Korean American rabbi suggests Shabbat to solve Korea's low birthrate

Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue in New York, speaks during a press conference organized by Yoido Full Gospel Church at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido, Tuesday. Yonhap

Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue in New York, shared her experiences as a Korean Jew during her visit to Korea, saying it has been always a struggle questioning her identity in the United States.

She sometimes felt like she was “only half Korean, or maybe not really Korean” in Korea, yet clearly identifies as Korean in the U.S.

As the daughter of a Buddhist Korean mother and a Jewish father, Buchdahl also faced doubts about her Jewish identity while growing up.

“I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. And then when I got into the Jewish community, in the Jewish religion — your citizenship or your identity is traced through your mother — and I have a Buddhist Korean mother. So I would often be told in the Jewish community, 'You're only half Jewish' or 'You're not really Jewish.' So there was a struggle all the time,” the 52-year-old rabbi said during a press conference organized by Yoido Full Gospel Church at the Conrad Seoul hotel in Yeouido, Tuesday.

Buchdahl was born in Seoul, but moved to Tacoma, Washington, at age five. After graduating from Yale University with a degree in religious studies in 1994, she ascended to the position of senior rabbi at the Central Synagogue in New York, one of the world's three largest synagogues, in 2014. She made headlines for breaking religious glass ceilings and social barriers as an Asian American woman. That same year, she was invited by then-U.S. President Barack Obama to pray at the White House.

Angela Buchdahl, left, senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue in New York, speaks during a press conference organized by Yoido Full Gospel Church at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Tuesday. Yonhap

However, her parents instilled a strong sense of belonging in her for two seemingly different identities.

“I was very fortunate that my parents made me understand that I was fully Korean, and fully Jewish, and I could inhabit all of those worlds at one time. So this is a powerful bringing together of two cultures that I've learned from my whole life. And I always grew up feeling that these two cultures shared a lot in common,” she said.

With her parents present, Buchdahl, who is also a cantor, sang the Korean folk song "Arirang" with a guitar during the event.

Tackling low birthrate

Buchdahl expressed deep concern over the low birthrate of Korea, a country she partly identifies with, contrasting it with the Jewish total fertility rate, which is close to 3.

"I think it is not just about how expensive it is to have a child or how hard all Koreans were. But it's a reminder that when you say that family values are important, you actually have to really make the time for that every week," she said.

One of the factors that has contributed to Jews having many children is the Shabbat culture, according to her, as the weekly tradition in Israel strengthens family bonds and may contribute to Israel's high birthrate.

"It's usually the mother that makes the meal, that's still traditional. But the husband will say this prayer from the Proverbs called Aisha Kyle, a woman of valor, and he will glorify the mother of the house and say 'You are like a queen,'" she said. "And the children, they get to feel like they are princes and princesses, because on Shabbat, everyone is perfect just as they are. Imagine that you feel that once a week, every week, the sense that you are coming together with your family."

Her own family tradition of Shabbat includes not using electronics, not watching TV and avoiding phone use, choosing instead to spend time together, telling stories, playing games and reading books on the couch.

Angela Buchdahl, senior rabbi of the Central Synagogue in New York, gives a keynote speech during the opening ceremony for the Israel Education Research Center at Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Tuesday. Courtesy of Israeli Embassy in Korea.

She also attended the opening ceremony of the Israel Education Research Center at Seoul National University, Tuesday.

"Both countries can learn tremendously from each other. So I think the promise, the potential of this Israel Research Center is that this will be the hub in Korea for the bridge between Koreans and Israelis, for us to share information, for us to learn from each other, for us to build this bridge," she said.

"In many ways, this might be one of the most important things that I feel like I can do in my role as a Korean rabbi. And I am the first Korean, the first Asian American to become a rabbi ever in North America. So (the opening of the research center) has been something that felt incredibly special to me when I first heard about it, and I plan to be deeply involved with it from here going on."

Regarding the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Buchdahl believes that Palestinians have the right to live in dignity and safety in their country and that they're not going anywhere, but stressed the war is against Hamas, not the Palestinian people as a whole.

"Israel is in conflict with Hamas, not with all Palestinian people. I think Hamas is dangerous, not just for Israeli Jews, but also actually dangerous for Palestinian people as well. So my prayer is that Hamas is no longer able to harm anyone. And that I really hope that the war ends soon," she said.