Angela Buchdahl: This Passover, have faith in the story of the Exodus
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 4 April 2026
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Jessica Steinberg speaking with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl.
Buchdahl speaks about being a rabbinic figure and representative of the mainstream American Jewry, particularly while on book tour for her recently published memoir, "Heart of a Stranger, An Unlikely Rabbi's Story of Faith, Identity and Belonging."
Buchdahl weighs in on the current rise in antisemitism entering the workplace and discourse, and how it has made Jewish identity rise to the fore as a kind of primary identity.
Speaking to the Times of Israel right before Passover, Buchdahl discusses the master narrative of Passover and the need to have faith in Jewish continuity and to hold on to resilience and grit in the face of oppression.
Buchdahl speaks about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the conversations she's held with people deeply connected to the mayor about her concerns.
The Central Synagogue rabbi talks about her congregation's Zionism, their reactions after the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, and their deep connections to hostage families over the course of the two years of the war in Gaza.
She also speaks about her own connection to Israel as a second home, even when she takes issue with some of its policies and actions of the government.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: The sanctuary of Central Synagogue in Manhattan, New York, photographed in 2010, and where Rabbi Angela Buchdahl is senior rabbi (Courtesy)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, welcome to the Times of Israel's What Matters Now, a weekly podcast delving into one issue, |
| 0:09.4 | focusing on Israel and the Jewish world right now. |
| 0:12.7 | I'm your host, Arts and Culture Editor at the Times of Israel, Jessica Steinberg, |
| 0:16.7 | and I'm here with Rabbi Angela Bukhdal, a leading rabbinic figure and the senior rabbi of New York City's central synagogue. |
| 0:24.8 | Welcome, Rabbi Bukhdal. |
| 0:27.2 | Long-time listener. Thank you. |
| 0:28.8 | Thank you for being with us, and I'm a long-time fan of yours. |
| 0:32.4 | So it's good to be sort of meeting in person, you and your New York City office, me and my Jerusalem studio, |
| 0:39.7 | which doubles as our family safe room. So we'll hope that there's no sirens in the midst |
| 0:45.7 | of our recording over here. |
| 0:53.4 | Hi, this is Navafriberg, diplomatic reporter at the Times of Israel. |
| 0:58.0 | Soon after the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran began, an Iranian ballistic missile struck an apartment building in Tel Aviv, killing a woman in her 30s. |
| 1:08.0 | While most people stayed near their shelters that day, I did something |
| 1:12.3 | very unnatural. I headed straight to the impact site. I showed security at the site my press |
| 1:18.2 | card and got to work, sidestepping broken glass as I interviewed shocked residents and officials |
| 1:23.2 | between trips to the closest shelter as the sirens continued. |
| 1:35.3 | For most people living through a war, heading toward the danger goes against their instincts. For reporters at the Times of Israel, it's what we do to ensure you get the most accurate and timely information about what's happening now, on the ground, in Israel. |
| 1:49.7 | If you value work like mine, please consider joining our Reader Support Group, |
| 1:51.1 | the Times of Israel community. |
| 1:55.7 | Your financial support is essential to keeping real reporting like this up. |
| 1:59.4 | Just go to thetimesofisrael.com slash join. |
| 2:04.1 | That's timesofisrael.com slash join. Thank you. |
... |
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