Dianne Cohler-Esses

Dianne Cohler-Esses grew up in Brooklyn, New York and is the first Syrian-Jewish woman to become a rabbi.[1][2][3][4][5] She was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1995.[6][7] She is a leader in Jewish education and has worked with many institutions including the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, the Bronfman youth fellowships, the Curriculum Initiative, and the UJA Federation.[8] In 2012, she took on the position of Director of Lifelong Learning at Romemu, a Renewal Congregation on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[3][9]. Amongst her achievements is her role as lead educator in the Open Book program - a hybrid in-person and virtual weekly class attended by participants from around the globe.[10]

In 2025 Cohler-Esses was the recipient of the prestigious Covenant Award for Jewish education. According to the Covenant Foundation: "Rabbi Cohler-Esses’ work as an adult educator also extends well beyond Romemu. She co-teaches the Artists’ Beit Midrash Skirball Academy class at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center and teaches Torah to lay leaders through the UJA-Federation of New York. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the Academy for Jewish Religion and she has been a bold leader in creating chesed programs that inform and inspire the community on topics including Judaism and disabilities and issues relevant to Jewish women."[11] Ilana Trachtman, Director and Producer of Praying with Lior, produced a video portrait of Cohler-Esses for the Covenenant Foundation in 2025

She is married to Larry Cohler-Esses, with whom she has three children: Ayelet, Elichai, and Shira. She lives in New York City on the Upper West Side.[2]

The 2022 art exhibit “Holy Sparks”, shown among other places at the Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, featured art about twenty-four female rabbis who were firsts in some way;[12][13] Siona Benjamin created the artwork about Cohler-Esses that was in that exhibit.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses". Mechonhadar.org. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  2. ^ a b Dianne Cohler-Esses (2011-05-24). "Connecting the World to Jewish News, Culture, and Opinion". The Jewish Week. Archived from the original on 2013-03-19. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  3. ^ a b "Names First Syrian Jewish Female Rabbi to be Director of Education". Romemu. 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-11-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ Cohler-Esses, Dianne (1 January 2003). "A Common Language between East and West". Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion. 19 (1): 111–118. JSTOR 25002466.
  5. ^ "Limmud Colorado 2013".
  6. ^ http://www.mishpacha.org/credits.shtml
  7. ^ "Mechon Hadar - Status". Archive.is. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2018-06-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  8. ^ "Rabbi Alfredo Borodowski". Adultjewishlearning.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2012-11-17.
  9. ^ "Mission & History". Romemu. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  10. ^ "Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses". The Covenant Foundation. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  11. ^ "Rabbi Dianne Cohler-Esses". The Covenant Foundation. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  12. ^ Eckerling, Debra L. (March 31, 2022). ""Holy Sparks" Exhibition Celebrates 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate". Jewish Journal.
  13. ^ "Holy Sparks: Celebrating Fifty Years of Women in the Rabbinate". HUC.
  14. ^ "VIDEO: HOLY SPARKS – Celebrating 50 Years of Women in the Rabbinate". Jewish Art Salon. January 30, 2022.
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