Join us at the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival November 2 – 15, 2025.

Inspiring and entertaining, the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival annually delivers a variety of opportunities for the community to learn and experience Jewish literary, culture and the arts. The Book Festival is one of the largest events of its kind in the U.S., attracting established and emerging writers from around the world, representing a myriad of themes and drawing a large and varied audience.

This opening night event is sponsored in part by Congregation Brith Shalom.

THIS EVENT:
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl  
Heart of a Stranger: An Unlikely Rabbi’s Story of Faith, Identity, and Belonging 
In conversation with Beth Merfish, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Art History and Director of the School of Art at the University of Houston and Inaugural Chair of Houston Women’s Commission 
Sunday, November 2 | 7:00 PM | Oshman Gymnasium at the J
Tickets:
Member Book Bundle + Ticket: $36
Public Book Bundle + Ticket: $41

Born in Seoul to a Korean Buddhist mother and a Jewish American father, Buchdahl was drawn to faith at a young age. The first Asian American ordained as a rabbi, she overcame negativity and her own self-doubt to make her way from Yale to rabbinical school to the pulpit of New York City’s Central Synagogue. In 2011, she was named one of America’s Most Influential Rabbis and her honest, intimate book is both memoir and spiritual guide for anyone who seeks deeper meaning in their life.  

The Oshman Gymnasium will have reserved seating for Patrons of the Arts; the rest of the venue will be open seating. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.

 Rabbi Buchdahl will not be available after the program for an in-person book signing.  

Tickets for Angela Buchdahl are only available to purchase with our new Book Bundle + Ticket option. What does this mean for you? One transaction gets you both the book and ticket for the program.

Patron Sponsors: 
Christine and Mark Laskin; Jeri and Marc Shapiro; Mitzi Shure and Jerry Wische 

Community Partners:
ADL Southwest; American Jewish Committee -AJC Houston; Congregation Brith Shalom; Congregation Emanu El; Program in Jewish Studies at Rice University; West Houston Lodge of B'nai B'rith