Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Angela Buchdahl is Korean-born and biracial, the daughter of an American Jewish father and a Korean Buddhist mother, and she is also the first Asian-American rabbi. She leads Central Synagogue in New York, her services stream around the world, and her new memoir has made her a New York Times best-selling author.
Stephen Dubner speaks with Angela about a life spent crossing boundaries. And he has some questions. Can you be a good Jew without believing in God? How can you find awe in death? In today’s world, what does it mean to carve out time to rest?
Angela shares the details of her involvement in a hostage crisis at a synagogue in Texas, explains why she refuses to sign the petitions that land in every prominent rabbi's inbox, and how the feeling of being a stranger — her memoir is called Heart of a Stranger — can be transformed into a superpower.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #angelabuchdahl
Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1
Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at chatgpt.com
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
Chapters:
0:00 Meet Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
1:52 The Story That Shaped Angela’s Identity
7:45 The Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis
10:32 The Hidden Cost of Fame
14:59 Israel, Identity, and Rejecting Binary Thinking
18:37 What Judaism Can Teach Everyone
21:07 Does Angela Believe in God?
23:15 Why the Sabbath Still Matters
26:10 How Can We Escape Binary Thinking?
28:58 How Do We Talk to People We Disagree With?
What If Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower? | Better in Person
youtu.be/RSRAmYA1B_Y
Angela Buchdahl is Korean-born and biracial, the daughter of an American Jewish father and a Korean Buddhist mother, and she is also the first Asian-American rabbi. She leads Central Synagogue in New York, her services stream around the world, and her new memoir has made her a New York Times best-selling author.
Stephen Dubner speaks with Angela about a life spent crossing boundaries. And he has some questions. Can you be a good Jew without believing in God? How can you find awe in death? In today’s world, what does it mean to carve out time to rest?
Angela shares the details of her involvement in a hostage crisis at a synagogue in Texas, explains why she refuses to sign the petitions that land in every prominent rabbi's inbox, and how the feeling of being a stranger — her memoir is called Heart of a Stranger — can be transformed into a superpower.
#betterinperson #freakonomicsradio #angelabuchdahl
Airs weekly on Tuesdays. Don't miss an episode! Subscribe NOW: youtube.com/channel/UCXjf7anLJA4NqUv8kPFIJWA?sub_confirmation=1
Introducing ChatGPT Work - Put ChatGPT to work on your most ambitious ideas and projects. Download the new ChatGPT desktop app today at chatgpt.com
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
Chapters:
0:00 Meet Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
1:52 The Story That Shaped Angela’s Identity
7:45 The Texas Synagogue Hostage Crisis
10:32 The Hidden Cost of Fame
14:59 Israel, Identity, and Rejecting Binary Thinking
18:37 What Judaism Can Teach Everyone
21:07 Does Angela Believe in God?
23:15 Why the Sabbath Still Matters
26:10 How Can We Escape Binary Thinking?
28:58 How Do We Talk to People We Disagree With?
What If Being a Stranger Is Actually Your Superpower? | Better in Person
youtu.be/RSRAmYA1B_Y
