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Health & Fitness

Rabbi Paul F. Cohen of Temple Jeremiah named president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis

Rabbi Paul F. Cohen of Temple Jeremiah in Northfield, Ill., has been named the president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis for a two-year term ending in 2015. The Chicago Board of Rabbis, which was originally founded in 1893 as the Chicago Rabbinical Association, consists of approximately 200 Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist rabbis, as well as rabbis not affiliated with a movement, in the greater Chicago area. “I see this as intimately connected to the work I do with Temple Jeremiah and the core values of our community,” Cohen said. “The Chicago Board of Rabbis seeks to reach beyond the walls of the synagogue to foster new partnerships for social action, learning, education, and to help everyone seeking a spiritual home within the Jewish community find one.” Cohen became involved with the group when he first began as rabbi at Temple Jeremiah 13 years ago. He attended the group’s monthly programs and became involved in the leadership, serving most recently as a vice president and as the co-chair of the search committee that brought in Rabbi Michael Balinsky, the executive vice president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis. “Rabbi Cohen brings not only his dedication to Temple Jeremiah, but he also understands very well the need to work cooperatively with other organizations in the Jewish community. Rabbis can help facilitate communication among these organizations so that the largest amount of Jews can be served with the best of Jewish life and Jewish knowledge,” Balinsky said. “Rabbi Cohen respects the integrity of different institutions within the Jewish community but also recognizes that borders are permeable and people working together is a win-win for everyone.” Rabbi Carl Wolkin, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook, Ill., is the immediate past president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and was Cohen’s co-chair on the search committee. “It is a pleasure to call him friend and colleague,” Wolkin said. “He is one of my rabbinic role models, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather pass the baton to than him. His leadership will raise the organization to new and greater heights.” The Chicago Board of Rabbis receives the majority of its funding from the Jewish United Fund / Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago. The organization serves as a resource for unaffiliated Jews who are looking to connect with rabbis in their communities, provides opportunities for learning and growth for the rabbis, and buildings a connection between communal organizations. “I have the opportunity to work closely with a dedicated group of officers to foster connections between rabbis of our community who might not otherwise have the opportunity to meet one another, to form common cause around issues of concern for our community, and to work closely with the Federation to meet the needs of the greater Chicago Jewish community,” Cohen said. Some of the most noteworthy accomplishments of the Chicago Board of Rabbis include overseeing the hospital chaplaincy program to help facilities hire and support Jewish chaplains; working with the Jewish Community Center and suburban congregations to create JKids Connect, an organization that features a communal calendar of Jewish children’s programming; working with the Board of Jewish Education to reinvigorate and expand the Florence Melton School of Adult Learning; and representing the Jewish community in various interfaith programs and organizations. Cohen said this year the group plans to focus on how the rabbis can help people in the community connect more deeply and in a more meaningful way to the state of Israel. “We hope to help people understand the idea of Big Tent Zionism – where people who love Israel but have different ideas of how to support Israel can express themselves, share ideas, and debate the issues in a safe environment,” Cohen said. For the next two years, as president of the group, Cohen looks forward to continuing the successful work of his predecessors. “I hope to build on the strength of what we have accomplished and continue to build and strengthen the relationships among rabbis of different denominations and different work settings,” he said. In addition to his role with the Chicago Board of Rabbis, Cohen’s other leadership positions have included chair of the Rabbinic Advisory Committee of Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, vice president of the Chicago Association of Reform Rabbis, past board member of the Interfaith Housing Center of the North Shore (now called Open Communities), board member of Family Promise of Chicago North Shore, and a member of the Winnetka Interfaith Council, the North Fellowship of Rabbis and the Ethics Committee of the North Shore Senior Center.

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