“My art is my vehicle for ensuring our Jewish heritage and history isn’t forgotten.” ~ Lenore ~
ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS
Meet Lenore Mizrachi-Cohen, an accomplished conceptual artist whose creations focus on her Sephardic heritage. A wife, mom, and artist, she recently opened a new shared studio space for women called Muse.
Roots
Lenore, daughter of Natalie Solomon and Rabbi Joseph Mizrachi, is one of four children, second in line and the first girl. Being the oldest daughter gave her a sense of responsibility early on.
Her parents, both Sephardic and Brooklyn born, are from families who emigrated from Syria to the U.S. in the 1920s. Lenore grew up in Flatbush, although her family divided their time between Israel and Brooklyn until she was four.
Lenore describes herself as a serious child but also very outgoing. Coincidentally, Lenore and my daughter Sarah were close friends in pre-school and lower division. Reconnecting with the poised and talented woman Lenore is today was quite thrilling for me.
Educated at Yeshiva of Flatbush from grade school through high school, Lenore was a good student. Lenore excelled in English because she liked to read, and in religious subjects, as she studied with her father.
Her love of art began early. “Art was my outlet and favorite subject at school.” Lenore longed to have art more than once a week.
After high school, Lenore enrolled in Brooklyn College, majoring in art. Although she enjoyed the art history and hands-on studio classes, the most useful and practical skills came through doing work herself and from on-the-job experience.
Essence
Lenore describes herself as creative, driven, outgoing, hardworking, and reliable. She has always been very independent and practical. She is passionate and full of energy. She graciously balances her two main focuses – family and art.
When she was 15, Lenore was inspired to help the Israeli refugees from Gush Katif, many of whom lost their homes and belongings in the disengagement. “I didn’t have a plan from A-Z. I rallied other teens and together we collected thousands of dollars’ worth of goods for Israeli families when they had next to nothing. Congregation of West Deal allowed us to send our packages along with their own shipment.” The Gush Katif project “illustrates something that has come up for me time and again in my career.”
Lenore does not dwell on her doubts and believes most things are possible if one can break them down into actionable steps, can identify partners, can set a realistic timeframe, and can follow through. Keeping the end result in mind is key. These are central principles of project management and setting SMART goals.
A Match Made in Heaven
Lenore was introduced to her naseeb, Morris Cohen, a Magen David graduate, in Deal, New Jersey. Later the two found out that they used to visit their great- grandmothers, who lived next door to each other, every Shabbat. Hashem did not have them meet until the time was right.
The couple now resides in Flatbush. Morris is a mortgage broker and real estate developer. They are blessed with three children and are proud of the people their children are becoming. The family prays at Congregation Beth Torah.
Passions and Accomplishments
Lenore’s personal passions are her family and the wellbeing of her children. “That’s the first yardstick for making any decisions or plans.”
Careerwise, art and the act of creating are what light her up. Specifically, Lenore is impassioned about representing and perpetuating her Sephardic heritage.
Lenore loves the Arabic language for its visual appeal and long history of connection with her community. She studied Arabic as an elective in eleventh grade, learning how to read and write.
“Through my work I can remind people of this connection and heritage and in my own way create concrete remembrances of who our community is/was.”
Personally, Lenore’s three children are her proudest accomplishments. She derives immense pleasure watching them grow and learn.
On a professional level, Lenore is most proud of the two shows she created and produced for the Jerusalem Biennale, the largest platform in the world for contemporary Jewish art. The shows were – Homelands Reflections on the Jews of Islamic Lands, and Maktoub (from the Arabic word for things that are written and also are written in the sense of destined to happen) a group show of calligraphy works by artists from Israel and the UAE.
“I also reached a new benchmark last year when my work was shown at three international museums (the Jewish Museums of Vienna, Berlin, and Lecce).”
Career Trajectory
Lenore began her art career working decoratively. Once she gained some life experience and had children, she moved into conceptual work. Being a mom taught her to be extremely intentional and focused with her time.
Lenore first comes up with an idea and then decides which medium works best to express it. For example, she learned how to embroider for one of her series about connection to the past.
Using Arabic calligraphy, embroidery, paper cuts, and light, Lenore creates work about mental health, self-perception, consumerism, and the place one’s heritage has in everyday life. “There is more to art than creating something pretty. I use art as a vehicle to further discussions about things I’m passionate about.”
Lenore’s heritage-based works are created in Arabic and lead to these conversations. Another exciting aspect of Lenore’s work is the making of connections with people globally, from all walks of life. One example is her show Maktoub, which Lenore created and curated, making use of artwork by Jews and Muslims from Jerusalem and Dubai.
Maktoub’s Jerusalem opening was attended by the ambassador from Great Britain, as well as representatives from the embassies of Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain. “When I started teaching myself Arabic calligraphy ten years ago, I never could have imagined that it would lead to diplomats gathering in a room to hear ME speak!”
Role Models
In her personal life, Lenore’s parents have been her main role models. They instilled in her the values of family, community, education, and pride in her heritage. They continue to inspire her.
Three Israeli visionaries helped shape Lenore’s career. The artist Andi Arnovitz introduced her to conceptual art and advised her on balancing studio practice with family life.
Ram Ozeri, founder and director of the Jerusalem Biennale, created the first international, bi-annual show for contemporary Jewish art. Without Ram’s framework, Lenore would not have been inspired to lean heavily into creating art almost exclusively focused on her heritage.
Lastly, Zipi Mizrachi founded the first and only women’s art center in Israel, Studio of her Own. She started out very small and after ten years of hard work was granted a building in Jerusalem’s center. Today the studio boasts a gallery, workspace, cafe, event space, and an artist residency program for mothers. Lenore made valuable connections working there while living in Israel, from 2019-2022, with Morris and her children. “Zipi’s center demonstrated how a good idea flourishes with the right persistence and commitment.”
Balance
Lenore recognized that consistently showing up, treating her work seriously, and carving out time in a proper dedicated workspace, are important factors in achieving her career goals. Lenore attends art-related events to network and to maintain connections with fellow artists and potential partners, such as curators or galleries. That can be challenging as the events are often at night, and are never in her neighborhood.
Having grown up in the same community, Lenore and Morris share the same parenting styles and values. Lenore learned how to compartmentalize and knows when to focus on the children versus work. She plans meals in advance and relies on family for babysitting for big career events. Lenore is very grateful for the support and understanding of her husband, her siblings, and her children’s grandparents. “My husband reminds me to think of the ‘how’ instead of whether something is possible.”
Community
“It takes a village. The success of my family and career have been shaped by our amazing community. It helps me raise my kids to be good people and provides strong community institutions and connections to assist in accomplishing bigger picture goals.”
While producing the show Homelands, the Sephardic Community Alliance allowed Lenore to use their platform to fundraise. Congregation Beth Torah gave Lenore her first opportunity to organize a group show and to display her work in a large forum.
Muse
Muse is an artist collective and shared studio space in Brooklyn, which opened this September. Lenore says, “Muse is a natural progression in my career, as an artist who needs local workspace, connection with others, and the ability to be present for my family.”
Members can use Muse as their workspace, to host art-related events, and to teach classes. “Specifically for women artists, it’s the first and only space of this kind in our community. It will be a game-changer in terms of art-related offerings and providing framework, community, and direction to creatives.”
What’s Next
In 2025, Lenore will have a solo show at the Museo Ebraico in Lecce, Italy.
See Lenore’s work on www.lenorecohen.com and follow her on Instagram @lenorecohen. Message her on either platform. For info about Muse, visit www.musebk.com and Instagram @musebkcollective.
Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach. Her coaching specialties include life, career, and dating coaching. Ellen can be contacted at ellen@lifecoachellen.com (www.lifecoachellen.com).