Cohen was born and raised in Jerusalem, and was named after his grandfather, Rabbi Ben Zion Meir Mutzafi Zatzokal, one of the greatest scholars in Baghdad. In his youth, he studied at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, where he became very close to the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Rabbi Ezra Atiyah Zatzokal.
He served as the Rosh Yeshiva for decades, and was privileged to teach thousands of students.
His funeral took place tonight at 22:00 in the Shoshanim LeDavid synagogue plaza in the Beit Israel neighborhood.