Email from Zionist Organization of America   ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA     ZOA’s Mort Klein’s Troubling Personal Experience with Rabbi Cosgrove’s One-Way “Diverse Viewpoints” Policy By Morton A. Klein (December 16, 2025 / JNS) During a speech at the American Zionist Movement’s biennial this month, Elliot Cosgrove, a prominent Conservative rabbi in New York City, called for “a new chapter of American Zionism” that welcomed diverse viewpoints. At the same time, he condemned “intolerance in the American Jewish community toward differing political views” and said all views in the broad Zionist tent should be taken seriously. However, the only “diverse viewpoints” that the Park Avenue Synagogue rabbi appears to tolerate are those on the left. In that same Dec. 8 speech, Cosgrove revealed his bias, including by condemning so-called “settlement expansion” (Jews living in the historic homelands of Judea and Samaria, and parts of Jerusalem), an Israeli drift to the right and supposed “extremist parties” within the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the bizarre logic in the speech, Israel’s “rightward drift” (i.e., the Israeli people’s overwhelming opposition to giving a state to the Palestinian Arabs who continue to murder and maim Jews) is somehow responsible for the misguided 30% of left-wing Jews who voted to elect Zohran Mamdani to be mayor of New York City. My own recent personal experience with Cosgrove further reveals the hypocrisy of his claim to welcome diverse viewpoints. Briefly: Several prominent members of his synagogue attended a recent speech I gave in Florida. Afterward, those synagogue members went to Cosgrove and told him I was an informative speaker who received a standing ovation, asking him to invite me to speak at the synagogue, with no honorarium requested. This article was originally published in JNS and can be viewed here. VIEW ON OUR WEBSITE     Share This Email Share This Email   DONATE     Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2024, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave 31 B | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice