Abraham Cohen

Abraham Cohen, 97, of Quincy, died Sunday morning, June 22, 2014, in Greenfield. He had recently moved to Greenfield to live with his son David and daughter-in-law Judy Atkins. Abraham was born in Malden, Sept. 22, 1916, eldest son of the late Hyman and Fannie Cohen and later brother to William. Like his parents, he was a lifelong socialist and a fighter for peace, justice and equality for all people. One of his first political actions as a young boy was passing out leaflets in protest of the coming execution of Sacco and Vanzetti. Abraham graduated from Quincy High School and then attended and graduated from the Massachusetts College of Optometry in 1937. He served in the U.S. Army as a medic from 1942 to 1946 reaching the rank of Captain. He was wounded once and captured twice, but talked his way out of capture both times. On returning from the war, he married Madeline Sivachek, whom he met as a teen when they both worked at Camp Nitgedeiget. Abraham then began a new career as a maker of monuments, starting the United Granite Co., in Quincy, with friends. During the 1950s, he and Madeline suffered constant harassment from the FBI because of their progressive political beliefs. In 1956, he was called before the Massachusetts Commission on Un-American Activity with which he refused to cooperate. Years later, he received a citation from the city of Quincy honoring his commitment to justice and his refusal to bow to political pressure. In the 1980s, he and Madeline and many others worked to overcome racial discrimination in housing in the city of Quincy. Their suit against the city helped pave the way to open public housing in Quincy to minorities. During his life, he was also president of the Jewish Community Center and was active with the Community Action Program in Quincy and was a founder with Madeline of the South Shore Coalition for Human Rights. Abraham is survived by his daughter, Nancy Cohen and her partner Norman Christophersen of Chicago, Ill.; his son, David Cohen and his wife Judy Atkins of Greenfield; and his beloved granddaughter, Mandy Cohen of Los Angeles, Calif. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins; as well as dear friends. Memorial gifts can be made to the organization of your choice. Abraham was particularly interested in the work of Heifer International (www.heifer.org) and Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library (http://thomascranelibrary.org/friends).