Rabbi Zauzmer: The Oscars Speech That Could Have Been (March 16, 2024)

Six months after October 7, are you expecting seder guests with conflicted and conflicting views?   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.