The World Cup and the American Exception: Soccer, Identity, and Belonging

The World Cup and the American Exception: Soccer, Identity, and Belonging

Why is soccer the world's game—but still not America's? As North America prepares to host the largest World Cup in history, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel tackle a question that goes far beyond sports. Joined by acclaimed writer Franklin Foer and scholar Andrei Markovits, they explore why soccer became a global language of identity, nationalism, and belonging while America developed its own sporting culture. The conversation moves from packed stadiums in Europe and South America to suburban soccer fields across the United States, asking whether America's relationship with soccer is finally changing. Along the way, the guests examine globalization, immigration, fandom, and the ways sports become proxies for deeper cultural and political questions. The discussion also turns to Jewish identity, from Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax to the challenges facing Jews in contemporary public life. What role do athletes play in shaping communal belonging? And what can the World Cup teach us about the tension between universal connection and particular identity?   Franklin Foer: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/ [https://www.theatlantic.com/author/franklin-foer/] Andrei Markovits: https://www.andreimarkovits.com/ [https://www.andreimarkovits.com/]   Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove [https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove] https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove [https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove] Park Avenue Synagogue: https://www.pasyn.org [https://www.pasyn.org/] https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# [https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/] Jon Frankel: https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel [https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Susan Orlean and the Art of Storytelling

Why do some stories stay with us forever? This week on Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel sit down with bestselling author and legendary New Yorker writer Susan Orlean to explore the art of storytelling and the human impulse to search for meaning in ordinary moments. From milkmen and librarians to taxidermists and grave diggers, Orlean has built a career uncovering the hidden worlds that exist all around us. Drawing from her memoir Joyride, Orlean reflects on journalism, curiosity, memory, and the way stories shape identity. The conversation moves between literature and lived experience, examining why certain narratives resonate so deeply and what it means to truly notice the people and places we often overlook. Along the way, the discussion turns personal: Orlean reflects on growing up Jewish in suburban Ohio, the influence of her parents, and the Jewish values that shaped her understanding of humanity, empathy, and storytelling itself. The result is a warm, thoughtful conversation about attention, connection, and the richness contained inside seemingly ordinary lives.   Susan Orlean: https://www.susanorlean.com/author/ [https://www.susanorlean.com/author/] Joyride: A Memoir https://www.amazon.com/Joyride-Memoir-Susan-Orlean/dp/1982135166 [https://www.amazon.com/Joyride-Memoir-Susan-Orlean/dp/1982135166]   Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove [https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove] https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove [https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove] Park Avenue Synagogue: https://www.pasyn.org [https://www.pasyn.org/] https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# [https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/] Jon Frankel: https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel [https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Inside the Haredi Community: Education, Identity, and Israel’s Future

It’s easy to criticize—but much harder to build. In this episode of Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel begin with a challenge: what if the real problem in Jewish life today isn’t disagreement—but a culture of critique without responsibility? From “kvetching” to self-reflection, they explore what Judaism actually demands when we call out what’s broken. Then, Rabbi Menachem Bombach joins the conversation—a Haredi educator and social entrepreneur working at the center of one of Israel’s most urgent and complex challenges: integrating the ultra-Orthodox community into broader Israeli society without compromising religious identity. Through his groundbreaking Netzach educational network, Bombach is building a new model—one that combines Torah study with secular education, opening pathways to higher education, careers, and national participation. This episode dives into the tensions shaping Israel today: religion and state, identity and economics, tradition and modernity—and asks whether a more integrated future is possible.   Rabbi Menachem Bombach: https://netzach.org.il/en/leadership-executive/ [https://netzach.org.il/en/leadership-executive/] The Netzach Education Network  https://netzach.org.il/en/home/ [https://netzach.org.il/en/home/]   Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove [https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove] https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove [https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove] Park Avenue Synagogue: https://www.pasyn.org [https://www.pasyn.org/] https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# [https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/] Jon Frankel: https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel [https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Exploring Shavuot: Reimagining Jewish Education with David Bryfman

What does it mean to receive the Torah in the modern world? This week on Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel explore the meaning of Shavuot—the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah—and ask what Jewish education should look like in an age shaped by distraction, polarization, and personal choice. Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on the Torah as a “love letter” between God and the Jewish people: something inherited, wrestled with, and reinterpreted by every generation. They are joined by David Bryfman, CEO of The Jewish Education Project and one of today’s leading voices in Jewish education. Drawing from his new book, Heroism and Hope: Recharging Israel Education in a Post-October 7th World, Bryfman challenges longstanding assumptions about Hebrew school, Israel education, and how Jewish identity is formed today. The conversation tackles everything from Jewish joy and experiential learning to campus antisemitism, social media, and the impact of October 7th on young Jews. Together, they explore whether Jewish education can move beyond fear and obligation toward something more enduring: curiosity, confidence, meaning, and belonging.   David Bryfman: https://www.jewishedproject.org/ [https://www.jewishedproject.org/] His Book: https://www.amazon.com/Heroism-Hope-Recharging-Education-Post-October/dp/B0GZBH6QLL [https://www.amazon.com/Heroism-Hope-Recharging-Education-Post-October/dp/B0GZBH6QLL]   Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove [https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove] https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove [https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove] Park Avenue Synagogue: https://www.pasyn.org [https://www.pasyn.org/] https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# [https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/] Jon Frankel: https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel [https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Beyond Borders: Water, Power & Peace in the Middle East with Gidon Bromberg

In a world where borders divide and conflict dominates headlines, what if the most powerful path to peace isn’t political—but environmental? This week on Common Faith, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and Jon Frankel are joined by Gidon Bromberg, co-founder of EcoPeace Middle East, an organization bringing together Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian leaders around a shared reality: the environment knows no borders. From water scarcity and climate change to renewable energy and economic interdependence, Bromberg makes the case that cooperation isn’t idealism—it’s survival. In a region where access to water can define daily life, and where the Jordan River itself reflects decades of neglect, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The conversation moves between the personal and the geopolitical—beginning with reflections on global Jewish identity and perspective, and expanding into a bold reimagining of peace built not through diplomacy alone, but through shared necessity. At a time when fear and division dominate, this episode offers a counter-narrative: that even in conflict, there are opportunities to build something lasting—together.   EcoPeace Middle East https://ecopeaceme.org [https://ecopeaceme.org/] Gidon Bromberg: https://ecopeaceme.org/about/ [https://ecopeaceme.org/about/] https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/environmental-peacebuilding-31years-strong/ [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/environmental-peacebuilding-31years-strong/]   Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove [https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove] https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove [https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove] Park Avenue Synagogue: https://www.pasyn.org [https://www.pasyn.org/] https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# [https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/] Jon Frankel: https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel [https://www.instagram.com/skifrankel] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.