Book Discussion: Heart of a Stranger (2025) by Angela Buchdahl

Discuss Heart of a Stranger, a memoir by Angela Buchdahl, the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi. Born in Seoul to a Korean Buddhist mother and Jewish American father and raised in Tacoma, Washington, Buchdahl braids a personal story of family, faith, and discovery with inspiring reflections on Biblical texts and humanistic values. Themes of empathy, communal engagement, and gratitude permeate her writing as she tackles difficult topics of racism, sexism, antisemitism, and political divisions within and beyond the Jewish community. Follow her journey from outsider to the welcomed leader of the Central Synagogue in NYC.