Cohn, Hazzan Sanford Dean

Hazzan Sanford Dean Cohn, z”l, was born on January 1, 1954 to William and Mary Louise Cohn in Kansas City, MO and passed away at home on hospice care, surrounded by family, on Sunday, May 22, 2022 in West Hartford, CT after a long and brave fight with cancer. He was a faithful husband to Beth Polebaum, a dutiful father to Shoshana, Aryeh, and Gavriel Cohn, a caring brother to Mark Cohn and brotherin-law to Susan Cohn, Elliot Polebaum, Gilda Brancato, Mark Polebaum, and Diane Buhl, a loving son-in-law to Phyllis Polebaum, and an exuberant uncle to Danielle Polebaum, David Polebaum, Katie Polebaum, Jessica Polebaum, and Michael Polebaum and lifelong friend to many. As a child he moved to many cities in the southern US, though he called Louisville, KY his home. Music was a large part of his early life and through his time at the University of Kentucky, where he earned his Bachelor's in Linguistics in 1975. Following a trip to Israel he decided to merge his love of Judaism with his constant joy of music and was ordained as a Cantor with a Bachelor's in Sacred Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1982. It was in New York where he met, fell in love with, and married Beth Polebaum. Following his ordination, he was the Hazzan for congregations in Portchester, NY; Whitestone, NY; Silver Spring, MD; Winnipeg, MB. He then held the cantorial pulpit at the Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford, CT for over 20 years until his retirement. He received his Doctorate in Sacred Music, Honoris Causa, from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Following his retirement, he also served as the Cantor-in-residence at Congregation Beth-el in New London, CT which brought him great joy through the pandemic. Away from the pulpit, Sanford enjoyed time with his family, Jeopardy!, and a range of New England sports teams. His charity, empathy, and kindness will be missed by all who knew him. He was buried at the Emanuel Synagogue Cemetery in Wethersfield. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the cancer research fund of your choice. The family would also like to thank Dr. Rawad Elias, MD. Shivah will be held at the Cohn-polebaum residence at 87 Mohawk Dr. West Hartford, CT 06117, weather permitting, at 8:00 PM Monday – Thursday May 23 – 26 and 9:00 AM Tuesday – Friday May 24 – 27 as well as Sunday May 29. If weather prohibits, please contact the synagogue for change of Shivah plans. Funeral arrangements provided by Hebrew Funeral Association, West Hartford.

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