Elizabeth "Liz" Cooper, Director
Elizabeth “Liz” Cooper has been dedicated to and involved in CBST for over 25 years. She has been a member of the Board since 2024, a member of the Board’s Executive Committee since 2025, and the Board’s Vice-President as of July 2026. Previously, Liz served as co-chair of the Senior Rabbi Search Committee alongside Kenneth Karpel. Her commitment to CBST’s social justice priorities spans decades, including roles such as Co-chair of the Social Justice Committee and Chair of the Marriage Equality Task Force. She was an adult b’mitzvah at CBST, a welcome corrective to the bat-mitzvah “lite” she experienced in the 1970s. She also spoke at a CBST Red Ribbon/AIDS Shabbat, integrating lessons from her related advocacy and personal experiences.
Beyond CBST, Liz’s contributions extend to various roles: serving on the International Advisory Board of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, as a former Board Member of the New Pride Agenda, and holding leadership positions in legal associations advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
Liz has been an attorney for 35+ years, serving as Skadden Fellow/Staff Counsel at the ACLU HIV/AIDS Project and a Gibbons Fellow in Public Interest and Constitutional Law at FBT Gibbons, before launching her teaching career at Fordham Law School, where she directs the school’s Legislative Advocacy Clinic. Her scholarship primarily addresses dignity and autonomy in varied settings. Her service work focuses on DEIB priorities and public interest lawyering.
Liz’s work on the Board is driven by a profound commitment to CBST’s future, grappling with questions of inclusivity, community engagement, and sustainable growth as we navigate the evolving landscape of LGBTQ+ rights and Jewish identity