Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 17 June 1987 — Page 4

Young realtors elbowing established competitors

J. B. Cohen Realty Corp. is taking on the Indianapolis real estate establishment. When Jeff Cohen, 25, opened his real estate agency in April 1985, he knew the competition would be fierce. "Most people already know a realtor, their mother's an agent, their cousin's an agent, their friend's an agent, somebod/s an agent and they feel like they have to list with that person or buy through them because of that relationship. I don't let that stop me. I'm more aggressive than anybody they know, so I just go after it like that situation doesn't exist. It may be a problem to them, but its not to me. If they won't budge, then I start working on their agent, and sell him or her.'' Cohen grew up in the shadow of his developer father, Aaron Y. Cohen, and even worked for his dad for a while after college. "My father's pretty much a oneman show, though, and I didn't feel there was roomfor two. I didn't want to just be Aaron Y. Cohen's son to the business world all my life." The younger Cohen is quick to point out, however, that his father has been a

great teacher and is always there to help whenever the need arises. "I'm very grateful for everything he's done for me and the company. It's awfully convenient to have AaronY. Cohen to go to when you need advice on a deal. He's been through it all a thousand times over. There isn't too much he doesn't know when it comes to real estate. Both of my parents are extremely cooperative. Selling real estate takes up all of my time and that means not getting to spend as much time with them as I'd like to." Jeff's mother, Carolyn H. Cohen, says she's used to it, though. After 28 years of being married to Aaron, she's grown used to the demanding schedule the real estate business imposes on Jeff and his father." Jeff isn't a one-man operation. He extends full credit to Mark Zukerman, 23, and his attorney Steven J. Glazier, 30. Zukerman joined when things got so busy Jeff couldn't handle all the business himself. "You can only spread yourself so thin," Cohen says. The three of us are Jewish and I can't express, in words, how much that means to us. We're Jews, first and fore-

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Jeff Cohen

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most, and that means we feel a common bond with one another, a kinship. We're like family to each other. I know whatever happens to me touches Mark, and he feels likewise. Not that we're exactly the same, because we're not. We don't look the same, or talk the same, or dress the same, but the differences are superficial. They're irrelevant. Our parents have instilled in us what it means to be Jews and 1 think we feel an emotional bond with Jews everywhere," Jeff adds. "We're very aggressive, more so than any other agency in town, but we think we have to be in order to compete with the giants in the business. We do compete and take business away from them all the time." Cohen points out that his agency also cooperates with other agencies, too, and couldn't stay in business without them. "We give other realContinued on page IN 6

Hungarian accent finds proper place

By GISELA WEISZ 255-5019 Budapest — Hear Friends: I hope I may call you friends, otherwise why would I keep writing to you week after week? This time I am writing from the Hungarian capital, Budapest. The weather is mild, the food superb and the people are friendly. Foreign visitors come to this busy city of 2 million people often. During my short visit here I also met two international celebrities. One was Armand Hammer , the humanist multi-billionaire from Texas, and Efraim Kishout, the Israeli humorist. Hammer did not tell me why he came to Budapest, but Kishout did. A series of performances in the city's smallest, but most forward-thinking theater, The Microscope Stage, represents one of the several reaching out gestures between Israel and Hungary. Throughout several nights, performances were created from the writings of the Israeli humorist's essays, with Kishout himself appearing on the Hungarian stage. Art Buchwald said about the writer: "In our days Kishout is the second and best humorist in the world and 1 hate him!" Kishout, whose mother language is Hungarian, told from the stage about the ardorous and at times fortui-

tous steps in his career. On the way to be the au thor of 50 books in 40 languages Kishout did not retreat from working on a kibbutz or cleaning toilets. The grateful audience paid homage to his amusing monologue with loud laughter and long applauses. Short scenes from the life of the Israeli citizen mirrored the plight of Hungarian households. Among others there was the Israeli "ozeret" (cleaning woman) outwitting her calculating employers. — The Israeli plumber, who is far more capable to bargain over his labor price than to repair a leaking faucet. I have seen the new "oleh", the newly arrived immigrant, who holding a telephone receiver to his ear talks in his newly acquired language. This conversation reveals his lack of word power — he doesn't even know what the word "tele phone" means. After the show I was able to speak to Kishout whose level of Hungarian is about similar to mine. He said something that I've found thoroughly amusing: "When I arrived here (Budapest) they told me that I speak the language with a fine Hungarian accent." Efraim Kishout continued: "They have told me this in many countries already, but in no country was I as happy about it as I am here!" Me, Too.

Sprechman-Lipken wedding planned

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Sprechman of Clifton, N.J., announce the engagement of their daughter, Diane Marlene to Stephen E. Lipken,

son of Mr. William L. Lipken and the late Mrs. Freda A. Lipken of Indianapolis. A September wedding is planned.

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June 17, 1987 Page Indiana 4