For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today

A poignant exploration of what it means to be Jewish today, from a leading voice in American Judaism, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue.

For Jews today, the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7--a vicious assault that killed more Jews in one day than any time since the Holocaust--has drawn a clear and irreversible demarcation in time.

The Jewish community woke to an unrecognizable new reality on the 7^th, witnessing first the horror and sheer brutality of the atrocities in Israel, followed immediately by the stark and unprecedented rise in antisemitism in its aftermath. In the wake of what is often referred to as the world's oldest hate, American Jews are experiencing a shared and disorienting whiplash, wondering where this antisemitism came from and--more pressingly, for a people whose existence is marked by generations of trauma--where it might lead.

But the Jewish community is also experiencing something profound and beautiful in this existential moment: even in this dark hour, they are discovering 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 spiritual guides and thought leaders, helps readers make sense of this fraught and trying time. With warmth and wisdom, Rabbi Cosgrove explores the challenging questions embedded in the soul of American Jewry. Where did all of this antisemitism come from, and was it always there? Are Jews members of the privileged establishment, or a vulnerable minority? Are Jews defined by their shared culture, or the hate that forces them together? How do American Jews reconcile the tensions inherent in being both American and Jewish, a people of two homelands? How have Israel and Zionism shaped American Judaism? What are the challenges between American Jewry and Israel today?

Knitting together storytelling with ancient teachings, Rabbi Cosgrove helps navigate the landscape of this new reality to understand how we got here, where we are today, and where we might go from here.

For thousands of years, from generation to generation, the Jewish people have continuously sought light in the darkness, wrestling with the question of what it means to be Jewish. 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.