Forward 50 2017

Abba Cohen

By Forward Staff November 1, 2017

The Ultra-Orthodox Community’s Man In Washington

Twenty-eight years as vice president and Washington director of Agudath Israel of America have made Abba Cohen a true Washington insider. Now, Cohen is uniquely positioned to reap the fruits of his decades-long labors.

While his organization is not aligned with any political party, the Trump presidency has brought a new opening for well-placed ultra-Orthodox advocates. Cohen’s push for government-funded parochial education, a top priority of the Orthodox community, found an open door at Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education. The White House’s executive order easing rules on funding of religious institutions also struck the right chord for Cohen and fellow Orthodox representatives lobbying the executive branch and Capitol Hill.

And, while other Jewish groups were struggling to find their footing in a new administration with limited ties to Jewish institutions, Cohen and the Agudah were among the few to cash in on the Orthodox support for Trump.

Cohen, 61, is an ordained rabbi who received his graduate degree from Columbia and his law degree from Georgetown. He began his career with the Anti-Defamation League before joining the Agudah.

As a Washington representative of an ultra-Orthodox organization, Cohen has found himself fighting for issues ranging from helping Jews pass a Transportation Security Administration screening while carrying a lulav during Sukkot to providing federal funding for synagogues hit by natural disasters.

The Forward’s staff contributors are listed in our masthead.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO