Angela Buchdahl, the first Asian American rabbi ordained in the U.S., became national news in 2022, when she helped defuse a hostage situation at a synagogue. She spoke with PW about her memoir, In Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity and Belonging (Pamela Dorman Books, Oct.), in which she shares how she became a spiritual and religious leader and why looking for home is a universal experience.
What are the book’s themes?
The experience of feeling like a stranger is something that everyone has experienced at one time. Judaism gives us a beautiful blueprint for how that feeling can be a source of empathy, creativity, resilience, and, ultimately, of finding belonging and home. The Jewish journey, beginning with Abraham—leaving home to go to a place of uncertainty where we were strangers, and then, ultimately, finding a sense of home again—is also a way to characterize my story, and my family's stories, and actually the story of many people.
It's deeply important that we all feel that, when we're called to leave what feels familiar and safe, to go to a place of uncertainty and discomfort in order to realize our best selves and ultimately come to our true home.
Who is your primary audience?
I always intended this to be for a universal audience. I call myself a spiritual mutt, growing up with my Buddhist mother, my Jewish father, in a Christian setting, with an evangelical Christian minister as an aunt. This gave me many spiritual vocabularies, and I'm able to translate Judaism in a way that helps Jews and non-Jews appreciate it. The Abraham story is a shared text for all three Abrahamic religions, but even my Buddhist mother found resonance in the texts of the Jewish people.
I'd always wondered why most spirituality books that sell seem to come from a Buddhist perspective, and why there were not more of those books from a Jewish perspective. So while this book is a memoir, the memoir is in service of giving an entry point to my interpretation of Judaism as a wisdom tradition in a way that is accessible for the widest audience. I hope Jews will pick up the book and feel like they understand their Judaism a little bit more, that Christians and Muslims will find resonance in the biblical texts that I reference, and that people who have no faith at all will find, I hope, some spiritual wisdom from this ancient tradition.
How did your Buddhist mother influence your approach to spirituality?
She gave me a sense of spiritual longing, of the way that spirit resides in everything around me, and of how I could feel a sense of deeper connection and awe and wonder.
Does your book address some people's conflation of Judaism with Zionism?
This is a memoir and spiritual guidebook regarding Jewish teachings. My own Judaism has been deeply impacted by Israel, but I do not conflate Zionism with Judaism. I have spoken many times about Israel and about Judaism in my numerous sermons, and they are available online if that is someone’s chief interest. Heart of a Stranger has a very different focus.
The situation in Gaza is constantly in the news. What is your view on this?
It is tragic and upsetting. I am devastated by the thousands of innocent Palestinians who have been killed, who have lost their homes and are starving without enough food. And I despair that there are still hostages—almost two years in captivity—chained underground, without light, food, or water. I pray for the return of the hostages and an end to this war, and I support the long and hard work it will take to create a more peaceful life for everyone in the region.
All around the shrine of the temple there were prayers fastened, wherever there was a place for fastening them. On the left of the altar there was a large lattice, and this lattice had hundreds of prayers attached to it, some of them folded and others open. Several old men and women were leaning against this lattice, or squatted on the floor in front of it, engaged in selling prayers; and they appeared to be doing a thriving business. The boys bought some of these prayers to send home as curiosities; and they also bought some charms and beads, the latter not unlike those used by Catholics, and having a prominent place in the Japanese worship. Then there were votive tablets on the walls, generally in the form of pictures painted on paper or silk, or cut out of thin paper, like silhouettes. One of them represents a ship on the water in the midst of a storm, and is probably the offering of a merchant who had a marine venture that he wished to have the goddess take under her protection. Shoes and top-knots of men and women were among the offerings, and the most of them were labelled with the names of the donors. These valueless articles are never disturbed, but remain in their places for years, while costly treasures of silver or gold are generally removed in a few days to the private sanctuary of the goddess for fear of accidents. Even in a temple, all the visitors cannot be trusted to keep their hands in check. It is intimated that the priests are sometimes guilty of appropriating valuable things to their own use. But then what could you expect of a lot of heathens like the Japanese? Nothing of the kind could happen in a Christian land. ASCENT OF FUSIYAMA. ASCENT OF FUSIYAMA. "Well, be quick about it, and then stand clear; we don't want any woman hurt." The key rattled at the keyhole and then dropped to the floor. "You did that by intention! Give me that key!" He tried the lock. "We've jammed it, corporal, but another good kick will fetch it; now!"--Bang!--crash!--open flew the door. "I see," said Allingham, slowly, "it is because you are, so to speak, temporarily incapacitated, that you are able to come down to the level of our world." Her hand had shot out grasping for something to steady herself on--the whole world spun around her. She had given her whole passionate, tempestuous soul to this man; she had never dreamt that she could fail to gain his love. She had never failed before, she had only required to hold up her hand. . . . Balmayne came with his burden, which he flung in and covered with a rug. He pulled at the lever, and the great machine started, and then dragged, as if some great weight was hanging on behind. The gruff voice suggested diplomacy, and promised immediate assistance. The caller had only to lie low and the desired aid should be on hand immediately. With a sense of pride and exultation Leona Lalage hung up the receiver and made her way to the dining-room. Professor Noyons took me all over the hospital, and if I should describe all I saw and heard there, that story alone would fill volumes. He took me, for example, to a boy of eight years old, whose shoulder was shattered by rifle-shots. His father and140 mother, four little brothers and a sister, had been murdered. The boy himself was saved because they thought that he was dead, whereas he was only unconscious. When I asked for his parents, brothers and sister, he put up his one hand and, counting by his little fingers, he mentioned their names. The baboo who has lost caste and been half-civilized in the Anglo-Indian colleges, is always the middleman between the Government and the poor; and he, barefaced and with no pretence of concealment, took twenty per cent. of the wages he was supposed to pay the labourers. And there were none but baboos to superintend the poorhouses and the famine-camps. It is said that during the previous famine some made fortunes of six to eight lacs of rupees (the lac is ￡10,000). But presently she stood up to go away, and her eyes caught the lowering, glazed ones of the Indian. Half involuntarily she made a motion of striking with a knife. Neither the doctor nor the steward caught it, but he did, and showed by a sudden start that he understood. Carthagena was strongly fortified, and the garrison was reinforced by the crews of a squadron lying there under Don Blas de Leon. If the place was to be assaulted, it should have been done at once; but Vernon lay perfectly inactive for five days, as if to allow the enemy to make all his preparations for defence. Notwithstanding this, the brave English erected a battery on shore, and played so effectually on the principal fort, that they soon made a breach in it, whilst the fleet fired into the harbour, thus dividing the attention of the enemy. In spite of their advantages, the Spaniards abandoned their forts and batteries, the English entered the breach, the vessels in the harbour were destroyed, and the passage cleared so that the fleet could sail in and support the army. There appeared nothing capable of preventing the conquest of the town but the cabals of the two commanders. Lord Cathcart had caught the endemic fever and died, and was succeeded by General Wentworth in command of the land forces. Wentworth had a great contempt of Vernon, and Vernon was by no means well disposed towards Wentworth. The fleet having entered the harbour, the land forces were all disembarked, and posted within a mile of Carthagena; but there the success stopped. Vernon had written home his dispatches to the Duke of Newcastle saying, "The wonderful success of this evening and night is so astounding, that we cannot but cry out, 'It is the Lord's doing, and it seems marvellous in our eyes!'" The Deacon was astonished, but in obedience to a gesture from the Provost, left the line, and came up. "Here," said the Chief Clerk, handing Shorty an official envelope, when the latter returned from having his chevrons sewed on. "Take this down to Col. Billings. Mind you do it in proper style. Don't get to sassing old Billings. Stick the envelope in your belt, walk into the office, take the position of a soldier, salute, and hand him the envelope, saying, 'With the compliments of the General,' salute again, about-face, and walk out." Another voice immediately spoke up in command: "Steady, men! Keep cool! Fire low, and give it to the blue-bellied scoundrels!" "That old-time religion." But Reuben hardly enjoyed his position as a hero. He succeeded in breaking free from the crowd, now beginning to busy itself once more with Mexico Bill, who was showing signs of returning consciousness, and plunged into the mists that spread their frost-smelling curds over the lower slopes of Boarzell. On the second day after Holgrave had become a bondman, he was summoned by an order from Calverley to go to labour for his lord. His heart swelled as he sullenly obeyed the mandate, and Margaret trembled as she saw him depart. She looked anxiously for the close of the day; and, when she saw her husband enter with some vegetables and grain that had been apportioned to him for his day's toil, her heart was glad. It was true that the gloom on his brow seemed increased, and that he threw down his load, and sat for several minutes without speaking,—but she cared not for his silence as she saw him return in safety. "I think," said Sir Robert Knowles, who saw that it was only under the influence of strong feeling that Holgrave could at present be a match for Oakley—"I think it would be better that this retainer accept the vintner's challenge; and should he worst him, then he and Holgrave can settle their quarrel, when a few days shall have given him more strength." This, despite of Holgrave's assurances that his strength was undiminished, was decided upon, and the galleyman and Oakley were directed to hold themselves in readiness to try the strength of their weapons on the morrow. They were then ordered to withdraw—Oakley and the galleyman to be lodged that night in the retainers' court, and Holgrave to tell over all he felt to the affectionate Margaret, who, for the present, at Isabella's request, was to occupy an apartment in the castle. HoME日本道一区二区免费一级毛片
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