Sarah Hurwitz had spent nearly 15 years writing for some of the biggest names in politics, including working in the Obama White House for both President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
In the years since leaving the White House, Hurwitz has transitioned to writing books about Jewish identity, first in 2019 with Here All Along, and last year’s New York Times bestseller and National Jewish Book Award-winning As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us.
Hurwitz is speaking at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakota annual event on June 7. While on the road, she took time to email with TC Jewfolk to talk about her new book, finding meaning in Judaism, and the book’s place in a time of rising antisemitism.
TC Jewfolk: In As a Jew, you write about finding meaning and spiritual depth in Judaism after years in political life. What first sparked that shift for you personally?
Sarah Hurwitz: I grew up with the kind of Judaism that amounted to little more than four holidays and a handful of universalistic values – don’t lie/cheat/steal/kill, do help the poor, etc. I didn’t find it all that compelling, and after I became a bat mitzvah, I kind of walked away from it. But in my mid-thirties, after a painful breakup, I was looking for ways to fill my time, and I wound up taking an intro-to-Judaism class at the local JCC. I wasn’t on any kind of deep spiritual journey. I considered myself “just a cultural Jew” (though really, I was a contentless Jew, not a cultural Jew), and I figured I should learn more about my culture.
But in that class, I was absolutely blown away to discover texts that contained thousands of years of wisdom from millions of my ancestors about the human condition – how to be a good person, lead a worthy life, and find deep spiritual connection. I hadn’t seen any of this during those four holidays. I was hooked, and I took another intro class, and then read hundreds of books, took more classes, studied with rabbis, and eventually decided to write my own book, which was my first book, Here All Along.
TCJ: You’ve described the book as an attempt to articulate why Judaism still matters in modern life. What conversations or misconceptions were you hoping to respond to when you wrote it?
SH: That was more the topic of my first book. The topic of my second book, As a Jew, is my effort to understand how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity. I wanted to help people understand how 2,000 years of anti-Judaism and antisemitism has affected how people think about Jews and how we as Jews think about ourselves. There is a deep neural groove worn into the world’s psyche that depicts Jews as overwhelmingly powerful, diabolically depraved, and in a conspiracy to harm others – and we’re seeing those themes of power, depravity, and conspiracy all across the political spectrum today.
I also want Jews in America to understand the impact of growing up in a majority Christian country – how so many of us wind up thinking in Christian terms, images, and ideas, which seriously distorts our understanding of what Judaism is and who Jews are. For example, many of us think of Judaism as a religion, like Christianity. But that’s not true. I can reject every single aspect of Jewish religion right now, and I’m still a Jew. Jews are not simply members of a particular religion, we’re members of something that doesn’t have a category on a modern census form. We’re in the same category as the Hittites, Edomites, and Ammonites, but they’re long gone and we’re still here. We’re a tribe, family, peoplehood, civilization, etc. that has a religion.
I also really wanted Jews to understand the impact of more than two centuries of our totally understandable and very well-intentioned efforts to escape persecution by assimilating – by erasing ourselves and our tradition in the hope of being safe and accepted. This didn’t work in Europe in the 20th century and I don’t think it’s working in America today.
TCJ: Since the book came out, the Jewish world has experienced enormous upheaval and polarization. Has your understanding of the book’s message changed in light of recent events?
SH: Not really. If anything, as antisemitism continues to rise, the book’s message feels even more relevant, as does its content. In this book, I seek to help people understand the antisemitism they’re seeing today. Unfortunately, for many of us, our only antisemitism education is Holocaust education, so we think of antisemitism as Nazi, racial Jew-hatred. But that’s only one type of antisemitism. There is also the Islamist Jew-hatred of Hamas, ISIS, and al Qaeda, as well as Soviet anti-Zionist Jew hatred: slogans like ‘Zionism = Racism’ come straight from KGB propagandists. We’re seeing a lot of this kind of Jew hatred on college campuses today.
TCJ: Many readers know you from your years working in the Obama Administration. How did your time in politics shape the way you think about Jewish identity, community, and moral responsibility?
SH: I often saw the Jewish ideas I was studying reflected in the work I was doing during the Obama Administration. Take, for example, the most core Jewish idea that we’re all created in the Divine image. Rabbi Yitz Greenberg beautifully explains – drawing on ancient Jewish texts – that this means we each have three inalienable dignities: that we’re each infinitely worthy, you can’t put a value on a human life; that we’re all totally equal, no one is more or less valuable than anyone else; and that we’re each totally unique, there is no one else like us on this planet. I came to realize many of the speeches I was writing articulated those values. When Mrs. Obama spoke about global girls’ education, she was arguing that every single girl on the planet is infinitely worthy, that each one is equal in value to every other human being, and that each has a unique world of potential to offer.
TCJ: One of the themes in the book is the tension between universalism and particularism. Why do you think that balance feels especially challenging for Jews today?
SH: Over the past few years, with rising antisemitism on both the right and left, many Jews across the political spectrum have felt abandoned by communities they once felt were their allies and fellow-travelers, and I think they’re feeling more of a sense of particularism and Jewish peoplehood today. I think there’s a real sense of grief and loss that comes with that shift.
TCJ: You write about Judaism not simply as a religion, but as a framework for living. What aspects of Jewish practice or thought do you think are most overlooked by secular or culturally connected Jews?
SH: Sadly, I think that many Jews aren’t aware that one of the most important forms of Jewish spiritual practice is Jewish study. In Jewish tradition, studying really is considered a spiritual practice, not solely an intellectual one. I view it as an effort to hear the Divine voice echoing through the generations in the voices of my ancestors as I engage with their wisdom about every aspect of the human condition. So often Jews look to the self-help aisle or the “you do you” ethic of modern secular society for moral wisdom. But I think Jewish tradition offers something much deeper. If you’re a Jew who grew up like me such that your only points of connection with Judaism were four holidays, how would you even know that the tradition contains wisdom that’s relevant to your daily life? It breaks my heart that many Jews don’t even know their tradition contains this wisdom.
TCJ: What kinds of reactions to the book have surprised you most — either from Jewish readers or from non-Jewish audiences?
SH: I don’t think the reactions to this book have surprised me, but they have very much moved me. Many readers have told me that they felt like this book crystalized and clarified many of their nebulous anxieties and concerns – they’ve expressed gratitude that it helps them understand the deep history behind the antisemitism they’re seeing today, and it helps them much better understand their own Jewish identity. Many of them grew up like me with a kind of apologetic Jewish identity – always telling people “I’m Jewish, but I’m not really that Jewish” or “I’m just a cultural Jew.” This book helps them understand where that underlying urge to diminish, apologize for, and caveat their Jewish identity comes from. It helps people discern all the layers of internalized antisemitism that so many of us have so that we can see them clearly, strip them away, and turn back to our tradition with curiosity, reverence, and love.
I’ve also heard from a lot of readers who are not Jewish who are grateful for the education this book offers about antisemitism and Jewish identity. We have so many wonderful allies and fellow travelers out there, and I’m very grateful to every single one of them who took the time to read this book.
TCJ: This particular audience is probably not so disconnected to Jewish Life, but I’m sure in other venues, they may be; For those audiences who are disconnected, what do you hope they take away when you talk about the book?
SH: I hope they begin to understand some of the reasons why they might be disconnected from Jewish life – how antisemitic messages they’ve gotten about Jews may have distorted their own Jewish identity, and how Jews’ efforts to escape persecution by assimilating might have shaped the Judaism that we practice today in ways that make it less compelling. I hope they come away with both deep compassion for their ancestors who had to make excruciating sacrifices to survive and also with a desire to start engaging with Jewish life. I hope they get the sense from my book that this tradition has profound wisdom for how to be human that we desperately need right now – wisdom that can help us lead more connected, meaningful, loving, beautiful lives. And I hope they’ll hear my message that this tradition belongs to every single Jew, and there are endless different ways to engage deeply with it.
TCJ: Your book blends intellectual history, theology, and personal reflection. How did you approach writing for readers who may not have a strong background in Jewish learning?
SH: I always assume that my readers have zero Jewish background – I want my books to be accessible for Jews who haven’t had access to any Jewish education and for people of all backgrounds who are curious about Jewish tradition and identity.
TCJ: When you speak with Jewish communities around the country, what questions or anxieties do you hear most often right now, and how are those shaping your current thinking?
SH: I’m definitely hearing from a lot of people about the generational divide in the Jewish community around Israel. Many people are having trouble speaking with their children and grandchildren about Israel, so I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can bridge this divide and have better, more informed conversations.