Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Angela Buchdahl is the senior rabbi of one of the biggest Jewish congregations in America. Some of her closest friends are proud, observant Jews who don't believe in God at all.
Buchdahl tells Stephen Dubner about a life spent crossing boundaries. Can you be a good Jew and not believe in God? What happens to a family when the phones go away one night a week? And why does a 2,000 year old study practice called Chevruta hold the key to escaping binary thinking?
Buchdahl explains why the Sabbath may be the greatest idea Jews gave the world, and why she believes we have to engage with the people who feel like our enemies. Start somewhere safe, she suggests and don't open with the biggest problem between you.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #Judaism #Sabbath
Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON:
Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest.
On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.
This is how a conversation works.
FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON:
Instagram: instagram.com/betterinpersontv
TikTok: tiktok.com/betterinpersontv
FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER:
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenjdubner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578
Substack: stephendubner.substack.com
FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS:
Instagram: instagram.com/freakonomics
Facebook: facebook.com/freakonomics
TikTok: tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio
Twitter: twitter.com/freakonomics
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media
Threads: threads.com/@freakonomics
Can You Be Jewish Without Believing in God? | Better in Person
youtu.be/MTFmvXXxv04
Angela Buchdahl is the senior rabbi of one of the biggest Jewish congregations in America. Some of her closest friends are proud, observant Jews who don't believe in God at all.
Buchdahl tells Stephen Dubner about a life spent crossing boundaries. Can you be a good Jew and not believe in God? What happens to a family when the phones go away one night a week? And why does a 2,000 year old study practice called Chevruta hold the key to escaping binary thinking?
Buchdahl explains why the Sabbath may be the greatest idea Jews gave the world, and why she believes we have to engage with the people who feel like our enemies. Start somewhere safe, she suggests and don't open with the biggest problem between you.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #Judaism #Sabbath
Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1
ABOUT BETTER IN PERSON:
Everyone has a public story. Stephen Dubner wants the rest.
On Better in Person, Dubner invites remarkable people into his home for a kind of conversation that’s hard to find: curious, free-wheeling, even profound. They talk, play, eat and drink, argue and laugh. The result? Less interview, more shared discovery.
This is how a conversation works.
FOLLOW BETTER IN PERSON:
Instagram: instagram.com/betterinpersontv
TikTok: tiktok.com/betterinpersontv
FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER:
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenjdubner
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578
Substack: stephendubner.substack.com
FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS:
Instagram: instagram.com/freakonomics
Facebook: facebook.com/freakonomics
TikTok: tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio
Twitter: twitter.com/freakonomics
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media
Threads: threads.com/@freakonomics
Can You Be Jewish Without Believing in God? | Better in Person
youtu.be/MTFmvXXxv04
