/ Rabbinic Leadership Initiative (RLI)

Angela

Buchdahl

Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl was a member of Rabbinic Leadership Initiative Cohort VII. She serves as the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, the first woman to lead the large Reform congregation in its 175-year history. Rabbi Buchdahl first joined Central Synagogue as senior cantor in 2006. In 2014, she was chosen by the congregation to be senior rabbi. Rabbi Buchdahl was invested as a cantor in 1999 and also ordained as a rabbi in 2001 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York where she was a Wexner Graduate fellow (Class VIII). She earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University in 1994. Born in Korea to a Jewish American father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Rabbi Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Prior to her service at Central Synagogue, Rabbi Buchdahl served as associate rabbi/cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y. Rabbi Buchdahl has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading worship, which draw large crowds both in the congregation’s historic Main Sanctuary and via live stream and cable broadcast to viewers in more than 100 countries. Rabbi Buchdahl has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the Today Show, NPR, PBS and was listed as one of Newsweek’s “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis.” She serves on the boards of Auburn Theological Seminary, Avodah Jewish Service Corps, and the UJA-Federation of NY. Rabbi Buchdahl and her husband Jacob Buchdahl have three children.

Angela Buchdahl

AllArticlesVideos

May 16, 2023

What is at stake as Israel celebrates its 75th year? How is Israeli society both pulling apart and coming together at this critical moment?

Oct 26, 2022

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl appeared on "CBS Mornings."

Jan 25, 2022

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl delivered a powerful sermon after fielding two phone calls from the gunman at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX.

Apr 7, 2021

Global community gathering including memory, music, and poetry to commemorate Yom HaShoah through a powerful new ritual.

Sep 28, 2020

Jewish Peoplehood is powerful and real, but too often we misunderstand what that means. Starting with: we Jews are not a race.

Sep 5, 2020

Jan 16, 2019

Groundbreaking Rabbi Angela Buchdahl explains why she changed her mind on Jewish intermarriage.

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The End of Policy Substance in Israel Politics