The Mandel JCC of the Palm Beaches recently welcomed Rabbi Angela Buchdahl as the featured guest for the season kickoff of its Celebrating Sisterhood series. The sold-out event brought together more than 300 community members from across the Palm Beaches for a morning celebration of connection and Jewish learning.
Rabbi Buchdahl presented her newly released memoir, Heart of a Stranger, during an engaging conversation with community leader Susan Shulman Pertnoy. The discussion highlighted themes of identity, belonging, and spiritual purpose while inviting attendees to reflect on their own journeys within Jewish life.
Rabbi Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as both a rabbi and a cantor. Born in Korea to a Korean Buddhist mother and a Jewish American father, she shares in her memoir the story of navigating doubt and discovery as she forged her path into Jewish leadership. Her book traces her experiences from childhood to Yale University and through her rabbinical and cantorial training, culminating in her role as the senior rabbi of one of the largest congregations in the world. Heart of a Stranger blend’s personal narrative with spiritual guidance and offers a message of faith and responsibility to one another.
The morning reflected the heart of the Celebrating Sisterhood series, which is designed to unite women through meaningful experiences that uplift, inspire, and strengthen community bonds. Attendees shared in thoughtful dialogue and connected over Rabbi Buchdahl’s powerful story and the universal themes that it illuminates.
Photo credit: Coastal Click Photography
