By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Sarah Hurwitz, who was a speech writer for President Barak Obama and First Lady Michele Obama, was a secular, cultural Jew before she accidently discovered the beauty of her heritage. She wrote about that in her first book, “Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There),” which was a finalist for two National Jewish Book Awards and for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. When the book first came out, I decided against reviewing it. I don’t remember my specific reason, but it was probably something along the lines of “even I can’t read everything.” However, because she won those awards, I definitely wanted to read her new work, “As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us” (HarperOne), which looks at how Jews have internalized antisemitism. She offers personal and political viewpoints about how this happened, focusing on the need for all Jews to be educated about their religion and the past. 
Her discover of the beauty of Judaism came by accident: after a painful breakup, she was looking for a way to fill her time. When Hurwitz signed up for an “Introduction to Judaism” class, she didn’t expect it to change her life. In fact, she notes that she would have signed up for a cooking or art class if the e-mail she received had advertised those; she had definitely not been looking for religious direction. It’s clear that her previous Jewish education was definitely lacking: she had no idea that Judaism is supposed to inform not just our synagogue worship, but every part of our lives. The more Hurwitz studied, the more she realized that her Jewish identity had been molded by a Christian and Western culture that defined religion and identity very differently than did traditional Judaism. 
This means that, rather than dividing Jews into separate groups, she’s come to identify with all Jews, even the ones with whom she disagrees. In practical terms, she no longer identifies herself in American religious terms. For example, she learns to discount the mind/body dichotomy prevalent in Western culture, noting that both are considered important in the Torah. In fact, she seems intrigued by the numerous biblical rules about what the Israelites were allowed to eat and the type of clothing they were allowed to wear. What she realized is that Judaism does not fit in the category of religion as understood in Western culture, a culture by which she used to define herself. For example, she notes that this is “Judaism’s Western category problem: Jews do not fit into the primary categories – race, ethnicity, religion – that we often use to sort people today. Jews emerged long before these classifications, at a time when, as Rabbi Jay Michaelson notes, ‘nation, religion, tribe, and land were all imbricated together.’” 
Several chapters focus on the author’s search to discover why Judaism has been condemned in the Christian/Western world. Hurwitz begins with the early Christians’ condemnation of Judaism and then discusses how the Enlightenment created an additional problem by asking Jews to become members of a particular nation state, which forced them to conform to the mores of the country. She sees three themes emerging throughout history, which she refers to as “the lies about Jewish power, depravity, and conspiracy.” The author wonders how such a small group of people, comparatively speaking, are thought to be so powerful, for example, forming a conspiracy composed of Jewish capitalists and communists who secretly rule the world. 
Hurwitz sees Judaism as a positive experience, which means that, while there are important lessons to learn from the Holocaust, that event can’t be the basis of a meaningful Jewish identity. She does discuss Israel, noting its importance to the Jews, while also being willing to criticize the mistakes the country makes. What surprised her most when speaking on college campuses during the tour for her first book were the questions about antisemitism. Hurwitz doesn’t remember experiencing any during her time in school, but the students to whom she speaks find the world a scary place. Anyone or any group that is a Zionist or that supports Israel is shunned; for example, campus social justice groups refuse to partner events with college Hillels. 
Underlying Western society’s thoughts about Judaism are what she calls the conversion demand. She writes, “Convert and you will be saved. The cost seems worth it, until it doesn’t. And there is always a new conversion demand: become a Christian; become a German/Frenchman of the Mosaic persuasion; become an American on the street, one who just goes to a different church, and a Jew at home – and you will be saved. Until you aren’t.” After realizing this, Hurwitz acknowledges just how much she personally bought into this idea. In fact, she realizes how it easy it is to go along with these demands, but they never permanently work. Something will always happen that makes a Jew stand out as a Jew – stand out as different, stand out as someone who could/should be punished for the imaginary sins for which society condemns them. 
Hurwitz is inspired by the way that our ancestors manage to survive. She doesn’t believe we should blame ourselves for persecution: that is blaming the innocent for the harm done against them. She also doesn’t believe that God is punishing Jews for their sins. Instead, she focuses on the positive, the way that Jews “realized that while they don’t control their haters, they do control themselves, and they leaned into riches of our traditions, striving to be better human beings and live worthier lives. I like how generation after generation, they continued to build themselves arks.” According to Hurwitz, there will always be storms: the trick is knowing how to build that ark.
“As a Jew” is written for a general audience. The author notes that she is not an academic: she is seeking readers interested in learning more Judaism in practical terms. Her work is not a book of Jewish law and customs, though, or a guide to the holidays. It’s a story of her coming to understand and appreciate her Jewish identity and the way she had to unlearn the lessons society imposed on her. Hurwitz does an excellent job doing both. She encourages readers to learn more about Judaism, to come to an understanding of the religion that is “beyond bagels and Jewish mother jokes.” For those interested in this endeavor, her book is a worthwhile starting point, but only a starting point, something with which she would probably agree. It would also serve to create interesting discussions in book clubs and classes for teenagers and adults.