Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast

Verse Zero: When God Starts Over (Shemini Atzeret, 2025)

On the two-year Hebrew anniversary of October 7, Rabbi Zauzmer invites us to consider the trauma that prompts us to create our world anew.

Faith in the Midst of Uncertainty

With a hostage deal coming to fruition, a time of joy mixed with sorrow, Rabbi Zuckerman reflects on the miracle of Jewish survival and endurance.

On The Record

With the New York mayoral election in less than three weeks, Rabbi Cosgrove explains why Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of New York Jewish community. He urges us to work to convince undecided voters and to vote ourselves.

The Chamberlain Effect: Knowing vs. Doing (Yom Kippur, 2025)

From screen time to free throws, Rabbi Zuckerman explores why we resist positive change, even when we know it would serve us, and how Yom Kippur can inspire us to choose the path of courage and growth.

Heschel's Secret Mission to the Vatican (Yom Kippur, 2025)

With the rapid rise of a new kind of antisemitism, we are not the first generation of Jews who have navigated this challenge. Rabbi Zauzmer compares our time to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's, imploring us to follow his example with three steps we can take in the fight against antisemitism.

The Length of Days (Yom Kippur, 2025)

What is the gift of Yizkor? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that as we recall those who are no longer with us, we can pledge to create a memorial for them by the way we live. By taking full advantage of each day, we guarantee that we will enjoy length of days.

Of Silver Platters and Mirrors (Yom Kippur, 2025)

Can we support Israel’s legitimate self-defense and also have empathy for the suffering of Gaza? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the tension between concern for self and concern for the other defines Jewish identity and that self-examination together with critique of the other is the essence of Yom Kippur.

Finding Our Why

On this Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Zuckerman reflected on the extraordinary resilience of the Jewish people—from the displaced persons camps of 1945, where life and learning were rebuilt out of devastation, to the challenges we face today after October 7. Through stories of survival, renewal, and his own journey to Israel, Rabbi Zuckerman explored a timeless truth: “Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.” As we enter the new year, he calls on us to root ourselves in purpose, to live by the teachings of our tradition, and to take the wheel of our own lives.

The Intersection of Confidence and Humility

Remembering Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her fifth yahrzeit, Rabbi Zauzmer urges us to disagree better and to see the humanity in everyone.

Jonas Phillips and the American Jewish Ideal

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Rabbi Cosgrove turns to the legacy of Jonas Phillips for guidance and inspiration. His story — immigrant, patriot, proud Jew — challenges us to claim our freedoms boldly, live our Judaism publicly, and secure a vibrant Jewish future.