Bruce Springsteen, With Rabbis Elliot Cosgrove and Neil Zuckerman
Rabbis Elliot Cosgrove and Neil Zuckerman join us to explore the spiritual resonance of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Thunder Road,’ reflecting on themes of tradition, homecoming, and why certain texts—sacred or secular—endure across generations
Today on Jewish Studies Unscrolled, we talk about Bruce Springsteen and his iconic song “Thunder Road.” While Springsteen himself isn’t Jewish, this song, and his songwriting in general, invites reflections on themes central to Jewish life: tradition, leaving home, and coming back again. We’re joined by noted Bruce fans, Park Avenue Synagogue Rabbis Elliot Cosgrove and Neil Zuckerman. Drawing on their personal connections to the song and their shared journey through rabbinical training, Cosgrove and Zuckerman unpack the spiritual resonance of Springsteen’s work, asking why certain texts—whether Torah or rock lyrics—speak to us anew across the decades.
You can buy Rabbi Cosgrove’s book For Such a Time as This: On Being Jewish Today, here.
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