Call Me Back - with Dan Senor Heart of a Stranger - with Angela Buchdahl
26 snips
Oct 19, 2025 
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, the first East-Asian ordained rabbi and leader at Central Synagogue, explores her journey of faith and identity in her memoir. She reflects on the impact of recent events, the longing for safety within community spaces, and the necessity of nuanced views on Israel and Palestine. Angela discusses her transformation from feeling like an outsider to embracing that perspective as a source of strength. She emphasizes the importance of self-compassion in fostering relationships, aiming to make Jewish wisdom accessible through her writing.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Grief Sharpened Jewish Engagement
- The last two years were an extended communal grief that made Jewish life feel more vivid and urgent.
- Rabbi Angela Buchdahl saw unprecedented engagement as people rediscovered the meaning of community.
Anti-Semitism's Resilience Revealed
- October 7th revealed that anti-Semitism had not disappeared but resurfaced strongly and adaptively.
- Buchdahl admits she underestimated how resilient and mutating anti-Semitism would be in her lifetime.
Use Words To Make Meaning, Not Spin
- Name realities honestly and use scripture to help make meaning in trauma instead of offering false comfort.
- Rabbi Buchdahl urged congregants to recognize how words create realities and to resist perversions of language.
