Who is Benjamin Cohen d'Azevedo from I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem and what is their importance?

Cohen is the Jewish merchant who, in the second half of the book, frees Tituba from prison, engages her to help him run his household, utilizes her abilities to communicate with the dead, and eventually enters into a sexual relationship with her. He is, like Hester, a kindred spirit, in that he too has been persecuted and oppressed - in his case, because he is a Jew. Where his experience diverges from those of both Hester and Tituba is that he blames himself for his misfortunes and those of others. In other words, Hester and Tituba see themselves as victims, while Cohen sees himself as being justifiably punished, mainly for disobeying what he sees as God's will.