Alan Cooper is the provost of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), an academic institution in Jewish Studies and one of the centers for Conservative Judaism. He also serves as the Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies at JTS.
He was formerly a singer in the band Sha na na. He sang the lead in "At the Hop" in the "Woodstock" movie. He also made appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show."[1][2]
He then left behind his music career to study for a doctorate in Biblical Studies at Yale University. He served on the faculties of McMaster University and Hebrew Union College. In 1997, he was appointed to a position at the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 1998, he was appointed Professor of Bible at 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.[3]