Dawn Cohen

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Dawn Cohen
Born	South Africa
Spouse	Robyn Clark (partner)

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Dawn Cohen, an Australian resident is referred to as a "pioneer of the Australian Jewish gay movement" by the Australian Jewish News (5). According to the Sydney Morning Herald (8)She was co-founder of Dayenu,^[1] Sydney's Jewish lesbian and gay group, cited by the Australian Jewish News as sparking a national debate pushing for acceptance for Jewish gays and lesbians in 2000. In September, 2007 she was one of 25 prominent Australian Jews nominated in celebration of the Jewish New Year for their contribution to the community.(7)

1 Biography
2 Dayenu
- 2.1 Gay and lesbian mardi gras
  - 2.1.1 Media presence
  - 2.1.2 Results
3 Medical activism
4 Publications
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Biography

Cohen, daughter of Vivian and George Getzel Cohen, migrated to Australia from South Africa at the age of 20. Cohen works as a freelance journalist and reporter for the Northern Star, an APN-owned regional newspaper. She is in a 20-year relationship with Robyn Clark.

In 1990, she spoke at the Australian Jewish community's first major public debate on homosexuality as part of the Jewish Free University. The debate, organised by a young heterosexual man, Nick Seeman, took place at the Hakoah Club and included a progressive and orthodox Rabbi. The topic was "Lies my father told me, there is no such thing as a Jewish lesbian or gay." Her passionate talk ended with a plea to the community to "let us in."

In 2003, she addressed Australia's National Human Rights Conference in 2003, and in February 2005 addressed Monash University's Antisemitism Conference.^[2]

[edit] Dayenu

Cohen co-founded the group in 1999 with two other Australian lesbians. The aim was to break the invisibility of Jewish lesbians and gays in both the gay community and the Jewish community.

Soon after its formation, Cohen asked the leader of Sydney's major Jewish gay men's group, Malcom Davidovitz to join the yet-unnamed organisation,

[edit] Gay and lesbian mardi gras

Dayenu coordinated the effort to build the first Jewish float for the March 4, 2000 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, sparking nation-wide controversy in the community. .^[3] T ^[4]

A US lesbian Rabbi, Ariel Friedlander, led the group in the parade,^[3] Many participants came out for the first time on the march, some of whom held office in orthodox and progressive Jewish institutions in Australia.

Prior to the float, there had only been small Jewish walking groups in the parade, organised primarily by Melbourne groups.

During the lead up to the parade, Cohen also persuaded an orthodox college, Shalom College, to hold a Sabbath celebration on March 3 for gay and lesbian visitors to the Mardi Gras parade.^[4] Progressive synagogues Emanuel Synagogue Woollahra and North Shore also agreed to participate.

[edit] Media presence

Cohen organised national newspaper, TV and radio coverage for the Jewish float in the parade, and campaigned for overseas representation to push for maximal media coverage that would break the silence and invisibility of Jewish gay people in the Jewish and national media.

While the float was covered by the Australian Jewish News (AJN) prior to the event, the paper was initially reluctant to give front page coverage to the float at the parade. Hours before the paper's deadline, Cohen interviewed two high-profile heterosexual Holocaust survivors who participated in the float: the award-winning novellist Di Armstrong, and psychologist Susi Wise. Cohen presented the interviews to the newspaper, resulting in front page coverage and colourful images of the parade. (AJN March 5, 2000) Di Armstrong subsequently wrote a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald on her participation.

[edit] Results

This level of support and visibility for gays and lesbians from Jewish institutions was new to Australia. The front page coverage was, in particular, seen as an affront by the orthodox rabbinate.

The Sydney Beth Din summoned the editor of the Australian Jewish News and the leaders of the Shalom College for discussion about the issue. (AJN April, 2000)

The editor of the newspaper, Vic Alhadeff, and the Shalom College leaders refused to attend the court. The incident sparked many letters to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the novellist, Diane Armstrong, was one of a group of supporters who organised a national advertisement listing well-known Jewish identities backing the rights of Jewish gays and lesbians to live openly in the community.

Subsequently, many Jewish lesbians and gays joined local synagogues for the first time, and the issue has received more open coverage in Jewish forums.

The conflict however, is not resolved. The progressive rabbinate approved same sex commitment ceremonies in May 2007, resulting in objections from the orthodox rabbinate.(6)

Dayenu continues to provide an annual shabbat dinner at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras each year, and frequently contributes a walking group to the parade. (Australian Jewish News, March 7, 2007)

[edit] Medical activism

In 1982, Dawn Cohen initiated Australia's first national action against the overprescription of benzodiazepine sleeping pills and anti-anxiety tablets such as Valium and Mogadon. Cohen saw the drugs as killing off women's spirits while allowing them to go on fulfilling the needs of husbands and children. At age 23, while working at Leichhardt Women's Health Centre, Cohen organised a national phone-in for women prescribed the drug. At that time, the drug was believed to be generally safe.

The phone-in revealed many women were suffering side effects even at prescribed doses, but did not know their symptoms were caused by the medication. The pills caused the insomnia for which they were prescribed if used for too long.

In 1986, the phone-in resulted in the organization of a state-funded campaign in New South Wales to help women cope with the feelings without automatically resorting to medication. The campaign was called "Give your feelings a better chance".

[edit] Publications

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Please improve this article if you can (May 2007).

Cohen, D. Are you a Wimp? St George Express. 12th May, 1987.
Cohen D. The House That Jill Built. In B’Yachad Caryn Grynek (Ed) March , 1996.
Cohen, D. My Right Foot. The Julei Korner Story. Cover Story LOTL, November 1997.
Cohen, D. Special Investigation Exclusive: Derek Llewellyn Jones Made it up. Cover Story. LOTL, May 1997.
Cohen, D. Eastern Distributor Bad for Your Health. Sydney City Hub. January 1st 1998.
Cohen, D. Greg Fisher exposed. G Magazine. January 2001.
Cohen, D. Having the heart for it. AJN. Jun 2002.
Cohen, D. Slow Water, Review. Sydney Star Observer, April 2003.
Cohen, D. Byron Bay Blues. Australian Jewish News. July 2003.
Cohen, D. Jews in Byron. Australian Jewish News. Octo
Cohen, D. Media Project: Tranquillizers. Drug and Alcohol Authority, January 1985.
Cohen, D. The Workplace And Your Health. Speculum Speaks, July 1992
Cohen, D. Psychotherapy and the 12 steps Connexions, July/August 1992 , p27-28.
Cohen, D., Fisher, J. Assertiveness. State Health Publication (S.S.A.H.S) 89/095. 1989.
Cohen, D. Karen Horney’s Response. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 30(3) 1996, p427.
Cohen, D. A Conscious Daily Decision. In: Words from the Same Heart. Eds:: Bradstock,M and Wakeling L. 1987. Hale and Iremonger.
Cohen, D., Hill,D., Mills, J. Sydney Drug Action Industry Expo. March 1986, New South Wales Drug and Alcohol Authority General Publication Series C86/1.
Cohen, D. Days of Our Lives In: What is Discrimination? A.D.B, March 1990 ISBN 0 7305 7006.
Cohen, D. Royalties. Australian Author, December 2006.
Cohen, D. Specialist Bookshops, Australian Author, August 2004.
Cohen, D. The Book's Shelf Life. Australian Author, December, 2005.