As a Jew

Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us

Sarah Hurwitz

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Hardback

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English

HarperOne
23 October 2025

Biography: general; Memoirs; Judaism: life & practice; Gender studies: women; Jewish studies

New York Times Bestseller

An urgent exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity and how Jews can reclaim their tradition, by the celebrated White House speechwriter and author of the critically acclaimed Here All Along.

At thirty-six, Sarah Hurwitz was a typical lapsed Jew. On a whim, she attended an introduction to Judaism class and was astonished by what she discovered: thousands of years of wisdom from her ancestors about what it means to be human. That class sparked a journey of discovery that transformed her life.

Years later, as Hurwitz wrestled with what it means to be Jewish at a time of rising antisemitism, she wondered: Where had the Judaism she discovered as an adult been all her life Why hadn’t she seen the beauty and depth of her tradition in those dull synagogue services and Hebrew school classes she’d endured as a kid And why had her Jewish identity consisted of a series of caveats and apologies: I’m Jewish, but not that Jewish . . . I’m just a cultural Jew . . . I’m just like everyone else but with a fun ethnic twist—a dash of neurosis, a touch of gallows humor—a little different, but not in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable.

Seeking answers, she went back through time to discover how hateful myths about Jewish power, depravity, and conspiracy have worn a neural groove deep into the world’s psyche, shaping not just how others think about Jews, but how Jews think about themselves. She soon realized that the Jewish identity she’d thought was freely chosen was actually the result of thousands of years of antisemitism and two centuries of Jews erasing parts of themselves and their tradition in the hope of being accepted and safe.

In As a Jew, Hurwitz documents her quest to take back her Jewish identity, how she stripped away the layers of antisemitic lies that made her recoil from her own birthright and unearthed the treasures of Jewish tradition. With antisemitism raging worldwide, Hurwitz’s defiant account of reclaiming the Jewish story and learning to live as a Jew, without apology, has never been timelier or more necessary.

INCLUDED IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE.

By: Sarah Hurwitz
Imprint: HarperOne
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 438g
ISBN: 9780063374973
ISBN 10: 0063374978
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 23 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

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.

Reviews for As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us

""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