Rabbi Cody R. Bahir, Ph.D.
“If your Judaism isn’t fun, you’re doing something wrong! Judaism should be challenging—not comfortable—but always joyous.”
Rabbi Cody joined the Taiwan Jewish Community in July of 2023. His approach to Judaism can be summed up in the phrase:
Mirroring our unique and diverse congregation, Rabbi Cody has an eclectic background that spans the entire spectrum of Jewish experiences and and deep roots in Taiwan. As a teenager, he was a member of the Satmar Hasidic community, and studied in yeshivot (academies) affiliated with the Tzanz and Bobov Hasidic sects. After serving as faculty at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and Hebrew Union College—in his early twenties—he later received a Ph.D. focused on Taiwanese Buddhism, and then served as a Postdoctoral Scholar of Chinese Buddhism at the University of California, Berkeley.
Sonia Bahir, Rabbi Cody’s wife, is a chieftess of the Paiwan Tribe, one of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. After studying in both Germany and the United States, Sonia returned to Taiwan and assists the rabbi and the board with almost every aspect of synagogue operations.