{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{short description|South African-born Israeli linguist}} {{About|the Israeli professor and government spokesman|the Guamanian businessman|Evan Montvel Cohen}} {{Use South African English|date=March 2026}} '''Evan Gary Cohen''' (Hebrew: אוון כהן) is a South African-born Israeli linguist and a tenured professor of linguistics at Tel Aviv University.<ref name="Ahren">{{cite news|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-7-months-on-the-job-pms-foreign-media-spokesman-calls-it-quits/|title=After 7 months on the job, PM's foreign media spokesman calls it quits|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|website=The Times of Israel|date=3 March 2020 |language=en-US|access-date=6 March 2020 |issn=0040-7909}}</ref> Cohen was the spokesman to international media for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from July 2019 to March 2020.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Benjamin-Netanyahus-spokesperson-is-leaving-619615|title=Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman leaves role after election|website=The Jerusalem Post|date=3 March 2020 |access-date=6 March 2020 |issn=0792-822X}}</ref> Cohen succeeded David Keyes in the position.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jewishinsider.com/2019/07/if-thats-your-issue-id-understand-if-you-want-to-support-somebody-else-cory-booker-to-anti-israel-activist-on-campaign-trail/|title="If that's your issue, I'd understand if you want to support somebody else" – Cory Booker to anti-Israel activist on campaign trail|date=15 July 2019|website=Jewish Insider|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>

Cohen's appointment was announced by Netanyahu on 14 July 2019.<ref name="jpost">{{Cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Gil|date=15 July 2019|url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/LGBT-Likud-leader-appointed-Netanyahus-English-spokesman-595626|title=Netanyahu appoints head of LGBT forum for the Likud as new spokesperson |website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref> Cohen was not known to have any prior experience in public diplomacy.<ref name="Ahren"/> Several weeks before the announcement, Netanyahu saw Cohen being interviewed on the Israeli news channel i24 about Amir Ohana becoming the first gay Israeli cabinet minister and was impressed with Cohen's ability to present the Likud worldview.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sajr.co.za/news-and-articles/2019/07/18/where-netanyahu-goes-i-go-says-sa-born-spokesman|title='Where Netanyahu goes, I go,' says SA-born spokesman|website=South African Jewish Report|access-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

== Political views == Before being appointed Netanyahu's spokesman, Cohen was the head of Likud Pride, the LGBT forum in the Likud party.<ref name="haaretz">{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/2014-06-13/ty-article/.premium/for-gay-right-wingers-life-is-doubly-difficult/0000017f-db22-df0f-a17f-df635a790000|title=For Gay Right-wingers, Life Is Doubly Difficult|last=Maltz|first=Judy|date=13 June 2014|work=Haaretz|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="jpost" /> In 2014, Cohen organized the Likud party's first international convention of LGBT activists in conservative parties.<ref name="haaretz" /> He has advocated for marriage equality and the right to surrogacy for gay men.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Sommer|first1=Allison Kaplan|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-07-14/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-names-lgbtq-activist-as-international-media-spokesman/0000017f-f96e-d460-afff-fb6e50860000|title=Amid Conversion Therapy Scandal, Netanyahu Names LGBTQ Activist as International Spokesman|date=14 July 2019|work=Haaretz|access-date=6 March 2020|last2=Landau|first2=Noa|language=en}}</ref> In 2018, Cohen said the Netanyahu government's failure to include same-sex couples in a new surrogacy law was "shameful" and said that the bill should not have been passed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/179732-180718-netanyahu-renegs-on-promise-law-passes-precluding-surrogacy-for-gay-couples|title=Netanyahu reneges and law passes precluding surrogacy for gay couples|date=18 July 2018|website=i24NEWS|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref>

Cohen said he believes gay people should support whichever party fits their political ideology regardless of their sexual orientation.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Gil |date=4 March 2012|url=https://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Feiglin-to-meet-with-Likud-gay-group|title=Feiglin to meet with Likud gay group |website=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref> Cohen said he identified "with the more hard right" in Israeli politics.<ref name="haaretz" />

== Personal life == Cohen was born in Durban, South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sajr.co.za/news-and-articles/2019/07/18/where-netanyahu-goes-i-go-says-sa-born-spokesman|title='Where Netanyahu goes, I go,' says SA-born spokesman|website=South African Jewish Report|access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> He moved to Israel when he was nine years old with his parents and three siblings.<ref name="jpost" /><ref name=":0" /> He was a captain in the intelligence branch of the Israel Defense Forces.<ref name="haaretz" /> He lives with his husband, Omri Rosenkrantz, in Ramat Gan.<ref name="toi">{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-taps-south-africa-born-linguist-as-new-foreign-media-spokesperson/|title=Netanyahu taps linguist and LGBTQ rights activist as foreign media spokesperson|last=Ahren|first=Raphael|date=14 July 2019|website=The Times of Israel|access-date=14 July 2019}}</ref> Cohen has a doctorate in linguistics from Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on phonology, phonetics and heritage linguistics.<ref name="toi" />

Cohen is a competitive Scrabble player.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Press|first=Viva Sarah|date=19 October 2015|title=3 Israeli wordsmiths set for Scrabble World Championship|url=https://www.israel21c.org/3-israeli-wordsmiths-set-for-scrabble-world-championship/|access-date=26 July 2020|website=ISRAEL21c|language=en-US}}</ref> He is the founder (1998) and director of the Tel Aviv Scrabble Club, and has been the highest-rated Israeli Scrabble player since 1991. Cohen has won several Israeli and international tournaments, and was the first player to represent Israel in the World Championships (1991), which he has done several times since.

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{official|https://english.tau.ac.il/profile/evan}} {{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Evan}} Category:Living people Category:South African emigrants to Israel Category:Linguists from Israel Category:Israeli LGBTQ rights activists Category:Israeli LGBTQ military personnel Category:Likud politicians Category:People from Durban Category:Tel Aviv University alumni Category:Academic staff of Tel Aviv University Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Israeli gay politicians Category:South African gay politicians Category:South African Jews Category:Israeli people of South African-Jewish descent Category:LGBTQ academics Category:Gay military personnel Category:Gay Jews