Seth Cohen

Writer, Speaker, Creator, Applied Optimist

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Jul 6, 2025, 5:22 AM

The Case for Optimism: Why Israel’s Future Is Better Than You Think

Photo by Seth Cohen

In the early hours of October 7th, my phone pulsed with messages I’ll never forget. Just days beforehand I had been sitting in New York City with friends and colleagues, Israelis and Americans, and even a former United Nations...

Apr 6, 2020, 8:16 PM

Do Not Be Fearful: This Sea Too Shall Split

In the juxtaposition of Passover and pandemic, it is easy to see ourselves in the the midst of plague. But another, more optimistic perspective, is that in many ways, we have already suffered through plagues of our time. Rather, now we...

Apr 30, 2019, 1:21 AM

After Poway, where are our leaders?

On Sunday morning, I awoke (once again) to streaming texts from friends and acquaintances who are heartbroken and worried about another murderous rampage against a Jewish house of worship. During the day I (once again) had conversations with friends...

Feb 27, 2019, 4:07 PM

What’s wrong with Israel’s far-right? An overview

Many of us in the US have been trying to to understand the newest controversy that has Israel in our news -- particularly Israeli Prime Minister Netenyahu's boosting of the far-right Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) party in the run-up...

Oct 30, 2018, 6:03 AM

The consequence of words

Sometimes there are no words to describe how we feel. No adequate way to express the emotion that wells within us. That is the way I felt this past Shabbat after I walked out of my morning worship service...

May 1, 2017, 10:18 PM

On casualty and commitment

Perhaps there is no greater way to understand what someone stands for than to understand what they are willing to die for. That was the thought that crossed my mind standing on the hillside of the beautiful community of...

Apr 9, 2017, 9:15 PM

‘Just look up, people’: The fire all around us

How binge-watching on-demand media distracts those who would help repair the world from even noticing what's wrong

Jan 29, 2017, 4:55 PM

Memories of the Future Past: A Reflection on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Several times a year I visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Memorial Center in Jerusalem. Each time I walk through the foremost museum for the remembrance of the Holocaust (referenced as the Shoah in Hebrew), I am struck by...

Dec 26, 2016, 5:42 PM

A ‘hanukkiyah’ of optimistic predictions for the year ahead

Contemplating the future plants seeds of hope that can convert both good and bad of the past year into positive action

Nov 10, 2016, 12:29 AM

A Letter to My Children about the 2016 Election

“What do I tell you, my children?” That was the only question that was running through my mind as I watched the election coverage on Tuesday evening. As you slept into the small hours of the night, I struggled to...

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About Me

Seth Cohen is the co-founder of Optimistic Labs, a global advisory and community experimentation platform that helps organizations and leaders design and apply optimistic solutions to complex challenges. Most recently Seth served as Chief Impact Officer of Forbes, where he launched the Forbes Impact Lab. Prior to Forbes, Seth was a senior director of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies and a nationally recognized attorney.

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