Explore every episode of the podcast Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast

Listen to Rabbi Cosgrove's interview with Abigail Pogrebin and Rabbi Dov Linzer about their remarkable collaboration on the book It Takes Two to Torah: An Orthodox Rabbi and Reform Journalist Discuss and Debate Their Way Through the Five Books of Moses, and how the Torah can bring people together despite their differences.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Listen to Rabbi Cosgrove's interview with Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin about his newest book Tikkun Ha’am: Israel and the Crisis of Liberal Judaism, the current era of American Judaism after October 7, and what Jewish identity means.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Recorded in front of a live audience, Dr. Daniel Matt and Rabbi Cosgrove prepare for Passover by exploring the figure of Elijah, his transformation from zealous prophet to compassionate hero, and how he became one of the most popular figures in Jewish folklore.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Hear Rabbi Zuckerman in conversation with Dan Senor, co-author of Start-Up Nation and The Genius of Israel, as he shares insights into why Israel has proven resistant to many of the societal struggles that other democracies face, especially exhibited in the ways Israelis have come together in the wake of October 7.

Can we talk? After a recent experience on campus, Rabbi Cosgrove regrets that honest dialogue between people of differing views is prevented by antagonists who would rather play “gotcha” than take part in challenging and vulnerable conversation. 

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

In honor of Women's History Month, physicians and PAS members Elizabeth Comen and Lisa Fishman discussed Comen’s new book, All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us About Women’s Bodies and Why It Matters Today, moderated by Rabbi Koffman with a special appearance from Cantor Davis.

Welcome Purim as Rabbi Cosgrove speaks with comedian and author Joel Chasnoff about his new book, Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide to the Magic, Mystery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land, and how to laugh when Purim coincides with a war.  

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Rabbi Zauzmer responds to Jonathan Glazer's acceptance speech at the Oscars and explores the parallels that do exist between the Holocaust and Israel's current situation.

Is the story of Esther just a comedic fantasy or is it a parable for our own times? Rabbi Cosgrove finds a lesson in the Megillah for how we can understand our place in society and our responsibility to live joyfully as proud, committed Jews.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Although Israel remains traumatized by the terror of October 7, the hostages, and the ongoing war, there is talk of “the day after.” Rabbi Cosgrove examines the arguments for and against  a two-state solution and offers his vision for a hopeful path forward.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Israeli society and Jews worldwide need to show solidarity during these times. Using the analogy of “the stretcher,” inspired by author Max Levin, Rabbi Zuckerman emphasizes the importance of carrying our brothers and sisters through the war in Israel in any way that we can, from wherever we may be.

Listen as Rabbi Cosgrove interviews Dr. Lia Naor about the psychological affects on survivors of October 7 and how her particular brand of therapy has been instrumental in their care.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Is there any getting over grief? Rabbi Cosgrove suggests that just as the Israelites carried the shards of the broken tablets of the covenant, so too, we carry our losses and yet, move forward.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

As the Gaza war continues, how do you respond to people whose views on what should happen next in the conflict differ from your own? Rabbi Cosgrove counsels that it is essential to assume positive intent on the part of others and to ask thought-provoking questions to promote understanding.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Listen to SAPIR Institute Director Chanan Weissman host a conversation with Rabbi Cosgrove and Rabbi Rachel Isaacs about the future of synagogue life in a time of disruption.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

During Kabbalat Shabbat, Governor Kathy Hochul talked about her trip to Israel, the importance of allyship, and the steps she’s taking to protect citizens from the rise in antisemitism. 

On this week's podcast, hear Rabbi Cosgrove and Matti Friedman have a wide ranging discussion about Israel since October 7th.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Rabbi Cosgrove and Menachem Rosensaft discuss the genocide proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel, before the International Court of Justice.

What happens when we try to hide, or even undo, our Jewish heritage and identity? It's a story seen throughout history, even told on theater stages. Rabbi Zuckerman explores "The New Jew," who is no longer willing to hide in the shadows of antisemitism, and when to combat hate with love.

What would MLK say? We cannot know, but based on his writings, Rabbi Cosgrove projects what MLK might say about October 7, about the Israel-Hamas conflict, about Black-Jewish relations, and more.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Listen to a special podcast in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as Rabbi Cosgrove talks to author Jonathan Eig about his latest book, which the New York Times called, "The first comprehensive account of the civil rights icon in decades," King: A Life.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

How is being Jewish akin to being a Michigan Wolverine? Rabbi Cosgrove points to the pull of pride in belonging and the push of outside hostility that unite a group. As we confront the hostility unleashed on October 7, we must also retain our joy in living a Jewish life.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

How should a Jewish majority apply Jewish law and its principles in a sovereign Jewish state in the modern world? Rabbi Cosgrove honors the memory of his friend and teacher Rabbi David Ellenson, z”l, by introducing three of his articles that address this critical question.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Listen to Rabbi Cosgrove's interview with James S. Snyder, long-time Park Avenue Synagogue member, art historian, and Director of The Jewish Museum, as they discuss the mission of The Jewish Museum, and Jewish art and expression at this point in Jewish history.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Following the terrorist rampage in Israel last week, the eyes of history are upon us. Rabbi Cosgrove calls on us to support Israel with dollars to meet the urgent needs of the moment and for the sake of pikuach nefesh, saving lives, to make donations even on Shabbat.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

What are you doing now to support Israel? Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on last week’s PAS mission to Israel, emphasizing the overwhelming solidarity of Israelis in caring for survivors of the October 7th attacks, advocating for the hostages, and supporting the soldiers.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Charles Bronfman and Dr. Jeffrey Solomon, who have spent decades in the philanthropic world and co-authored the book The Art of Giving: Where the Soul Meets a Business Plan, join Rabbi Cosgrove as they discuss donating in the Jewish world, a particularly relevant topic while Israel is in need of financial assistance from the Jewish diaspora.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

Recorded in front of a live audience, Rabbi Leah Fein, the Senior Director of Engagement at Columbia/Barnard Hillel, discussed antisemitism on college campuses, as well as how college students can embrace their Jewish community and confront hatred on their campuses.

During Kabbalat Shabbat services, Representative Torres explained why he is outspoken against antisemitism, and asks why others have chosen silence.

What are you doing for Israel? Recalling the dramatic and united efforts of American Jewry to assist pre-State Israel, Rabbi Cosgrove calls on us to be united and unflagging in stepping up on all fronts to support Israel in the current war. 

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Dr. Mishy Harman, co-founder and host of Israel Story, the most listened-to Jewish and Israeli podcast in the world, joins Rabbi Cosgrove in a discussion about the war in Israel and its ramifications for Israelis and Palestinians. 

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

Recorded in front of a live audience, Rabbi Cosgrove and Ted Deutch discuss Israel at war, the impacts on the global Jewish community, and how the American Jewish Committee is responding to this crisis.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

How do we move forward after a grievous loss? Recognizing that we have passed sh’loshim, thirty days since the horrendous attacks of October 7, Rabbi Cosgrove turns to our founding father Abraham’s family for a model of how even deeply estranged siblings can work toward a common future.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Reflecting on his recent mission trip to Israel, which was both beautiful and heartbreaking, Rabbi Zuckerman reminds us that it is the responsibility of every Jewish person to not look away when our community is suffering, but rather attempt to put out the flames of a world on fire.

What is Double V? Recalling the campaign during WWII for victory against fascism on the battlefield and victory against racism on the homefront, Rabbi Cosgrove calls for a Double V campaign for Israel, for victory against Hamas and for the democratic values that are intrinsic to the state.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Upon their return from recent clergy missions to Israel, Cantor Schwartz and Rabbi Zuckerman share reflections on their experiences of being there during this crisis and key takeaways from their journeys.

Antisemitism? Here? Now? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the aftermath of October 7 has revealed not only verbal and physical attacks, but a “higher antisemitism” – a societal attitude that Jewish lives don’t matter.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

"You are each boots on the ground . . . We have to combat antisemitism together." Michal Cotler-Wunsh, LL.B, LL.M, joined us for Kabbalat Shabbat to share remarks from the bimah about the sharp rise in antisemitism around the world since Hamas’ attack on Israel.

Is Israel fighting a just war? Rabbi Cosgrove reviews the Jewish laws of war to provide us with a vocabulary for understanding and defending Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attack of October 7.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

Mayor Eric Adams speaks to the PAS community on his deep connection to the Jewish community, combating antisemitism and hate, and breaking bread to create peace and understanding.

How do we embrace our perfectly imperfect selves? Rabbi Koffman explores, and breaks down, the false expectations that many have for their lives, partners, and especially themselves, through the wisdom of the Torah, and the themes of the Barbie movie.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

We often wait until we are on our deathbeds to say the most important things to those we love, sometimes leaving us without the opportunity to say them at all. Yom Kippur is our wake-up call to have these conversations now. Rabbi Zauzmer implores us not to delay sharing what matters most with the people who matter most.

Show business wiz Ben Hecht took a shot in the dark one night and expressed the deep need and desire for a Jewish state to a room full of wise guys, which unexpectedly led to a chance encounter with Hillel Kook, the nephew of Rav Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine.

Taking lessons from the legacy of this unlikely couple and Yom Kippur, Rabbi Zuckerman investigates whether we are asking God to write out our lives like a movie script, or to help us write our own stories with the wisdom of God guiding our hands.

At the moment of Yizkor, what do we remember most about our loved ones? By way of the story of Judge Irving Kaufman, Rabbi Cosgrove challenges us to forgive our own foibles and frailties, to live in the present as our best selves, and to remember the best of others.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

Listen to Rabbi Cosgrove's interview with award-winning author Francine Klagsbrun about her new book, Henrietta Szold: Hadassah and the Zionist Dream, and Szold's pioneering Zionist vision.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings.

Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War Israel again stands at a tipping point, its existence as a Jewish and democratic state threatened not by outside enemies but by deeply rooted internal tensions. Rabbi Cosgrove calls for a Zionism that espouses both self-defense and liberal values.

For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.

Want to stay connected with PAS? Follow us @ParkAvenueSyn on all platforms, and check out www.pasyn.org for all our virtual and in-person offerings. 

Has fear kept you from realizing your dreams? Rabbi Koffman asserts that we need to confront our fears to live to our greatest potential.

Many aspects of our world, from learning to entertainment, seem to be getting faster and faster, resulting in instant gratification through vapid hurrying, but at what cost? Rabbi Zuckerman expresses why much of life requires deep, intense encounters rather than the feeling of overnight success.

Some think artificial intelligence will drastically improve our world, and some think it will destroy us, but it's up to us to figure out how to live in a world with AI. Rabbi Zauzmer explores Jewish perspectives on AI and encourages us to strengthen the muscles which make us human, not machine – our emotions, our empathy, and our compassion.