David Cohen, who assumed the role executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of St. Louis, officially stepped into his new position on March 31 and he has already become fully engaged in the St. Louis Jewish community.

Cohen is a native of Boston and a graduate of Brandeis University. He earned a Master of Arts degree in political history from Boston University and a master’s in Jewish education and organizational leadership from Hebrew Union College.

Cohen previously held leadership positions with Jewish federations, synagogues, JCRCs, and the Anti-Defamation League in Boston. He most recently served as president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg, Pa. Recently, he sat down with the Jewish Light to discuss his goals at JCRC in St. Louis.

What excites you about the opportunities here?

First, it is a rich and vibrant city. And the tradition here at JCRC, balancing the way in which they protect civic institutions, the social justice work that they do, and the caring and nurturing of the Jewish community, love for Israel, engagement in all sorts of ways—the balance is astounding. You’ve got some icons in this community who have stood behind these causes, and not every community has that. You have a David Bohm, who spent his life working on social justice and civic issues, and Joel Iskiwitch, our chair. I met Joel years ago at a Jewish Council for Public Affairs planning meeting in D.C., and the St. Louis voice in that room was loud and palpable.

Your first day at JCRC coincided with disturbing events in the Affton School District when a swastika and antisemitic messages were discovered. How did your previous experience inform how to respond to those acts?

The fact that there was a swastika painted in a school—that happens more than the casual reader knows. Organizations like the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and JCRC are on it regularly, and sometimes it gets public notoriety. Sometimes it’s taken care of behind the scenes. The ADL and the JCRC recommend that it not be kept quiet, so that we can show that it is an aberration, and that there is a public denunciation of it.

For the past 20 years, Affton High School has participated in Student to Student (STS) a program of the Newmark Institute at JCRC, the initiative that reduces stereotypes and prejudice. Was it beneficial that the school already had a relationship with JCRC?

We hope that through student exposure, they have a different perception of Jews, but as we heard in that audience, those parents were glad we were talking about antisemitism and racism, and they were definitely concerned about other forms of racism in the school. Lauren Abraham (STS director) and I talked about how we need to remind people that yes, we’re talking about the Jewish community and antisemitism, but we’re also talking about the wider issue of bigotry and hatred for people you don’t know. You should get to know our community, and you should get to know other communities that aren’t yours. Those relationships are what truly reduces bias, prejudice, and bigotry.

Do you have any specific goals you hope to accomplish?

I have three primary goals: to keep moving forward with what is already running well, to build up the things that need more attention and look at what is new and innovative. What can we come up with – like groundbreaking initiatives – to bring communities together, to start a better dialogue in our community, whether it is inside the Jewish community or with other communities.

What do you do for fun and relaxation?

I love running and sports, and anytime a Boston sports team is in town, I’ll try to go. I was at the ‘04 World Series when we swept the Cardinals, so there’s a fondness there that I’ve always had for the Cardinals. I also have two dogs to take care of, both toy poodles, Sarah and Jimmia. They are super smart and super friendly.