For Such a Time as This

For Jews today, the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7—a vicious assault that killed more Jews in one day than at 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 7th, 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 shaped 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 at the heart of American Jewish life: identity, vulnerability, belonging, Zionism, and the evolving relationship between American Jewry and Israel.

Knitting together storytelling with ancient teachings, he guides readers through the landscape of a new reality to understand how we got here, where we are today, and where we might go from here.

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have sought light in the darkness, wrestling with what it means to be Jewish. For Such a Time as This is a guide for a new generation facing uncertainty with courage, spirit, and hope.