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Elijah Amir Cohen-Saperstein (Hebrew: אליהו אמיר כהן-ספרשטיין) (born July 16, 1985) is an Israeli-American activist, Zionist, co-founder of LifeSkills Development Corporation and an advocate for gay rights in the United States of America and the State of Israel. Much of Cohen-Saperstein 's activism had been dedicated to LGBTQ+ youth, LGBT rights, as well as social issues including health care, education, and the prevention of suicide among LGBT youth. Cohen-Saperstein regularly posts material to his social media on various topics, including queer politics, pop culture and educational information on the holocaust and anti-semitism.

Personal life
Cohen-Saperstein was born to a Jewish family but wasn’t raised religious. He identifies as a Mizrahi Jew, he is a descendent of the Tribe of Levi and is a Kohen which he inherited from his biological father. He now considers himself to be a part of the Modern Orthodox movement and he is a huge supporter of the Chabad Lubavitch Movement. Cohen-Saperstein’s mother identifies as a non-affiliated Jew and his biological father identifies as modern orthodox. His father left his mother before Cohen-Saperstein was born, and he was raised primarily by his mother and step-father. At the age of eleven, Cohen-Saperstein was placed in the Foster Care System due to being physically abused by his step-father.

Cohen-Saperstein was born on July 16, 1985, in San Buenaventura, California and has nine siblings in total. In March 2019, Cohen-Saperstein married Shlomi Bar Zackay who is an Israeli Citizen and is currently a soldier serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Cohen-Saperstein and Bar Zakay currently reside in Tel Aviv, Israel.

While in High School, Cohen-Saperstein fell into a depression after a bad break-up with his then long-term boyfriend Gustavo Adolfo Lopez. Cohen-Saperstein admits that he considered suicide in this time. This was also when he first became involved with his advocacy work with the Gay Straight Alliance Network as an attempt to remedy his bout with depression. During an interview Cohen-Saperstein was asked to speak about this time in his life and about his ex-boyfriend, he went on to only comment “Somehow he just brought out the best in me. That’s what I missed most about him.” Cohen-Saperstein went on to earn a Doctoral Degree from Leland Stanford Junior University where he majored in Clinical Psychology and with a minor in Social Work. Cohen-Saperstein is also a member of the American Psychological Association.

In 2007, Cohen-Saperstein starred in a documentary titled Rise Up and Shout where he starred as himself and acted as the choreographer for the project.

Cohen-Saperstein began to become more religious in May 2002. This decision came after he faced several complications to his health due to his diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Crohn’s Disease.

Honors and Awards
Cohen-Saperstein has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work in the LGBTQ+ community.

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Volunteering and Charity
Cohen-Saperstein has been involved with many organizations both in the United States and abroad. Listed below are some of the organizations he has worked with:

The Trevor Project, GetEQUAL Nevada, San Diego Pride Association,