About this episode
In this deeply human and unexpectedly joyful episode of Common Faith , Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove and journalist Jon Frankel sit down with celebrated artist Joel Mesler , whose vibrant, pop-infused works have become synonymous with healing, humor, and Jewish identity. Through Mesler’s remarkable life story — from a turbulent childhood in Beverly Hills to an intense yeshiva experience, to addiction, recovery, and artistic rebirth — the trio explores what it means to wrestle with your past while still choosing light. Mesler speaks candidly about nine years of sobriety, the lies we tell ourselves in our own voice, and the moment he realized he needed help. He shares how art became both expression and salvation, and how Judaism organically re-entered his life through painting anonymous old “rabbi portraits” that no one wanted — until he transformed them into sought-after pieces of contemporary Judaica. An inspiring conversation about creativity, faith, identity, recovery, and choosing light in a world that doesn’t always make it easy. Joel Mesler https://www.joelmesler.com https://www.instagram.com/joelmesler/?hl=en Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: https://www.instagram.com/elliot_cosgrove https://x.com/RabbiCosgrove Park Avenue Synagogue https://www.pasyn.org https://www.instagram.com/parkavenuesyn/# Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.