Why I Kept Returning to Israel

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Today’s Episode: 

For a bonus episode, Dan was joined by Rabbi Angela Buchdahl to discuss her new book Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging. Rabbi Buchdahl is the senior rabbi at Central Synagogue in New York City. She was the first East-Asian to be ordained as a rabbi, and has received national recognition for her Jewish leadership, including being listed as one of Newsweek’s “50 most influential rabbis.”

She shares her journey from feeling like an outsider to Judaism to becoming a contemporary Jewish leader. They also discuss how Rabbi Buchdahl guided her congregation after Oct. 7 and how the past two years have changed the Jewish community around her. 

00:00 Introduction

06:33 Grief After October 7

09:21 Engaging with the Jewish community post-October 7

11:14 Facing antisemitism in America

12:21 Rabbi Buchdahl's first sermon after October 7

15:55 Progressive dilemmas and the Israeli/Palestinian narratives

18:02 Visiting Israel and reflecting on Jewish peoplehood

21:14 Rabbi Buchdahl's Jewish journey

30:48 Diaspora versus Israeli Jewish perspectives

35:08 The mitzvah of loving oneself as a prerequisite for loving others

37:06 Remaining spiritual, not just political

40:58 Rebuilding after trauma

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

ADAAM JAMES LEVIN-AREDDY - Executive Producer

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer