Open Your Heart: Jewish Book and Arts Festival Begins

Already on the New York Times Best Seller list, Angela Buchdahl’s new autobiography Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging was front and center with a packed opening festival night at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center. “I did not follow the typical path to the rabbinate,” she said. “All theology is autobiographical [and this book is a way] to teach the wisdom of Judaism to non-Jewish people.”  

Born in Seoul, Buchdahl’s story of growing up in Tacoma, Washington as the daughter of a Jewish father and a South Korean mother is a fascinating American story of identity, religion, and spirituality. Not only is Buchdahl the first Asian American to be ordained as a cantor, and then as a rabbi, she is also the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, where has grown to be one of the largest Jewish congregations in the world. She is the first woman to lead the synagogue in its 185-year history.

“It has been a very hard time for Jewish books,” she said to Dr. Beth Matusoff Merfish, who is the Director of the School of Art and Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Houston, explaining her job is “drawing people’s attention to the ways life is wondrous.”

Although her mother was Buddhist and her father was Jewish American, she was drawn to the idea of being a rabbi at age 16. Her book addresses her doubts about being accepted as a mixed-race woman as a rabbi, as well as challenging topics such as racism within Jewish culture, sexism as she rose in her profession, and the rising antisemitism that exists today.

Buchdahl has also been active in social justice issues, including making sure her place of employment allows for family leave for both genders as a matter of equity, as well as setting a precedent for more equitable parental engagement over the long term for both parents. “Historically, Jews are much more multiracial than we think,” she said.

In the most gripping moment of the evening, Buchdahl addressed contemporary antisemitism, and recalled the harrowing story of a gunman in Colleyville, Texas who called her when he threatened to commit acts of violence in a synagogue. He told her at the time, “I love death more than you love life.”

This is the 53rd year for the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book and Arts Festival, which highlights prominent Jewish authors and books with Jewish content. It is one of the largest literary events of its kind in the United States described as “inspired by Jewish values, folklore, and mysticism and conveying raw emotions of grief, fear, and resilience in the face of tragedy.”

The Jewish Book and Arts Festival runs through November 15 at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, 5601 Braeswood. For more information including tickets and event schedules, visit erjcchouston.org.

This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

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