Ayelet S. Cohen

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Rabbi Ayelet Cohen was the first non-LGBT rabbi I remember who chose to work at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, New York City’s LGBT synagogue, which added dignity and a certain normalcy to LGBT life at a time when neither were present. Now, she elevates the stature of the JCC with the speakers and issues she brings to programs, and inspires the Jewish world as co-chair of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. Her quiet, smart, questioning approach should be admired and imitated. And her strong stands for the rights of those who need it most are rare enough in this world as to deserve loud kudos!
— Ellen Lippman
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
