What if you didn't have to believe in God to begin exploring religion? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome Rabbi Noa Kushner, founder of San Francisco's experimental Jewish community The Kitchen and author of Pretend You Believe: How to Enter Religion. Together, they explore why organized religion still matters in an increasingly secular world, and whether faith is something we must understand before we can experience it.

From the barriers that keep people outside religious communities to the power of ritual, belonging, and awe, Rabbi Kushner challenges the idea that belief must come first. She shares how The Kitchen is reimagining Jewish communal life without abandoning tradition, why ancient practices may hold answers to modern questions, and how taking a leap into the unknown can open the door to something greater. It's a conversation about doubt, discovery, and finding meaning in a world that often asks us to figure everything out for ourselves.

Rabbi Noa Kushner:

https://www.thekitchensf.org/staff

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With Israel approaching what could be one of the most consequential elections in its history, the stakes extend far beyond who becomes the next prime minister. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome Avi Mayer, founder of The Jerusalem Journal and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, to examine a nation at a crossroads. Three years after October 7, Israelis are confronting difficult questions about leadership, accountability, democracy, national security, and the future of their country.

Can Benjamin Netanyahu maintain his grip on power? Could a new government repair Israel's fractured international standing? And what happens when Israelis begin questioning whether their children have a future in the country they love? Mayer explores the political divisions shaping the October 27 election, the growing debate over military service and economic responsibility, and the consequences of Israel's increasing isolation. He also examines the media's portrayal of Israel, rising antisemitism across the political spectrum, and why American Jews must look beyond the headlines to understand a country still living with the trauma of October 7.

Avi Mayer:

https://www.avimayer.com/

Jerusalem Journal:

https://www.jerusalemjournal.com/

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the second of two special High Holiday episodes, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel return to the pulpit, revisiting sermons delivered during Yom Kippur at Park Avenue Synagogue and discussing the personal experiences and ideas that shaped them.

In “Taking Agency,” Rabbi Cosgrove considers one of Yom Kippur's most demanding lessons: even when we cannot control what happens to us, we remain responsible for how we respond. From the biblical story of Judah to the relationships and divisions of our own lives, he challenges us to stop focusing solely on what others have done wrong and instead ask, “How am I responsible? And what is mine to do?”

Then, in his deeply personal Yizkor sermon, “Out of the Picture,” Rabbi Cosgrove remembers his late teacher and mentor, Michael Brooks, whose life was devoted to empowering others rather than placing himself at the center. His example becomes a meditation on memory, mentorship and mortality—and on how we honor those we've lost not simply by remembering them, but by carrying their values and unfinished work forward.

Together, the sermons offer a challenge for the year ahead: take responsibility for the life you are living, recognize what you have been given, and consider what you will leave behind.

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove:

https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove

https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove

Park Avenue Synagogue:
https://www.pasyn.org

https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/#

Jon Frankel:

https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.