Aaron B. Cohen

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May 27, 2017, 12:21 AM

A six ounce radio and the Six-Day War

Transistor radios were the iPods of the Sixties. You could stuff one in your pocket and still ride your bike. During my teens pocket radios were constant companions. They lay on the beach with me in summer and curled up...

Dec 7, 2016, 8:04 PM

What made America great on Pearl Harbor Day

Do lessons from Dec. 7, 1941 still echo 75 years later? Then, war suddenly was thrust upon the nation. So, too, was a feeling of unity as a disparate population of 133 million “others” forged a sense of common purpose to...

Oct 27, 2016, 8:51 PM

This war on history ultimately is lethal

Three-thousand years of Jewish, Christian and Muslim heritage, history and faith are under assault at UNESCO, the United Nations world heritage organization. For the second time in a month, predominantly Muslim nations have used their vote at the world body...

Jul 19, 2016, 12:59 AM

Why Turkey matters to American Jews

In the aftermath of the recently attempted coup in Turkey and the subsequent crackdown by President Erdogan and the ruling AK Party on enemies real and perceived, it’s worthwhile to ponder Turkish-Jewish relations. Turkey, or more accurately, the Ottoman Empire...

Oct 30, 2015, 11:10 PM

‘Abnormalization’ and the view from afar

“Things look worse from afar,” an Israeli colleague replied when I asked about the recent violence there. Those with Israeli family and friends often hear that. Even during the second intifada, bad as the chaos and carnage were, the adage...

Oct 20, 2015, 12:43 AM

Lessons from a mentor

Never label anyone. Every word matters. Engagement usually yields better results than confrontation. Those three precepts characterized Michael Kotzin, my supervisor and mentor for 17 years, who died October 18. Kotzin was Senior Consultant and formerly Executive Vice President of...

Jul 1, 2015, 4:33 PM

When friends cave-in

What to do when a secular (though Muslim-led) organization with an impeccable record of convening people of all faiths to promote interreligious dialogue, multicultural understanding, and harmony gives in to the boycott Israel crowd? That question vexed our organized Jewish...

Mar 22, 2015, 5:27 PM

Boycott yourself

In some places—U.S. college campuses come to mind—the most politically active young people are those obsessed with scrutinizing, magnifying and brandishing what they see as the misdeeds attending the creation and ongoing existence of the State of Israel. For the...

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About Me

Aaron is Vice President at Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.