As a Jew

“Beautifully written and brilliantly argued, As a Jew is that rare book that defines an historical moment. The American Jewish awakening is upon us, and Sarah Hurwitz is its prophet.” — Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, author of New York Times bestseller Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor“This book explains antisemitism and the danger it poses—not just to Jews, but to all of us. It also reveals the breathtaking history and resilience of the Jewish people and the beauty of Jewish tradition.” — Van Jones, CNN Host and New York Times bestselling author”A love letter to a religious and cultural inheritance, written without apology but with humility and care.” — Kirkus Reviews“This is the most important book I’ve read this year, and it’s not even close. Sarah Hurwitz writes with warmth, wisdom, and wit, and she answers questions I’ve been asking all my life.”  — Susan Cain, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet and Bittersweet and host of The Quiet Life on Substack“If you want to understand the situation American Jews find themselves in right now—not just the bewildering hatred, but the many internal and external forces preventing us from understanding it—stop whatever you’re doing and read this book.” — Dara Horn, author of People Love Dead Jews“Once again Sarah Hurwitz offers readers a moving and challenging insight into what it means to be a Jew today. Written with brutal honesty, it makes one laugh, cry, and, most importantly, think.”  — Deborah E. Lipstadt, ambassador (ret.), Distinguished University Professor, Emory University, and author of Antisemitism: Here and Now“The way that Sarah Hurwitz thinks and writes about Judaism provides a kinetic roadmap to the reclamation of the Judaism we should want, eschewing the flimsy stuff in favor of a more textured identity worth examining and embracing.” — Alex Edelman, Emmy and Tony Award–winning comedian and writer“Sarah Hurwitz brilliantly combines the very Jewish qualities of honest self-examination, wry humor, and deep historical scholarship to deconstruct the careless, toxic melding of antisemitism and anti-Zionism.” — David Axelrod, author of New York Times bestseller Believer and former senior advisor to President Barack Obama“Please read this extraordinarily significant book in which Sarah Hurwitz takes an unflinching look at how antisemitism has affected Jewish identity; reminds us that while antisemites start with Jews, they never end with Jews; and offers a way forward for the Jewish future.” — Joseph Telushkin, author of Jewish Literacy and coauthor, with Dennis Prager, of Why the Jews? the Reason for Antisemitism, the Most Accurate Predictor of Human Evil

Sarah Hurwitz served as a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. She was the chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign.