Alan Cooper | |
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Academic background | |
Education | Columbia University (BA) Yale University (MPhil, PhD) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Religious studies |
Sub-discipline | Jewish studies |
Institutions |
Alan Cooper is an American religious scholar and former musician who was the provost of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS),an academic institution that teaches Jewish studies and one of the centers for Conservative Judaism. He is also the Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies at JTS. [1]
Cooper graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1971 and went on to do his graduate work at Yale University,where he obtained a Master of Philosophy and PhD in religious studies. [2] [3]
Cooper was formerly a singer in the band Sha Na Na,formed by his Columbia classmates,and sang the lead in "At the Hop" in Woodstock . [4] [5] [6] He also made appearances on The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show . [7] [8]
Cooper served on the faculties of McMaster University and Hebrew Union College –Jewish Institute of Religion. [9] In 1997,he was appointed to a position at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. In 1998,he was appointed Professor of Bible at the Union Theological Seminary in New York,becoming the first person to hold a joint professorship at both Union and JTS. His dual appointment has been described as a major step in strengthening ties between the two seminaries. [10]
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi,writer,Jewish educator,professor,theologian,philosopher,activist,and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist branch of Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein. He has been described as a "towering figure" in the recent history of Judaism for his influential work in adapting it to modern society,contending that Judaism should be a unifying and creative force by stressing the cultural and historical character of the religion as well as theological doctrine.
The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City,New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism and a center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies. The Jewish Theological Seminary Library is one of the most significant collections of Judaica in the world.
Louis Finkelstein was a Talmud scholar,an expert in Jewish law,and a leader of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and Conservative Judaism.
David Weiss Halivni was a European-born American-Israeli rabbi,scholar in the domain of Jewish sciences,and Professor of Talmud. He served as Reish Metivta of the Union for Traditional Judaism's rabbinical school.
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights,Manhattan,affiliated with Columbia University. Columbia University lists UTS among its affiliate schools,alongside with Barnard College and Teachers College. Since 1928,the seminary has served as Columbia's constituent faculty of theology. In 1964,UTS also established an affiliation with the neighboring Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Despite its affiliation with Columbia University,UTS is an independent institution with its own administration and Board of Trustees. UTS confers the following degrees:Master of Divinity (MDiv),Master of Divinity &Social Work dual degree (MDSW),Master of Arts in religion (MAR),Master of Arts in Social Justice (MASJ),Master of Sacred Theology (STM),Doctor of Ministry (DMin),and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) is an evangelical theological seminary in Dallas,Texas. It is known for popularizing the theological system of dispensationalism. DTS has campuses in Dallas,Houston,and Washington,D.C.,as well as extension sites in Atlanta,Austin,San Antonio,Nashville,Northwest Arkansas,Europe,and Guatemala,and a multilingual online education program. DTS is the largest non-denominational seminary accredited by the Association of Theological Schools.
Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in 1969. The group performed a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs that both revived and parodied the music and the New York City street culture of the 1950s. After gaining initial fame for their performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair,made possible with help from their friend Jimi Hendrix,the group hosted Sha Na Na,a syndicated variety series that ran from 1977 to 1981.
Arnold M. Eisen is an American Judaic scholar who was Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He stepped down at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Prior to this appointment,he served as the Koshland Professor of Jewish Culture and Religion and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Stanford University. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty in 1986,he taught at Tel Aviv University and Columbia University.
Ismar Schorsch is the Chancellor emeritus of The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) and the Rabbi Herman Abramovitz Professor of Jewish history.
Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies,known simply as List College,is the undergraduate school of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS). It was founded by Solomon Schechter in 1909 as the Teachers Institute with the original goal of training American Jewish educators. List College is closely affiliated with Columbia University;almost all List College students are enrolled in dual-degree programs with either Columbia University’s School of General Studies or Barnard College.
Harold Louis Ginsberg,,commonly known as H. L. Ginsberg,was a professor of biblical literature at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City in the 20th century.
Alan Mittleman is a professor of Jewish philosophy at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
Gerson David Cohen was a Jewish historian,a Conservative rabbi,and the Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America from 1972–86. He was born in New York in 1924 and graduated from City College of New York in 1944. Cohen received his bachelor's degree,master's degree,and rabbinic ordination (1948) from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. He received his Ph.D. in Semitic Languages at Columbia University in 1958.
Moshe Davis was a rabbi and a scholar of American Jewish history who taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and Hebrew University.
Burton L. Visotzky is an American rabbi and scholar of midrash. He is the Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies,Emeritus at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS).
Shai Held is President,Dean,and Chair in Jewish Thought at the Hadar institute,which he founded in 2006 with Rabbis Elie Kaunfer and Ethan Tucker.
Phyllis Trible is a feminist biblical scholar from Richmond,Virginia,United States. Trible's scholarship focuses on the Hebrew Bible and she is noted for her prominent influence on feminist biblical interpretation. Trible has written a multitude of books on interpretation of the Hebrew Bible,and has lectured around the world,including the United States,New Zealand,Australia,Japan,Canada,and a number of countries in Europe.
Robert Andrew Leonard is an American linguist. He is best known for his work in forensic linguistics,which relates to investigating problems of the law by using the study of language. This includes analyzing legal material work such as notes,audio and video tape recordings,contracts,and confessions. Prior to his academic career,Leonard was a founding member of the rock band Sha Na Na and performed at Woodstock.
Masorti on Campus (MoC) is a student organization for Conservative Judaism on North American college and university campuses,working with Hillel and other Jewish campus life organizations.
Neil W. Levin is a Professor Emeritus of the Jewish Theological Seminary,and since 1993 has served as the Artistic Director of the Milken Archive of Jewish Music.