For Such a Time as This
On Being Jewish Today
-
-
5.0 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
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 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. 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 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 storytelling with ancient teachings, Rabbi Cosgrove 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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rabbi Cosgrove (coeditor of Jewish Theology in Our Time) grapples in this rigorous outing with the implications of the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel for the American Jewish community. He recounts how his Sabbath was interrupted by a call from his sister-in-law in Israel who reported the then-ongoing assault, the confusion that followed, and how he began fund-raising for Israeli communities during that day's services. Broadening his discussion, Cosgrove draws on a theory from Rabbi David Hartman to delineate a shift that he feels has occurred after October 7. Prior to the assault, he writes, American Jews were "Genesis Jews," whose religious identity derived from "positive Jewish identification." But the shock of October 7 and the subsequent spike in antisemitic incidents transformed many American Jews into "Exodus Jews," whose Jewish identity is "defined by others, by those who ignore our pain, exclude us, hate us... and in some cases kill us." The challenge, Cosgrove explains, is to integrate these identities. While the larger implications of the Israel-Hamas war are sometimes glossed over, Cosgrove expertly navigates salient questions about Jewish faith and identity against a backdrop of rising antisemitism, while stressing throughout that "this thing we are fighting for, Jews and Judaism... is a joy, a privilege, and a blessing to... all people." This is an eye-opener.
