Jewish Prayer Photograph

About Aryeh Cohen Aryeh Cohen is an American rabbi, professor, social justice activist, and lecturer. He graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a BA in Philosophy and Jewish Thought. The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies ordained him as a rabbi and Brandeis University awarded him his Ph.D. Aryeh Cohen is currently a professor of Rabbinic literature at American Jewish University, where he chaired the Rabbinic Studies program from 2001 to 2005. Rabbis for Human Rights - North America and the Jewish Progressive Alliance are among his professional affiliations. During his academic career, he has taught at the Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, as well as Brandeis University. Academic Work The focus of his academic work is on the intersection of Talmudic discussions and contemporary issues of justice. As part of his earlier work, he developed a method for reading Talmudic legal texts as literary texts in order to explore issues of gender and diaspora. The Rabbi Aryeh Cohen Minneapolis is the author of two books, Justice in the City: An Argument from Rabbinic Judaism (2012) and Rereading Talmud: Gender, Law, and the Poetics of Sugyot (1998). At present, he is working on a project entitled The Space of Politics and the Politics of Space in Rabbinic Literature and the Contemporary World. Currently, he resides with his family in Minneapolis and lectures throughout the country on a regular basis. Rabbi Aryeh Cohen Rabbi Aryeh Cohen serves as Rabbi in Residence at Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. Aryeh is a Rabbi in Residence at Bend the Arc where he develops and participates in interfaith coalitions for the advancement of domestic issues, primarily the protection of undocumented residents and asylum seekers. As a result of Aryeh's direct actions since 2012, California's sanctuary law (SB54) has been passed and Los Angeles is no longer associated with immigration enforcement. Social Activism As a longtime social justice activist—with a particular interest in economic justice, criminal justice reform, and articulating Jewish social justice theory and practice—Rabbi Cohen served as the chair of the Progressive Jewish Alliance (the predecessor organization of Bend the Arc). Currently, he is a member of the Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice Board of Directors. As a scholar of Jewish history and ethics, Rabbi Aryeh Cohen is internationally recognized for his wisdom.