judaism and a Scholar: He Completed what Napoléon Started. Coral Gables, FL: Elli Kohen, 2002.
- Elli Kohen. World History and Myths of Cats. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003.
- Elli Kohen. The Kohens del de Campavias: A Family's Sweet and Sour Story in the Ottoman and Republican Turkey. Istanbul: Isis Press, 2004.
- Elli Kohen. History of the Turkish Jews and Sephardim: Memories of a Past Golden Age. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2007.
- Elli Kohen. History of the Byzantine Jews: A Microcosmos in the Thousand Year Empire.Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2007.
The above material was pieced together from the following sources: Elli Kohen’s Curriculum Vitae The blog In My Heart – Jewish Memories has a copy of his obituary. And various tributes in University of Miami newsletters
Extent
0.5 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box)
Abstract
This collection contains the research of University of Miami professor of photobiology and medical researcher Elli Kohen. Professor Kohen was a prolific writer in a variety of topics ranging from photobiology to the history of cats to the study of Ladino and Sephardic Jewry. The bulk of this collection contains his notes and drafts of essays and book chapters on the history of Sephardic and Turkish Jews.
Arrangement
This collection has been arranged in alphabetical order by document type and then by subject.
- Folder 1: Contributions - Turkish Chronicles - Erensia Sefardi
- Folder 2: Correspondence wth American Sephardi Federation
- Folder 3: Essays - Rediscovery of a Golden Age - The History of Turkish Jews - Chapter 16 - Mehmed IV
- Folder 4: Essays - Rediscovery of a Golden Age - The History of Turkish Jews - Chapter 17 - Suleyman II
- Folder 5: Essays - Rediscovery of a Golden Age - The History of Turkish Jews - Chapter 18 - Ahmed III
- Folder 6: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Biography - Algazi
- Folder 7: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Biography - Danon
- Folder 8: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Biography - Ovadia
- Folder 9: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Biography - Tekin Alp
- Folder 10: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Biography - Yehezkal Gabay
- Folder 11: Essays - Turkish Sephardic Folklore
- Folder 12: Research Files - Diskettes
Subject
- Kohen, Elli (Person)
- Danon, Abraham (Person)
- Mehmed, Sultan of the Turks, IV, 1642-1693 (Person)
- Süleyman, Sultan of the Turks, II, 1642-1691 (Person)
- Ahmed, Sultan of the Turks, III, 1673-1736 (Person)
- Algazi, Solomon ben Abraham, 1610?-approximately 1683 (Person)
- Ovadia, Nissim Joseph, 1890-1942 (Person)
- Tekinalp, Munis, 1883-1961 (Person)
- Gabbay, Yehezkel, 1825-1898 (Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Elli Kohen Papers, undated, 1999-2002 ASF AR 22
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Michael D. Montalbano
- Date
- © February 2010.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
- Edition statement
- This version was derived from Kohen.xml
Repository Details
Part of the American Sephardi Federation Repository
