KQED's Forum Forum From the Archives: Rabbi Calls for Boundless Compassion Amid Divides
Dec 31, 2025
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the first Asian American ordained as a rabbi and leader of Central Synagogue, discusses her complex feelings about Israel. She highlights how fear can numb empathy, making it risky to express nuance. Buchdahl critiques the rising trend of zero-sum empathy in society, attributing it to trauma and media manipulation. She emphasizes the importance of personal connections and storytelling to foster compassion. Her insights on generational views towards Israel and strategies for bridging divides within her congregation are both poignant and inspiring.
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Empathy Is Not A Zero-Sum Loyalty Test
- Rabbi Angela Buchdahl warns that empathy is treated as a zero-sum loyalty test in polarized debates.
- She argues compassion for one side doesn't require denying the suffering of the other side.
Fear Hardens Hearts And Shrinks Empathy
- Rabbi Buchdahl says fear and trauma harden hearts and shrink capacity for empathy.
- She warns a coordinated anti-empathy trend is gaining traction across political and religious sectors.
Hostage Mother's Poem Bridged Empathy
- Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of a hostage, publicly acknowledged shared tears with a Gazan mother.
- Her gesture helped Buchdahl reclaim empathy despite her own initial anger after October 7th.