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: https://www.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 www.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: https://www.instagram.com/betterinpersontv TikTok: http://tiktok.com/betterinpersontv FOLLOW STEPHEN DUBNER: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephenjdubner LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-dubner-2a066578/ Substack: https://stephendubner.substack.com FOLLOW FREAKONOMICS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freakonomics/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freakonomics/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freakonomicsradio Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/freakonomics LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/freakonomics-media/ Threads: https://www.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 https://youtu.be/RSRAmYA1B_Y