Will Synagogues Be the Dinosaurs of a Post-Pandemic World?

Will Synagogues Be the Dinosaurs of a Post-Pandemic World?

9am PDT

Join rabbi of rabbis, AJU's rector, Elliot Dorff in conversation with Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Senior Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue, as these thought leaders discuss what lies in store for the future of communal life. They will also delve into and answer all the questions we want answers for: What is the future of synagogue life? What will be the role of pulpit rabbis? What will community look like? Who will pay for membership? Will we need to buy tickets for High Holidays? and a whole lot more.

Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove is Senior Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York City. He was ordained in 1999 at The Jewish Theological Seminary, and subsequently earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago Divinity School. An officer of the New York Board of Rabbis, he serves on the boards of the American Jewish Distribution Committee, the Hillels of University of Michigan and Pennsylvania and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of eleven volumes of sermons and the editor of Jewish Theology in Our Time. 

Rabbi Dr. Elliot Dorff is a past President of the Academy for Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies (2015 – 2017) and a prominent interfaith leader in the Jewish community. Dr. Dorff is the Rector and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at American Jewish University where he has been directing the rabbinical and Masters programs since 1971. He was ordained to the Rabbinate by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Columbia University. He serves as the Chair of the Conservative Movement's Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, and has also chaired several scholarly organizations. In addition, Dr. Dorff has served on many boards and commissions related to medical ethics, including the Ethics committee at UCLA Medical Center, the Ethics Advisory Committee for the State of California on stem cell research, and the broader Social Impacts Committee for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural Science. Dr. Dorff has published over 200 articles on Jewish thought, law, and ethics, as well as 14 books that he wrote and another 14 that he edited or co-edited.