Stosh Cotler

Stosh Cotler
Born	1968 (age 56–57)
Employer	Bend the Arc
Known for	Jewish activism

Staci "Stosh" Cotler (born 1968) is an American activist. She served as Chief Executive Officer of Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish political organization that blends advocacy, community organizing, and leadership training.[1][2]

Biography

Born in Olympia, Washington, Cotler became involved with advocacy work while living in Portland, Oregon. In Portland, she founded an organization which offered self defense, violence prevention and empowerment training for girls and women. She was also involved with advocating for Palestinian rights[2] and protested Israel's treatment of Palestinians during the Second Intifada.[3]

In 2005 she began working for Jewish Funds for Justice in New York, which merged with the Progressive Jewish Alliance in 2011.[2]

Cotler became Bend the Arc's Executive vice president in 2011 and CEO in 2014.[2] When Cotler became CEO, The Forward noted that she was "one of the few women leading a national Jewish group of its size."[3]

In 2014, The Forward named her one of its 14 Jewish Women To Watch. In 2015, she was named one of the “15 progressive faith leaders to watch” by the Center for American Progress.[4]

In 2017 she became a Senior Fellow at Auburn Seminary.[4]

In 2022, Cotler transitioned out of the CEO role at Bend the Arc and became Senior Advisor to the organization.[5]

Cotler has often been quoted by the media regarding immigration,[6][7][8] in response to violent attacks on Jews[9][10] and regarding issues of racial justice.[11][12] Geoffrey Claussen describes Cotler as contributing to musar literature, citing her writing about courage.[13]

Cotler identifies as queer.[1] She has a black belt in kung fu.[3]

References

1. Dashefsky, Arnold; Sheskin, Ira M. (2016-02-03). American Jewish Year Book 2015: The Annual Record of the North American Jewish Communities. Springer. ISBN 9783319245058.
2. "Stosh Cotler | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
3. Wiener, Julie (January 10, 2014). "Bend the Arc Leader Stosh Cotler Has Radical Streak — and Black Belt". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
4. "Stosh Cotler". Auburn Seminary. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
5. "Stosh Cotler - The Unicorn at the Table". Reboot. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
6. "Hundreds protest plan to detain migrant children in what used to be an internment camp". NBC News. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
7. Feldman, Ari (3 July 2019). "Shouting 'Never Again,' 1,000 Jewish Activists Shut Down Central Boston To Protest Immigration Detention". The Forward. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
8. "The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez concentration camp debate, explained". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
9. Sanchez/ABC7, Victoria (2018-10-28). "D.C. man helps raise more than $600,000 and counting for Pittsburgh synagogue victims". WJLA. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
10. JNS.org, Jackson Richman | (28 April 2019). "One killed, three injured in shooting at Chabad of Poway, Calif.; suspect apprehended". www.jewishaz.com. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
11. "Black Lives in the Jewish Community: We Matter, Too". Haaretz. 2015-12-30. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
12. Laughland, Oliver (2015-01-21). "Black Lives Matter protesters interrupt lunch with 'die-in' on Capitol Hill". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
13. Claussen, Geoffrey D. (2022). Modern Musar: Contested Virtues in Jewish Thought. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8276-1888-6.