Common Faith

SiriusXM

A rabbi and a journalist walk into… not a bar, not a synagogue, but a SiriusXM podcast studio. Each week, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Senior Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue, and Jon Frankel, formerly of Real Sports, will banter, question, and explore the big issues of our day through the lens of Jewish tradition and lived experience. The program is designed to be fun, thoughtful, and engaging—where faith matters, and conversation runs deep.

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32 episodes
weekly
Avg 52 min
English

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#60
Thursday · 49 min
Who Controls the Israel Narrative: The Media War
Who shapes the world's understanding of Israel? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome journalist Gil Hoffman, author of The Blood Libel Machine, to examine the media narratives surrounding Israel since October 7 and the forces he argues are influencing public opinion. From misinformation and media bias to Israeli government failures and the growing power of social media, the conversation explores how facts become distorted, why journalism matters, and what individuals can do to become m
#59
October 29 · 51 min
Pretend You Believe: A Leap of Faith with Rabbi Noa Kushner
What if faith begins not with belief, but with experience? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome Rabbi Noa Kushner, founder of The Kitchen and author of Pretend You Believe: How to Enter Religion. Together, they explore the barriers to organized religion, the search for meaning in a secular world, and why sometimes the first step toward faith is simply showing up.
#58
October 22 · 50 min
Israel at a Crossroads: The Future Is on the Ballot
Israel faces a defining election, but the question goes far beyond Netanyahu's political future. What kind of country does Israel want to become? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome journalist Avi Mayer to examine Israel's divided society, its global standing, and what the election could mean for Jews around the world.
#57
October 15 · 54 min
From the Pulpit: Taking Agency - Lessons from Yom Kippur
From taking responsibility to carrying a legacy forward, reflections from the Yom Kippur pulpit. In the second of two special High Holiday episodes, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel revisit Yom Kippur at Park Avenue Synagogue, sharing sermons from the holiday and reflecting on the experiences and ideas behind them. From taking responsibility for our choices to remembering those we've lost and carrying their legacies forward, the sermons ask a deeply personal question: What is ours to do w
#56
October 8 · 55 min
From the Pulpit: Rosh Hashanah Reflections
Two Rosh Hashanah sermons. One question: What does it mean to find our way home? In this special episode, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel revisit Rosh Hashanah at Park Avenue Synagogue, sharing sermons delivered over the past several weeks and revealing some of the thinking behind them. From homecoming and memory to Israel, Jewish identity, and disagreement within the Jewish community, they reflect on what it means to return to our traditions—and to one another.
#55
October 1 · 50 min
Why We Love the Way We Do: Galit Atlas on Childhood Wounds and Adult Relationships
Why do we choose the people we love—and how much of that choice was shaped long before we met them? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with psychoanalyst and bestselling author Dr. Galit Atlas to explore how childhood wounds, family roles, inherited trauma, and our earliest experiences of love continue to shape our adult relationships.
#54
September 24 · 50 min
Sukkot and the Jewish Experience with Rabbi Mark Wildes
What can Sukkot teach us about belonging? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder of Manhattan Jewish Experience, to explore the holiday’s lessons of impermanence, hospitality, and opening the door to Jewish life. The conversation turns to The Jewish Experience, Wildes’ accessible guide to Jewish thought and practice, and why more Jews are searching for deeper connection in the years since October 7.
#53
September 17 · 50 min
Can We Repair What’s Broken? Grief, Yom Kippur, and the Scars We Carry
What does healing mean when some losses can never be repaired? As Yom Kippur approaches, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore reflection, repentance and the relationships that cannot always be repaired. Rabbis Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman join them to discuss Grieving a Child: A Companion Guide for Clergy and what they’ve learned about accompanying families through unimaginable loss—and carrying grief forward without leaving love or memory behind.
#52
September 10 · 52 min
Choosing Life: Rosh Hashanah with Rabbi Yitz Greenberg
At the start of a new Jewish year, one of Judaism’s leading thinkers asks what it truly means to choose life. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome renowned Jewish thinker Rabbi Yitz Greenberg for a Rosh Hashanah conversation about creation, renewal and the choices that give life meaning. Greenberg reflects on his new collection, Life Against Death, and explores Jewish responsibility, Israel, pluralism and why the High Holidays call us not simply to reflect—but to choose life.
#51
September 3 · 51 min
Rachel Goldberg-Polin on Grief, the High Holidays, and the Power of “Yet”
As the High Holidays approach, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, to talk about grief, memory, faith, and her book When We See You Again. In a deeply personal conversation, Rachel reflects on the son she calls “the blessed ordinary,” the cruelty she now finds in the command to remember, and the question that remains before her: how do you keep moving through a tunnel when you cannot see where—or whether—it ends?
#50
August 27 · 48 min
Is College Football a Religion? Paul Finebaum on Faith, Football & the South
ESPN’s Paul Finebaum joins Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel to discuss growing up Jewish in Memphis, his Southern Jewish identity, and balancing faith, family, and a life spent covering college football. Plus, Finebaum weighs in on the almost religious devotion of college football fans, the changing landscape of the sport, Michigan, the SEC vs. Big Ten—and what happens when loyalty collides with our values.
#49
August 20 · 51 min
Back to School Special: Jewish Life on Campus - The Hillel Story
As students head back to college, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with three veteran campus rabbis—Rabbi Jessica Kirschner of Stanford, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs of Colby College, and Rabbi Ari Israel of the University of Maryland—to talk about what Jewish life on campus really looks like today. From antisemitism and the aftermath of October 7 to Shabbat dinners, unexpected conversations, Jewish resilience, and even Tashlich in space, they explore why the essential work of Hillel remai
#48
August 13 · 51 min
Legacy on the Line: Wealth, Values, and What We Pass On
What do we really pass from one generation to the next? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel welcome wealth advisor and author Andrea Baumann Lustig for a conversation about money, family, philanthropy and the values hidden inside our financial choices. Drawing on her new book, Legacy on the Line, Lustig argues that true legacy is about far more than inheritance: it is about the wisdom, responsibility and resilience we “shape forward” for those who come after us.
#47
August 6 · 52 min
Shift: Ethan Kross on Managing Emotions in a Complex World
We all experience anxiety, anger, grief, jealousy, and joy—but what if the goal isn't to eliminate difficult emotions, but to learn how to work with them? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with bestselling author and University of Michigan psychologist Ethan Kross to explore the science of emotional regulation, the wisdom of Jewish tradition, and practical tools for navigating life's emotional highs and lows.
#46
July 30 · 53 min
Hollywood R.I.P.? David Mikics on Movies, Culture, and Jewish Identity
Hollywood was built in large part by Jewish immigrants, but how much of that legacy remains today? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore the Jewish roots of the movie industry, the evolving role of Jewish identity in American culture, and whether Hollywood is losing its creative soul. Joined by author and cultural critic David Mikics, they discuss everything from Louis B. Mayer and Casablanca to Spielberg, Kubrick, and the challenges facing Jewish voices in entertainment today.
#45
July 23 · 50 min
The Wanderers: Uncovering Hidden Histories of Jewish Survival
What happens when two Jewish women meet in Los Angeles and discover their families came from the same Polish town - and survived the Holocaust through a little-known journey across the Soviet Union? Authors Daniela Gerson and Talia Inlander join Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel to discuss The Wanderers, their remarkable story of exile, survival, family history, and unexpected love. Together they explore memory, refugee experiences, and the hidden histories that continue to shape Jewish life
#44
July 16 · 51 min
The Digital Dilemma: Judaism's Opportunities and Risks in an Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is transforming the way we learn, communicate, and build community—but what does Jewish tradition have to say about it? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore the promise and peril of technology with Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone of Chabad.org and Daniel Kelley of the ADL. From using AI to spread Torah and strengthen Jewish connection to confronting online hate and antisemitism, this conversation examines how Jewish values can guide us through the digital age.
#43
July 9 · 51 min
Maccabi USA: Uniting Jewish Athletes Worldwide
What happens when athletic competition becomes a vehicle for Jewish identity, global connection, and love of Israel? Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with Maccabi USA CEO Marshall Einhorn and longtime participant Dr. Danny Cosgrove to explore the Maccabiah Games—the world's largest Jewish sporting event. From elite competition to lifelong friendships, they discuss how sports unite Jewish athletes across generations, countries, and backgrounds.
#42
July 2 · 51 min
America at 250: The Jewish Contribution to America's Independence
As America marks its 250th anniversary, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore the deep connections between the American experiment and the Jewish experience. They reflect on the promises of freedom, citizenship, and opportunity that have shaped Jewish life in the United States before welcoming Dan Tadmor, CEO of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Together, they uncover little-known stories of Jewish involvement in the Revolutionary War and discuss how museums help p
#41
June 25 · 52 min
Knowledge Is Power: Understanding Breast Health and Genetic Testing with Dr. Elisa Port
Breast cancer affects hundreds of thousands of women every year, yet conversations about screening, prevention, and genetic testing remain difficult for many families. Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with renowned breast surgeon Dr. Elisa Port to discuss what everyone should know about breast health, the role of BRCA genetic testing, and why early detection saves lives. Drawing from her new book The Breast Advice, Dr. Port shares patient stories, medical insights, and practical gu

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