Seymour Jay Cohen

Background

Seymour Jay Cohen was born on January 30, 1922, in New York, United States. Seymour Jay Cohen was the son of Philip J. and Rose Cohen. Philip J. Cohen was a businessman.

Education

Cohen graduated with special honors from City College (now the City College of the City University of New York) in 1942 and then from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, later completing graduate study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1949 he received a master’s in economics from Columbia University and a doctorate, also in economics, from the University of Pittsburgh in 1953.

Career

While Cohen was working on his doctorate, he became the rabbi of the Patchogue Jewish Center in New York and served at B’nai Israel Synagogue in Pittsburgh, from 1951 to 1960. From 1954 till 1957 Cohen worked as an instructor of industry and economics at Pittsburgh University. From 1957 till 1965 he was a visiting professor at Saint Mary of the Lake Church in Mundelein. From there he moved to Anshe Emet Synagogue in Chicago, where he stayed until retiring in 1991. It was in Chicago that Cohen began pioneering efforts to improve Jewish-Christian relations as well as racial equality, and it was he who introduced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 National Conference on Religion and Race. From 1962 till 1964 Seymour worked as a secretary at Rabbinical Assembly. In 1965 Cohen was a chairman of the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry. From 1965 till 1967 Cohen worked as a president at Synagogue Council American.

Other community efforts in which he was involved include the Interreligious Committee Against Poverty, which he co-chaired from 1966 to 1968, and the Chicago Board of Rabbis, which he president of from 1968 to 1970. From 1978 till 1980 Seymour worked as a vice president at Rabbinical Assembly. From 1980 till 1982 Seymour worked as a president at Rabbinical Assembly. Cohen was a member of the board of directors of his alma mater, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and president of the Synagogue Council of America.

Cohen wrote the book Negro-Jewish Dialogue as well as A Time to Speak and Holy Letter: A Study in Medieval Jewish Sexual Morality. He translated The Book of Righteous with Sefer Ha Yasher, as well as The Holy Letter and Ways of Righteous. His last book, How to be a Jew: Ethical Teachings of Judaism, which he co-wrote with Byron L. Sherwin, was published in 2001.

Achievements

• Seymour Cohen was a pioneer in the city's efforts to further Jewish-Christian relations, and his name was long associated with national efforts to promote racial equality. He led the first Eternal Light Vigil for Soviet Jews in Washington D.C. in 1965.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A Time to Speak 1968
  • The Holy Letter: a Study in Medieval Jewish Sexual Morality 1976
  • How to Be a Jew: Ethical Teachings of Judaism 1977
  • Sefer Hayashar: The Book of the Righteous 1993

Membership

• member

  American Medical Association , United States

  1961 - 1966

• member

  Phi Beta Kappa , United States

Personality

Seymour Cohen was a reasonable and helpful man. He was quite intelligent and serious.

Quotes from others about the person

• "Rabbi Cohen was able to balance a whole variety of different areas of concern. He had a keen sense of history and attached himself to areas of concern at a given time and made a difference at each step of the way." - Michael Siegel

Interests

• religion, books, history

Connections

Seymour Cohen married Naomi Greenberg on June 11, 1946. They had three children: Grace, Marc, Leeber.

Father:

Philip J. Cohen

Mother:

Rose Cohen

Wife:

Naomi Greenberg

Daughter:

Grace Cohen

Son:

Marc Cohen

Son:

Leeber Cohen

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series: A Bio-Bibliographical Guide to Current Writers in Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Poetry, Journalism, Drama, Motion Pictures, TV, & Other Fields
  2010