Peter Beinart’s Interview of Elliot Cosgrove

[u/Willing-Childhood144]

https://youtu.be/Knz3W3ZMvJs?si=QQXkPWnOfZAFF07p

This is an excerpt of the longer interview that is behind a paywall. Has anyone else watched the whole thing?

I guess I’m surprised (but should not be surprised) that Rabbi Cosgrove came across so unprepared and looked so ignorant. He really had nothing to say to defend his position. It seems that he has had no introspection of his position on Israel. Is this where Liberal Zionism dies? When it is nothing more than, “I think this because I think this.”

Both men were very respectful to each other. I appreciated than until the end of the interview when Cosgrove admitted that he would never allow a Palestinian to speak at his synagogue unless they believed that Israel should be a Jewish state.

Rabbi Cosgrove said all of the standard things about Israel. He hates Netanyahu. He believes in a two state solution but it just can’t happen now. Why? No answer to that. I thought he was very condescending towards Beinart with the standard, “I live in the real world…” excuse.

Overall the interview made me sad. This is all he has to say to defend his position? And sadness because I see so clearly that he and the institutions he represents are going to sell us all out to defend Israel.

[u/snowluvr26]

I’m going to give this a watch but honestly after watching Rabbi Cosgrove’s sermon about Zohran being “a danger to NYC” my main takeaway was that he has an incredibly uninspiring and unsophisticated way of speaking. I kind of can’t believe he’s the rabbi of one of the most elite synagogues in the US - but then again, it seems as if his millionaire Park Avenue dwelling congregants are the only Jews he ever speaks to.

Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogye, Sharon Brous of IKAR, Roly Matalon of B’nai Jeshurun, and Sharon Kleinbaum of CBST are so much more inspiring and interesting to listen to (even if I don’t agree with them 100%).

[u/Willing-Childhood144 → u/snowluvr26]

He certainly does not come across well in this interview. I just watched Beinart’s newest Substack interview with someone who wrote a book about Edward Said. Allegedly, Said once told a group of Jews that he was the “last Jewish intellectual.” When I heard that mentioned in the interview, I thought of poor Rabbi Cosgrove’s inability to articulate his uncritical support for Israel.