Central Synagogue is a thriving Reform congregation in Midtown Manhattan, serving 2,300 families and the larger community.
Dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as New York’s first “mega-shul,” Central Synagogue is one of the largest Jewish congregations in North America and the oldest synagogue in New York City in continuous use.
Every Friday evening, more than 500 people join us for Shabbat worship in our breathtaking Main Sanctuary (a National Landmark) and more than 100 virtual visitors join via live streaming.
Our Religious School and Early Childhood Center play an integral role in the Jewish learning of more than 800 of our children.
We are members of:
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)
Comprised of nearly 900 Reform congregations in North America.
The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ)
Representing liberal, progressive, and Reform Jewish communities on every continent.
We support:
ARZA (The Reform Israel Fund)
The largest supporter of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) and the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC).
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC)
The Reform Movement’s hub for social justice and advocacy in Washington, DC.
- Angela W. Buchdahl
- Senior Rabbi
clergy@censyn.org
(212) 838-5122 Ext. 1000
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl serves as the senior rabbi of Central Synagogue in New York City, the first woman to lead the large Reform congregation in its 175-year history. Rabbi Buchdahl first joined Central Synagogue as senior cantor in 2006. In 2014, she was chosen by the congregation to be senior rabbi.
Rabbi Buchdahl was invested as a cantor in 1999 and also ordained as a rabbi in 2001 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York where she was a Wexner Graduate fellow. She earned a B.A. in Religious Studies from Yale University in 1994. Born in Korea to a Jewish American father and a Korean Buddhist mother, Rabbi Buchdahl is the first Asian American to be ordained as cantor or rabbi in North America. Prior to her service at Central Synagogue, Rabbi Buchdahl served as associate rabbi/cantor at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, N.Y.
Rabbi Buchdahl has been nationally recognized for her innovations in leading worship, which draw large crowds both in the congregation’s historic Main Sanctuary and via live stream and cable broadcast to viewers in more than 100 countries.
Rabbi Buchdahl has been featured in dozens of news outlets including the Today Show, NPR, PBS and was listed as one of Newsweek’s “America’s 50 Most Influential Rabbis.” She serves on the boards of Auburn Theological Seminary, Avodah Jewish Service Corps, and the UJA-Federation of NY.
Rabbi Buchdahl and her husband Jacob Buchdahl have three children.
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