SURFSIDE, Fla. – Debra Cohen’s two sons, Dr. Gary and Brad Cohen are among the missing in the Champlain Towers South collapse.
She reads their Hebrew names to elicit blessings from above.
“As a mother, wife and grandmother, I want to implore everyone to pray for all the people who are missing, and my two sons, please bring them back,” she said Tuesday. “They are irreplaceable.”
On Day 6, the family is still holding onto hope and prayer.
“I believe that Judaism sets up a structure and guidelines and gives us a moral compass. And that’s how we’re getting through this,” said Mindy Cohen, Gary’s wife. “We’re not mourning because they’re still alive, we’re praying that they’re still alive.”
Both Gary and Brad were observant Jews who relied on their faith. Brad was an active member at synagogues in Surfside.
“It says in the Talmud that the prayer of the community does not come back empty-handed,” said his Rabbi Aryeh Citron.
It’s that prayer that the family is asking for.
“The power of prayer cannot be underestimated,” Debra Cohen said. “Please join us in the prayer. It sure helps.”
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