Sarah Hurwitz: Chosen for Responsibility, Judaism, Israel, and the Battle Over the Jewish Story

Former Michelle Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz joins us to explore the world of Jewish wisdom she discovered beyond ethnic jokes, bagels, and a vague sense of guilt. She shares how her culturally Jewish upbringing transformed into a deeply learned, joyful identity—and why real Jewish study is essential if we want to withstand modern antisemitism.

We trace how 2,000 years of Christian anti-Judaism, Nazi antisemitism, and Soviet anti-Zionism have been funneled into today’s leftist campus ideologies—shaping the anti-Israel narratives dominating universities, media, and movements on both the far left and far right. Most people don’t even realize they’re repeating propaganda from the soviets and nazis.

We also cover the idea that every human being is created in the image of God shaped democracy and human rights, and why “the chosen people” is wildly misunderstood, it’s a burden of responsibility, not a claim of superiority. Sarah also explains Judaism as a living, evolving interpretive tradition (hello, 2,500 years of commentary and argument), why dissent and chavruta-style debate are sacred.

Sarah ends on a surprisingly hopeful note - so listen in to hear her message.

• 06:30 — Judaism as wisdom, not just religion or holidays
• 09:00 — Why antisemitism keeps reinventing itself
• 12:30 — Image of God, equality & the Jewish roots of democracy
• 15:00 — The title As a Jew and reclaiming identity without apology
• 18:00 — Internalized antisemitism & the “cultural Jew” problem
• 21:30 — What Jews actually are: peoplehood, tribe, civilization
• 24:00 — Campus antisemitism
• 27:30 — Israel, refugees & dismantling the “original sin” myth
• 31:00 — Zionism explained (without the hysteria)
• 34:30 — Qatar, ideology, and what’s shaping academia
• 37:00 — Michelle Obama, “silence,” and the problem with performative activism
• 40:00 — Chosenness redefined: responsibility, not superiority
• 43:00 — Jewish law evolves: debate, dissent & chavruta
• 46:00 — How observant is Sarah now? 
• 48:30 — What gives Sarah hope for Jews in 2025
• 51:00 — Jewish spirituality, bodies, death rituals & chaplaincy
• 54:00 — Parting wisdom: why Jewish learning is the antidote

Topics Discussed:

• The history of Israel’s founding: land purchased at inflated prices, UN partition, war, refugees on all sides and why Israel is not founded on some unique “original sin”
• Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and why Palestinians are treated as a unique, multi-generational refugee category in a way that has harmed both Palestinians and Israelis.
• Qatar’s influence and money in U.S. universities and how that has influenced academic discourse on Israel.
• Why Sarah, as a proud Zionist and proud American, rejects the idea that Jews can’t be loyal Americans.
• What “chosenness” really means in Jewish tradition (spoiler: not racial superiority)
• The Jewish idea that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God) and how that idea helped shape the moral core of American democracy
• How chavruta (study partnership) and argument “for the sake of heaven” sharpens thinking and deepens truth—illustrated live in Polina, Yelena, and Sarah’s back-and-forth
• What's next for Sarah

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If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these conversations:

• Our previous podcast with Sarah discussing her first book, Here All Along
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• Sophia Khalifa, Bedouin Muslim Israeli Engineer Shares Why She Became an Acivitist for Israel
• Dumisani Washinton, Pastor, CEO and Author of Zionism and the Black Church
• Soviet Anti-Semitism with Izabala Tabarosky,
•  Erin Molan Fearless Reporter and Advocate for Humanity