World-Renowned Rabbi to Speak at BookFest

Described as “joyful and inspirational,” one of the country’s most unique and influential rabbis will take center stage at the Book Festival of the MJCCA at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 9. Tied to the annual Esther Levine Read, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl will be interviewed by The Temple’s Senior Rabbi Peter Berg to share her story and memoir, “Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging.”

“Unlikely” because Rabbi Buchdahl was born in Seoul, Korea, the daughter of a Buddhist mother and Jewish American father. In conversation with the AJT and in addressing this duality, Rabbi Buchdahl said, “My mother is 83 and still a Buddhist, but she’s also an engaged and knowledgeable adjacent member of the Jewish community. I don’t have specific Buddhist practices, but I know that some of the philosophy and ways of seeing the world have influenced how I understand spirituality. I don’t see a conflict between my Judaism and the Buddhist philosophies of non-attachment and understanding suffering.”

As proof of her “secret sauce,” Rabbi Buchdahl’s congregation, Central Synagogue in New York City, has 3,500 households, plus another 1,000 in The Neighborhood. They estimate about one million viewers Zoomed in for the High Holidays on livestream. She is the first female senior rabbi there in its 185-year history. She has led prayers in the White House for two presidents and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, NPR and Today. She lives in New York City with her husband and three children.

Buchdahl lists the five best takeaways from the book:
1: Having the heart of a stranger — while at times lonely or uncomfortable — has been the source of our superpower as a Jewish community: the foundation of our empathy, resilience, grit, and creativity.
2: Sometimes you have to leave home in order to find your truest one.
3: When I broke the (stained) glass ceiling, I stood on the shoulders of all the women who came before me.
4: You might think you’re the only one who doesn’t fit in or feels like an outsider, but every one of us is navigating multiple identities — and this knowledge can be the source of our connection, not our division.
5: We might like to surround ourselves with people who think like us, but nature loves a diverse ecosystem, and we can grow most when we venture beyond our monoculture.

To complete the book over four years, she wrote in short spurts with Abigail Pogrebin, an author, editor, and friend, as a collaborator on the book. Rabbi Buchdahl cites the most difficult part to write as “I don’t have diaries from childhood, so I had to rely on memory for my early years. Some of the more painful chapters — like the violent death of my first cousin — were tucked away, and it was hard to pull up those memories and write about them.”

When asked to relate one fun thing folks might not know about her, the rabbi replied, “When I get excited about something — whether it’s a new restaurant, kitchen appliance, book, or show — I want to make sure everyone I care about knows about it and gets to enjoy it. My children’s nickname for me is “Televangela,” because I’ll campaign hard for the things I love. You could say that being a rabbi is being a campaigner for the Jewish people and for faith — which I hope comes through in this book.”

Rabbi Berg told the AJT, “I have known Rabbi Buchdahl as a colleague and friend for 25 years. I’m really excited to be in conversation with her at the Book Festival and for the world to read her book. I read a preview of the book. It’s outstanding and deeply meaningful. Rabbi Buchdahl relates how she became the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi. It wasn’t an easy journey … as she started feeling like an outsider to the Jewish community. Now, she is one of the most admired religious leaders in the entire world. Our community is going to love interacting with her and hearing her story.”

Proceeds of book sales go to the International Rescue Committee. Tickets are $20 for MJCCA members, $25 for community, and $42 for one ticket and copy of the book.