Michael Cohen, the long-time lawyer and adviser for President Trump, is testifying before Congress today. Cohen’s written testimony sets out a wide range of accusations about the president. Cohen claims — among other things — that Trump made racist comments; he also claims that Trump was directly involved in paying out hush money to women after having extra-marital affairs. Cohen’s testimony also describes Trump’s real estate projects in Russia.
Michael Cohen grew up in Lawrence, New York, the son of Maurice and Sondra Cohen. Here’s what you need to know about Sondra Cohen, Michael Cohen’s mother:
1. She Worked as a Registered Nurse
Maurice Cohen
Sondra Cohen married Maurice Cohen, a Holocaust survivor who fled to the United States from Poland. The Cohens raised their two sons, Michael and Bryan, in Lawrence, a suburb of New York City. Sondra worked as a registered nurse. Maurice worked as an ear, nose and throat surgeon.
2. She Helped Raise Funds for Her Sons’ School
Michael Cohen on a walk through New York City last year
As a boy, Michael Cohen attended Hillel, a Jewish day school in Lawrence, NY. Sondra volunteered to fund raise for the school, along with several other parents. Sondra’s friends remembered Cohen clearly, as an ordinary boy who fit in well with the community. “He was just another boy who was well liked by his friends, including my three sons,” Jacqueline Handel, another Hillel fund raiser, told the Long Island Herald.
3. The Cohens Were Members of Congregation Beth Sholom on Long Island
Sondra and Maurice Cohen raised their sons, Michael and Bryan, in Lawrence, a town on the South Shore of Long Island, near the border with Queens. Michael Cohen attended Hillel, a Jewish day school. He was bar mitzvahed at Congregation Beth Sholom synagogue, which was also in Lawrence.
4. She & Her Husband Now Live in Boca Raton, Florida
Michael Cohen with his wife and children
Sondra Cohen worked as a registered nurse; her husband, Maurice, was an eye, ear, and throat surgeon. The couple is now retired and lives in Boca Raton, Florida.
5. She Is a Registered Republican
Michael Cohen with his daughter, Samantha
Voter records from Florida reveal that Sondra Cohen is a registered Republican. She and her husband, Maurice, raised their family in Lawrence, New York, a suburb of New York City. They have since retired and moved to Boca Raton, Florida.