Born in New York in 1950, Rabbi Abraham Cooper is the Dean and CEO of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and served as Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (2023-2024). A longtime activist for Jewish and human rights causes across five continents, his early involvement in Soviet Jewry activism included visiting refuseniks in the 1970s and contributing to the establishment of the first Jewish Cultural Center in Moscow during the 1980s. Cooper has extensive experience in interfaith dialogue and diplomacy, engaging with world leaders such as former Indonesian President Wahid, Pope Francis, and Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, Europe's only pro-Israel imam. He has traveled widely to promote religious tolerance, including trips to India, Indonesia, Jakarta, New Delhi, and the Gulf region, where he laid groundwork for initiatives like the Abraham Accords well before their signing in 2020. His global advocacy includes addressing religious intolerance, such as concerns over Uyghurs in China and Christians in Eritrea, and demanding action against antisemitic content on platforms like Telegram during the COVID-19 era. In 2024, he faced an incident in Saudi Arabia where he was asked to remove his kippa during an official trip as USCIRF Chair. Cooper received a BA and MS from Yeshiva University, as well as a Ph.D. (institution unspecified), and an honorary doctorate from the same university.