Benyamin Cohen (born 1975) is an American journalist and author. He is the author of the memoir My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith published by HarperOne.[1][2][3][4][5] Publishers Weekly named it one of the best books of the year for which Cohen received the Georgia Author of the Year Award.[6][7] He was the founder and editor of the award-winning national magazine American Jewish Life and the online magazine Jewsweek, and he has written for the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, the Washington Post, and Slate.[8][9][10][11] Before that, he edited Torah from Dixie, thoughts on the weekly Bible portion, which was later turned into a book by the same name.[12] He served as the content director for the Mother Nature Network, a science and environmental news website.
In 2014, he became the editorial director of the website "From The Grapevine".[13] In 2018, he began hosting a weekly interview podcast, hosted on the Grapevine site, called "Our Friend from Israel".[14] He previously served as the host of the "Hadassah on Call" podcast.[15] In December 2020, it was announced that he became the News Director of The Forward.[16][17][18]
Jewsweek
editJewsweek was an online magazine devoted to covering issues pertinent to young Jews in their 20s and 30s. It was created by Cohen in 2001. It covered a host of subjects, including topical events in the entertainment industry, political world, and within Judaism itself, both as it concerned the United States and Israel. In 2005 Cohen sold the company, which was subsequently reopened under Blue Star Media. Jewsweek ceased operation in 2007.
Book
editCohen's book My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of Faith is part memoir, part spiritual quest, and part anthropologist's mission. In Cohen's book, he seeks to understand his lack of enthusiasm for Orthodox Judaism in addition to why Christians are so excited about Christianity. Among many adventures, he jumps into the mosh-pit at a Christian rock concert, sees himself on the JumboTron of a Black Baptist service, goes door-to-door with Mormon missionaries, attends a Christian wrestling event, and spends the day with some monks at a monastery. To Cohen's surprise, his search for universal answers and truths in the Bible Belt actually makes him a better Jew.
Cohen began work on a book about Albert Einstein in March 2021.[19] The book, The Einstein Effect: How the World's Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds, published in 2023.[20] It shows how Einstein's work can be found in modern technologies like GPS and iPhone cameras, as well as interviews with celebrities that are inspired by Einstein – including Christopher Lloyd[21] and Yahoo Serious.[22] A chapter devoted to Einstein's work helping refugees includes a conversation with actor Mandy Patinkin, who is the ambassador for the International Rescue Committee, a refugee aid organization founded by Einstein.[23] Cohen runs the official social media accounts for Albert Einstein, which have more than 20 million followers.[24]
Bibliography
editThe Einstein Effect: How the World's Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds (Sourcebooks, 2023)
My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith (HarperOne, 2008).
Torah from Dixie: Intriguing Thoughts on the Weekly Torah Portion (1998)
References
edit- ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith by Benyamin Cohen". www.publishersweekly.com. 2008-10-01. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ myjesusyear.com
- ^ "November 5, 2010 ~ My Jesus Year | November 5, 2010 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS". Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. 2010-11-05. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "Rabbi's Son Visits Bible Belt In 'My Jesus Year'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith | Jewish Book Council". www.jewishbookcouncil.org. 2008. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ Staff |, PW Review. "Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2008". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "2009 Writers & Finalists". Georgia Author of the Year Awards. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ Special, Dave Gordon, Catholic Register. "Benyamin Cohen connected to his Judaism through Christianity". www.catholicregister.org. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Benyamin Cohen". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "Benyamin Cohen | HuffPost". www.huffpost.com. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ "Benyamin Cohen". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ Torah from Dixie : intriguing thoughts on the weekly Torah portion and Jewish festivals. Benyamin Cohen, Michael Alterman. Atlanta, Ga.: B.C. 1997. ISBN 0-87306-907-2. OCLC 38265639.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Editorial Staff". From the Grapevine. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
- ^ "Podcasts | From the Grapevine". From the Grapevine. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
- ^ "Hadassah On Call: New Frontiers in Medicine". Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Org of America. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ RudorenDecember 18, Jodi; djlemay2, 2020Courtesy of. "A TikTok Hanukkah miracle — and your weekend reads". The Forward. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Benyamin Cohen Named Forward News Director". Atlanta Jewish Times. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
- ^ "He reads all the (Jewish) news so you don't have to". The Forward. 2021-07-08. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
- ^ release, Press (2021-03-17). "Author of 'My Jesus Year' signs second book deal". Einstein book. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
- ^ "The Einstein Effect: How the World's Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds by Benyamin Cohen". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
- ^ Wecker, Menachem (2023-07-06). "Author has Einstein's brain on the brain". JNS.org. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
- ^ Schleier, Curt. "A unified theory of Albert". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
- ^ BCohen (2023-07-17). "How Albert Einstein inspired Mandy Patinkin to rescue refugees". The Forward. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
- ^ Cohen, Benyamin (2023-06-04). "Opinion | Einstein and a Theory of Disinformation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-08-13.