Dr. Chezzi Cohen z"l was born in Germany in 1932 and relocated to Israel in 1938. He commenced his tenure at the Children’s Home (now known as the Jerusalem Hills Therapeutic Centers) in 1957. Dr. Cohen pioneered and developed the unique innovative treatment methods that have made the Children's Home the leading facility in Israel for residential care and have earned the JHTC international praise.

Dr. Cohen holds a B.A. in Education and Psychology, an M.A. in Psychology and Special Education, and a Ph.D. in Psychology and was an Israel Psychoanalytic Society board certified psychoanalyst.

Dr. Cohen taught for many years at the Hebrew University and Tel Aviv Universoty's School of Social Work and Department of Psychology, and is frequently invited to lecture on residential care at conferences and seminars in Israel and abroad. He was a senior member of the Israel Psychoanalytic Society teaching staff as well as a former president and treasurer.

His pioneering work in the field of residential care has earned Dr. Cohen numerous awards and honors, and he was frequently requested to share his expertise with government committees and public bodies. He wrote countless articles that contributed new insights to the treatment of at-risk children and youth. A unique training manual, Therapy in Life Space: a collection of papers on residential treatment (Hebrew), published by the Children's Home in honor of Dr. Cohen, includes some of his major writings, the fruit of decades of accumulated experience in the residential care of children-at-risk. This training manual is used extensively by childcare professionals throughout Israel. 

In 1997 Dr. Cohen retired after 35 distinguished years as Director of the Children’s Home, and joined its Executive Board as Chairman until 2016 when he was extended an Emeritus position.

He did not retire from his professional work and continued to lecture on residential care for many years in Israel and abroad.

Dr. Chezzi Cohen is survived by his wife Talma, his 4 children and his grandchildren.

His legacy lives on in the many staff members he trained and mentored and the many, many graduates he helped heal.