A poignant exploration of what it means to be Jewish today, from a leading voice in modern Judaism, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue
For Jews today, the attack on Israel on October 7th has drawn a clear and irreversible demarcation in time. On that day, the Jewish community woke up to an unrecognizable new reality, witnessing the stark rise in modern antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred, in its wake.
But even in this dark hour, the Jewish community is experiencing something profound and beautiful: a deep, abiding connection to community, culture, and faith. Drawing on the rich trove of Jewish history and tradition, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, one of today’s most influential thought leaders and spiritual guides, helps readers make sense of this fraught time and the future of Jewish identity. With warmth and wisdom, Rabbi Cosgrove explores the challenging questions embedded in the soul of contemporary Jewry. Where did all this antisemitism come from, and was it always there? How have Israel and Zionism shaped American Judaism and the complexities of Israel-diaspora relations, and what ties us and divides us today? How do we practice Judaism and understand our place in a world that has, without fail, in every century, turned against us?
Knitting together personal storytelling with ancient teachings, this timely book on Jewish faith helps navigate and understand the landscape of this new reality, turning over questions that have no clear or easy answer in the way only a very good rabbi can.
For thousands of years, the Jewish people have wrestled with what it means to be Jewish. In this often divisive era, Rabbi Cosgrove reminds of how we can come together despite―and even because of―our differences. For Such a Time as This is a guide for a new generation that is reconciling the past with the present and facing the unknown future with courage, spirit, and unwavering hope.
In this essential work of Jewish leadership, Rabbi Cosgrove provides clarity and hope for our time:
- A Guide for a New Reality: Confronting the questions that have defined Jewish life since the October 7th attack―from rising antisemitism to the unbreakable bonds of community.
- Zionism and American Judaism: An honest look at what ties diaspora Jews to Israel and what divides us, exploring the complex relationship for a new generation.
- Wisdom for a Fraught Time: Drawing on ancient teachings and personal stories, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove offers a pastoral voice to help navigate grief, anger, and fear with unwavering hope.
- The Enemy Within: An urgent call to bridge our differences, arguing that the greatest risk to the Jewish people is not an external foe but the baseless hatred (sinat hinam) that divides us.
Elliot Cosgrove is a leading voice of American Jewry and a preeminent spiritual guide and thought leader. The rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue since 2008, he was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999 and earned his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School. He sits on the Chancellor’s Cabinet of Jewish Theological Seminary and on the editorial board of Masorti: The New Journal of Conservative Judaism. An officer of the New York Board of Rabbis, he serves on the boards of UJA-Federation of New York, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and the Hillel of University of Michigan and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Rabbi Cosgrove was honored to represent the Jewish community at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum during the visit of Pope Francis to New York. A frequent contributor to Jewish journals and periodicals, he is the author of fifteen volumes of sermons and the editor of Jewish Theology in Our Time.
