Podcast Summary: "In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch"
Guest: Sarah Hurwitz
Date: October 23, 2025
Host: Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue
Overview
This episode features Sarah Hurwitz, acclaimed author and former White House senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. After leaving government, Hurwitz rediscovered her Jewish heritage, an experience that profoundly informed her writing—most notably her two books: Here All Along and her newest, As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us. The conversation delves deeply into Jewish identity in modern America, challenges of assimilation, the rise of antisemitism, the importance of Jewish education and literacy, and the role of synagogues in contemporary Jewish life.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Hurwitz’s Transition from Politics to Jewish Engagement
-
Speechwriting Journey (02:01–03:31):
- Hurwitz describes her unintentional entry into political speechwriting, beginning with an internship for Vice President Al Gore in 1998 and working through several presidential campaigns.
- She emphasizes collaboration in speechwriting, especially when crafting speeches for Michelle Obama:
"When you write for people who are as amazing as she is, she's someone who knows who she is and knows what she wants to say. ... So, you know, a lot of the work of being a speechwriter for someone like that is really more of a partner. It's really more of a collaboration." —Sarah Hurwitz (04:37)
-
On Writing (03:00–03:58):
- Hurwitz admits she finds writing "tedious and hard," despite being known for her eloquence:
"I actually don't really love writing, believe it or not. I find it very hard and stressful." (03:00)
- Hurwitz admits she finds writing "tedious and hard," despite being known for her eloquence:
Rediscovery of Judaism and Motivation Behind Her Books
- Motivation for Writing About Judaism (06:25–10:53):
- Hurwitz grew up with what she calls "three boring holidays and one fun one, Hanukkah," a thin sense of Judaism.
- A turning point came in her mid-30s after a difficult breakup led her to sign up, almost by accident, for an Intro to Judaism class:
"There really was not a lot of thought. It was like, oh, I'm a cultural Jew. Maybe I'll learn about my culture. ... I had very low expectations, but what I found was pretty extraordinary." (11:33)
- Hurwitz’s second book was partly driven by two new experiences:
- Hospital Chaplaincy: She noticed how Christian the default language and assumptions were, even in supposedly "interfaith" contexts, which led her to question the infiltration of Christian frameworks into American Jewish life.
- Rising Antisemitism: Encounters with Jewish students in college highlighted new, deeply-felt experiences of antisemitism and identity crises among young Jews.
The Weight of Jewish History, Antisemitism, and Internalized Narratives
- Assimilation, Identity, and Internalized Antisemitism (14:36–19:55):
- Hurwitz discusses her realization that she had internalized antisemitic tropes—dismissing her tradition based on limited knowledge and societal attitudes.
- She explains how old antisemitic narratives—both religious and racial—morph to fit new eras, now focusing on national identity ("the Jews’ nation").
"Anti-Semitism gets upgrades... The medieval Christian clergyman didn't think he was a bigot... The 19th-century European scholar had science... Today, no one is going to say, in polite circles, the Jews killed Jesus. ... But they will say that, you know, Israel is a colonial, genocidal, apartheid state." (17:19)
Critique and Possibilities for Jewish Education
-
Hebrew School and The Challenge of Parental Involvement (21:05–24:17):
- Hurwitz defends Hebrew school educators, arguing that education must begin at home.
"It is not the job of a Hebrew school teacher or a rabbi to make someone's kid Jewish in two hours a week. It's not possible. ... It is the job of parents to raise Jewish children." (21:05)
- She describes her own journey as "growing up as a Jew" only as an adult, advocating substantive engagement—reading, classes, real study.
- Hurwitz defends Hebrew school educators, arguing that education must begin at home.
-
The Broken Model: Knowledge Across Generations (24:17–26:19):
- The expectation, drawn from the Passover Seder, has been that parents can teach their children. Today, many parents lack the knowledge themselves.
"[Now] we have a generation of parents who don't know enough Judaism to teach their kids." —Rabbi Hirsch (25:00)
- The expectation, drawn from the Passover Seder, has been that parents can teach their children. Today, many parents lack the knowledge themselves.
Pathways to Adult Jewish Identity, Engagement, and Spirituality
-
Practical Steps for Jewish Growth (26:19–29:29):
- Hurwitz urges taking intro classes and reading foundational books to provide a "contour" of Jewish knowledge and encourage further exploration in areas that resonate individually:
"If Shabbat just seems so cool to you, go there, go deeply, practice Shabbat. ... If you like arguing and studying law, amazing. Do that. But get the basics and then start learning more deeply in whatever area really excites you." (26:19)
- Hurwitz urges taking intro classes and reading foundational books to provide a "contour" of Jewish knowledge and encourage further exploration in areas that resonate individually:
-
The Role of Synagogues (29:29–33:02):
- Hurwitz suggests synagogues could better use high-attendance moments (e.g., High Holidays) to provide accessible exposure to Jewish wisdom, not just liturgy.
"Maybe could some of that time be used for education? ... If this excites you, here are some next steps. Here's a class we're going to do as a community." (30:40)
- Hurwitz suggests synagogues could better use high-attendance moments (e.g., High Holidays) to provide accessible exposure to Jewish wisdom, not just liturgy.
-
Jewish Notions of the Divine (34:30–37:08):
- For the spiritually alienated, she explains that Judaism allows for many ways to conceive of God—not just an interventionist being:
"In Jewish tradition, we really have a fundamental humility when it comes to the divine. ... To say things like 'God wants X or God thinks Y' is almost to create an idol, right? It's to shrink God to the proportions that our tiny little human brain can comprehend." (34:30)
- For the spiritually alienated, she explains that Judaism allows for many ways to conceive of God—not just an interventionist being:
On the State of the Jewish Community and the Challenge of Antisemitism
- Building Jewish Life Amid Challenges (37:20–40:05):
- Hurwitz stresses that the Jewish community should focus on "building an ark"—deepening learning, creating new community spaces, and embracing Jewish difference, rather than fruitlessly trying to control how billions of others view Jews.
"There are 16 million of us... and 8 billion others in the world. This idea that we as Jews are going to control what billions of people think, I'm not sure that that's true." (37:20)
- Her closing advice for young Jews experiencing exclusion: form your own communities—echoing historical Jewish resilience.
- Hurwitz stresses that the Jewish community should focus on "building an ark"—deepening learning, creating new community spaces, and embracing Jewish difference, rather than fruitlessly trying to control how billions of others view Jews.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the collaborative nature of speechwriting:
"When they go low, we go high... actually she [Michelle Obama] came up with it. All I did was just type it into the speech." —Sarah Hurwitz (04:37)
-
On humility before Jewish tradition:
"I would never disrespect someone else's background like that, ever. Yet I was just so comfortable doing it to my own, dismissing, just assuming nothing was there, proudly going around, kind of trashing it, because I could." —Sarah Hurwitz (14:36)
-
On educational priorities:
"Read a handful of Intro to Judaism books just to get the contours... then dive into whatever lights your fire." —Sarah Hurwitz (26:19)
-
On community response to antisemitism:
"If they kick you out of their clubs, then start your own club... and you make it welcoming to everyone of every background and belief." —Sarah Hurwitz (37:20)
-
Rabbi Hirsch to Jewish youth:
"Do not follow some Jews off the cliff of Jewish life. There will be no Jewish future for you if you separate yourself from the mainstream of our people... Stand up for yourselves and stand up for our community. Be proud Jews." —Rabbi Ammi Hirsch (40:33)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 02:01 — Hurwitz’s entry into political speechwriting
- 06:25 — Motivation and themes for Hurwitz’s two books on Judaism
- 11:33 — The life event that led Hurwitz to re-engage with Judaism
- 14:36 — Realization of internalized antisemitism
- 17:19 — Analysis of antisemitism's enduring, mutating forms
- 21:05 — The real challenge of Jewish education: begins at home
- 24:17 — The generational rupture in Jewish literacy and identity
- 26:19 — Advice: how to "grow up" as a Jew
- 30:40 — Rethinking the synagogue experience
- 34:30 — Spirituality and Jewish concepts of God
- 37:20 — Vision for the Jewish community: building resilient Jewish spaces
- 40:33 — Rabbi Hirsch’s closing exhortation to young Jews
Conclusion
Hurwitz’s journey—from high-powered politics to deep Jewish learning—frames a wider conversation about American Jewish identity, the challenge of antisemitism, and the revival of substantive, knowledge-based Judaism. Both she and Rabbi Hirsch stress empowerment, resilience, and self-education, encouraging both individual Jews and community institutions to lean into their difference, embrace tradition with critical curiosity, and build strong, welcoming communities in the face of contemporary challenges.
Recommended for listeners seeking insight on Jewish identity formation, the future of American Jewish life, and principled engagement with tradition in turbulent times.