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As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us – A Defiant Memoir of Heritage, Identity, and Antisemitism
New York Times BestsellerNatan Notable Book Award WinnerRabbi Sacks Book Prize FinalistINCLUDED IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDECHOSEN AS PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST BOOKS OF 2025, RELIGION.
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 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2025
376 people are currently reading
1204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
November 26, 2025
Sarah writes with heart. I had the pleasure of spending time with her and her passion came through in spades.
This is her latest book.
This is her latest book.
September 13, 2025
This book should be required reading for everyone.
Sarah Hurwitz shares her personal journey as a Jew who grew up a lot like I did: we went to hebrew school, memorized some prayers, attended some services, didn’t know what anything meant, had a bat mitzvah, and that was that. We celebrated the big holidays, and we grew up in neighborhoods with enough Jews that we never felt othered. We also grew up in a sort of golden time in America where we personally did not feel the effects of antisemitism.
Of course, a lot has changed over here and Sarah, who has been studying Jewish texts after rediscovering Judaism at age 36, seeked to understand why. Why are Jews persecuted everywhere they go, since ancient times? What exactly happened to cause the diaspora? Why, in all aspects of antisemitism around the globe, does it always come back to these three same tropes (power depravity, conspiracy), and where did those come from? How did Israel really get formed? Why do Jews argue over such specific scenarios in the Talmud over how to be a decent person? And what happens if we find ourselves, once again, with no place to go?
Sarah did so much research and cites countless sources throughout. Some of this information I knew, but a lot was new to me and incredibly eye-opening. I urge everyone to read this book. You will get a history lesson, a memoir, an education, and insight into a situation that is not nearly as black-and-white as many make it seem.
She also inspired me to take action within my own local Jewish community and my commitment to learning Jewish texts. I take greater notice and feel awe of the room all reciting the same prayers knowing our ancestors have been reciting them for more than 5,000 years. I no longer take for granted the sheer miracle of the large group of Jews around me still existing, still a community. I feel a greater responsibility to myself and my family to make sure my son grows up knowing about Judaism what no one ever told me.
Sarah also weaves in her chaplaincy training and experiences throughout, which creates a beautiful narrative thread.
The book is certainly depressing at many times, but Sarah does a great job at making it hopeful as well. Because if there is one thing Jews do, it is go on.
I am looking forward to reading her previous book, Here All Along.
Thank you HarperOne and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Sarah Hurwitz shares her personal journey as a Jew who grew up a lot like I did: we went to hebrew school, memorized some prayers, attended some services, didn’t know what anything meant, had a bat mitzvah, and that was that. We celebrated the big holidays, and we grew up in neighborhoods with enough Jews that we never felt othered. We also grew up in a sort of golden time in America where we personally did not feel the effects of antisemitism.
Of course, a lot has changed over here and Sarah, who has been studying Jewish texts after rediscovering Judaism at age 36, seeked to understand why. Why are Jews persecuted everywhere they go, since ancient times? What exactly happened to cause the diaspora? Why, in all aspects of antisemitism around the globe, does it always come back to these three same tropes (power depravity, conspiracy), and where did those come from? How did Israel really get formed? Why do Jews argue over such specific scenarios in the Talmud over how to be a decent person? And what happens if we find ourselves, once again, with no place to go?
Sarah did so much research and cites countless sources throughout. Some of this information I knew, but a lot was new to me and incredibly eye-opening. I urge everyone to read this book. You will get a history lesson, a memoir, an education, and insight into a situation that is not nearly as black-and-white as many make it seem.
She also inspired me to take action within my own local Jewish community and my commitment to learning Jewish texts. I take greater notice and feel awe of the room all reciting the same prayers knowing our ancestors have been reciting them for more than 5,000 years. I no longer take for granted the sheer miracle of the large group of Jews around me still existing, still a community. I feel a greater responsibility to myself and my family to make sure my son grows up knowing about Judaism what no one ever told me.
Sarah also weaves in her chaplaincy training and experiences throughout, which creates a beautiful narrative thread.
The book is certainly depressing at many times, but Sarah does a great job at making it hopeful as well. Because if there is one thing Jews do, it is go on.
I am looking forward to reading her previous book, Here All Along.
Thank you HarperOne and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
September 8, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperOne for providing me with an audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I hadn’t heard of Sarah Hurwitz before, but when I saw the full title of this book, I needed to get my hands on it. Fortunately, I got approved for an audiobook copy of this, and it was a deceptively fast read. I am a sucker for nonfiction writers narrating their own books—it gives it a more personal feel in my opinion.
To start with, Hurwitz gives us a little background on her Jewishness, and everyone goes through their own process. Mine happened to be kind of similar to her own, where the cultural aspects of Judaism played a bigger role than the religious or spiritual aspects. I was fortunate to grow up with a father who made sure that we understood why we do the things we do on holidays, while Hurwitz seems a bit less knowledgeable about Judaism in her younger years than I did.
This is remedied through intensive amounts of research and study. I was really impressed with her ability to focus and really take in all of the information she was learning. The book is impeccably researched, even if it is a fairly top-level summary of the subject matter. Although this isn’t a comprehensive book about Judaism, she does a great job of sharing information that she learned with her readers, and touches on some of the most important values that Judaism offers.
I enjoyed her journey towards learning more about who she is, as a person and as a Jew. She offers plenty of information in digestible chapters, so that the book never felt dry, boring, or overwhelming. Seeing Hurwitz move from a ‘cultural Jew’ to learning what it really means to be Jewish was beautiful, and it is a very meaningful book.
Each chapter is about a different relevant topic within Judaism, and she even delves into talking about Israel. There is a lot of common ground between the author and myself, and reading this gave me the feeling of being seen and understood. She also clears up plenty of misconceptions, and I think the part of the book that was most meaningful to me was when she discusses Dara Horn’s idea of Hanukkah antisemitism and Purim antisemitism. The concept comes from two of our holidays and refers to how antisemitism affects Jews: Purim antisemitism is all about wiping out the Jews of a city in Persia (spoiler alert: we survived) and is most recently embodied when calls to wipe out the state of Israel are shouted and during the Holocaust. At Hanukkah, Jews faced a more insidious type of antisemitism: this holiday comes from the Roman occupation of Israel and manifests by pushing Jews to assimilate and lose their Judaism, and can be seen when we think we’ll be safe if we become more like the dominant, non-Jewish population where we live.
Overall, this is a fantastic book. The concepts were made easy to understand despite the complexity of the subject matter, and her statements align with what I’ve already learned from primary, reliable sources. I would have liked her to go a bit more in depth about Jewish history, but for an introduction to Judaism and a better understanding of Jewishness this got the job done. I’m very comfortable recommending this book to everyone, and it is a strong start to learn about Judaism and the Jewish people. If this isn’t enough, I can also strongly recommend Noa Tishby’s Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth for a deeper dive into Israeli history that is very factual and informative, while the audiobook version is narrated by Tishby and is a fantastic follow up to this book.
I hadn’t heard of Sarah Hurwitz before, but when I saw the full title of this book, I needed to get my hands on it. Fortunately, I got approved for an audiobook copy of this, and it was a deceptively fast read. I am a sucker for nonfiction writers narrating their own books—it gives it a more personal feel in my opinion.
To start with, Hurwitz gives us a little background on her Jewishness, and everyone goes through their own process. Mine happened to be kind of similar to her own, where the cultural aspects of Judaism played a bigger role than the religious or spiritual aspects. I was fortunate to grow up with a father who made sure that we understood why we do the things we do on holidays, while Hurwitz seems a bit less knowledgeable about Judaism in her younger years than I did.
This is remedied through intensive amounts of research and study. I was really impressed with her ability to focus and really take in all of the information she was learning. The book is impeccably researched, even if it is a fairly top-level summary of the subject matter. Although this isn’t a comprehensive book about Judaism, she does a great job of sharing information that she learned with her readers, and touches on some of the most important values that Judaism offers.
I enjoyed her journey towards learning more about who she is, as a person and as a Jew. She offers plenty of information in digestible chapters, so that the book never felt dry, boring, or overwhelming. Seeing Hurwitz move from a ‘cultural Jew’ to learning what it really means to be Jewish was beautiful, and it is a very meaningful book.
Each chapter is about a different relevant topic within Judaism, and she even delves into talking about Israel. There is a lot of common ground between the author and myself, and reading this gave me the feeling of being seen and understood. She also clears up plenty of misconceptions, and I think the part of the book that was most meaningful to me was when she discusses Dara Horn’s idea of Hanukkah antisemitism and Purim antisemitism. The concept comes from two of our holidays and refers to how antisemitism affects Jews: Purim antisemitism is all about wiping out the Jews of a city in Persia (spoiler alert: we survived) and is most recently embodied when calls to wipe out the state of Israel are shouted and during the Holocaust. At Hanukkah, Jews faced a more insidious type of antisemitism: this holiday comes from the Roman occupation of Israel and manifests by pushing Jews to assimilate and lose their Judaism, and can be seen when we think we’ll be safe if we become more like the dominant, non-Jewish population where we live.
Overall, this is a fantastic book. The concepts were made easy to understand despite the complexity of the subject matter, and her statements align with what I’ve already learned from primary, reliable sources. I would have liked her to go a bit more in depth about Jewish history, but for an introduction to Judaism and a better understanding of Jewishness this got the job done. I’m very comfortable recommending this book to everyone, and it is a strong start to learn about Judaism and the Jewish people. If this isn’t enough, I can also strongly recommend Noa Tishby’s Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth for a deeper dive into Israeli history that is very factual and informative, while the audiobook version is narrated by Tishby and is a fantastic follow up to this book.
December 2, 2025
weird, this one. It could so easily be a 5 star book, but sadly she ruined it all for me with one thing she clearly knows nothing about - Israeli politics and her uneducated opinions about it.
It’s a crash course in antisemitism, jewish history, anti-zionism, and a pretty good one. Her main point is that she was ashamed (personally and socially) of her being jewish, but only later in life did she reclaim her jewish identity. So far, so good. Then she is ashamed of the conflict and barely wants to talk about Israel, and behold - after researching about that history she’s not ashamed anymore!
She’s well read and researched, and so I don’t understand why she writes in a style of "I was ignorant about this and that and wadda ya know, I was wrong!". Well then, if you’re so willingly admit to be ignorant on so many things, how come you are so sure about your big states on Israel’s politics. The truth is, I must conclude, it seems like she’s not really over her shame. She’s not really over about how her far-left environment in america are judging her. so did she really made the whole step?
Many people will find this book great, and it is and I might be a little harsh, but I just couldn’t ignore those points that automatically ruined it for me even if I’ve read it fascinated. In other words - you got so many things right, but so many things very wrong.
this book was written post oct. 7th. seems like the audience for this book are american jews. they should know this: there are no more excuses. you're a part of the story bow.
It’s a crash course in antisemitism, jewish history, anti-zionism, and a pretty good one. Her main point is that she was ashamed (personally and socially) of her being jewish, but only later in life did she reclaim her jewish identity. So far, so good. Then she is ashamed of the conflict and barely wants to talk about Israel, and behold - after researching about that history she’s not ashamed anymore!
She’s well read and researched, and so I don’t understand why she writes in a style of "I was ignorant about this and that and wadda ya know, I was wrong!". Well then, if you’re so willingly admit to be ignorant on so many things, how come you are so sure about your big states on Israel’s politics. The truth is, I must conclude, it seems like she’s not really over her shame. She’s not really over about how her far-left environment in america are judging her. so did she really made the whole step?
Many people will find this book great, and it is and I might be a little harsh, but I just couldn’t ignore those points that automatically ruined it for me even if I’ve read it fascinated. In other words - you got so many things right, but so many things very wrong.
this book was written post oct. 7th. seems like the audience for this book are american jews. they should know this: there are no more excuses. you're a part of the story bow.
September 16, 2025
I feel like I wasn’t the target audience for this, it was a lot of information I already knew and the book also repeated the same concepts over and over. I think someone who knows less about modern anti-Semitism/Jewish culture in general would get more out of this, but I found myself bored. Too bad because I read Here All Along and remember liking it.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.
September 27, 2025
Everyone - Jew and gentile - should read this book.
April 22, 2025
“As a Jew” is a wise and honest reflection and exploration of Jewish identity and culture. Hurwitz does an amazing job of sharing her personal experiences, theology and in depth history. The book made me reflect on my own experiences and me feel very at home. Her insights are both intellectually stimulating and deeply emotional. I can’t recommend this enough.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for this ARC.
September 1, 2025
I had never heard of Sarah Hurwitz prior to receiving this audio book ARC, but after a quick google search, I knew this book was something I had to get my hands on! As a liberal Jewish Zionist, I have felt social justice organizations have left us behind following October 7th. This has been something I have been struggling with ever since. Hurwitz describes these feelings perfectly, and also discussed our history and resilience. I encourage everyone to read this book, there is something everyone would benefit from knowing. Israelis can learn more about the Jewish experience outside of Israel. Non-Israeli Jews can understand more about our history to the land. Non-Jews would benefit from understanding more about Jewish history and nuance. Our world would look like a totally different place if more people took Hurwitz' empathetic and considerate points of view for all people. I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy for my personal library!
October 1, 2025
Having read Sarah Hurwitz's previous book, and knowing how smart and engaging her writing is, I had high expectations for this book. But even I wasn't prepared for how truly important and outstanding it is. No wonder it won the latest Natan Notable Book award. It should win many more honors. But for now, my wish is simply for as many people as possible—Jews and non-Jews—to read it.
November 29, 2025
Sarah Hurwitz is a very talented author - no
real surprise considering she is Harvard educated and former speech writer for VP Hillary Clinton and both the Obamas.
She reconnects to her Judaism in her mid 30s and this book tells of her journey, with understanding, scholarship and great empathy.
It is a very important work.
Personally, I never disconnected with my Jewish heritage and scholarship like she did, so that factually I didn’t learn much that was new but her insights and the story of her personal journey are extremely inspiring.
real surprise considering she is Harvard educated and former speech writer for VP Hillary Clinton and both the Obamas.
She reconnects to her Judaism in her mid 30s and this book tells of her journey, with understanding, scholarship and great empathy.
It is a very important work.
Personally, I never disconnected with my Jewish heritage and scholarship like she did, so that factually I didn’t learn much that was new but her insights and the story of her personal journey are extremely inspiring.
October 24, 2025
I listened to this on audiobook. Usually I listen to audiobooks in short segments over the course of many days, while I'm cooking or driving, and if they're from the library I have to constantly keep an eye on the return date. Not this book; I couldn't stop listening and finished it less than 30 hours after I started it.
I should write a longer review, and probably will after I've had time to think about it more. For now, suffice it to say I highly recommend it.
I should write a longer review, and probably will after I've had time to think about it more. For now, suffice it to say I highly recommend it.
October 4, 2025
Amazing. Will write a more detailed review later.
October 23, 2025
Excellent book. This would be good for many American Jews to read to help them understand their own tradition and historical context. Other folks can also benefit, if interested—she’s a good guide. You can benefit from Hurwitz’ telling of the tradition and of her own learning, starting from self-described cluelessness to rich knowledge.
Her past as a speech writer shows, or so I imagined, because she condenses a lot of information into clear, readable and compelling language. This is a short book that is very easy to read, but it contains a lot without sacrificing complexity.
One summary of the book could basically be that it is about Hurwitz admitting she was completely ignorant of her own Jewishness, but crucially also that she paired that ignorance with an arrogant assumption that she knew everything, had nothing to learnm and could speak to it all knowledgeably. If Hurwitz’ self-description of herself as some kind of avatar of generic liberal American Jews is accurate, it is very frightening, because the stuff she didn’t know or understand is… everything? The stuff she “discovered” is mind-boggling. The very basics of Israel or Jewishness. This is a highly accomplished and educated person, clearly talented and thoughtful—it almost doesn't make sense, how she could not even realize how little she knew. She should be commended for such a mea culpa, but it is frightening to think how many people out there speaking on behalf of Jews might be how she was, ignorant yet believing themselves to be authoritative.
One other thought:
Hurwitz talks a lot about how Jews have been forced to efface and shrink themselves and their traditions to fit more safely or easily into the Christian and Muslim worlds they inhabited, and explains how that led to a lot of issues for non-Orthodox American Jews today—how cutting off deep aspects of the tradition led to something inert or at least less engaging that it could be.
But she does her own version of effacement, of saying “pick me, I’m one of the good ones”, in her repeated and repetitive insistences on highlighting how monstrously, historically, mythically, implacably terrible and really super no good and very (very!) bad, the current Israeli government is. How desperately she seeks to reassure the reader that, while she is now a knowledgeable full-throated Zionist and proud Jew, she’s one of the good ones! This grated on me. Setting aside the substance of the points she raises, the very fact she feels the need to keep doing this, and doesn’t seem to realize how it is another form of what she is talking about… it made me wonder if she understood her own argument. The impulse to pick out the current government and use Netanyahu as a boogie man — again, substance aside — is itself a form of the “pick me” impulse she writes about so much and so clearly here.
Her past as a speech writer shows, or so I imagined, because she condenses a lot of information into clear, readable and compelling language. This is a short book that is very easy to read, but it contains a lot without sacrificing complexity.
One summary of the book could basically be that it is about Hurwitz admitting she was completely ignorant of her own Jewishness, but crucially also that she paired that ignorance with an arrogant assumption that she knew everything, had nothing to learnm and could speak to it all knowledgeably. If Hurwitz’ self-description of herself as some kind of avatar of generic liberal American Jews is accurate, it is very frightening, because the stuff she didn’t know or understand is… everything? The stuff she “discovered” is mind-boggling. The very basics of Israel or Jewishness. This is a highly accomplished and educated person, clearly talented and thoughtful—it almost doesn't make sense, how she could not even realize how little she knew. She should be commended for such a mea culpa, but it is frightening to think how many people out there speaking on behalf of Jews might be how she was, ignorant yet believing themselves to be authoritative.
One other thought:
Hurwitz talks a lot about how Jews have been forced to efface and shrink themselves and their traditions to fit more safely or easily into the Christian and Muslim worlds they inhabited, and explains how that led to a lot of issues for non-Orthodox American Jews today—how cutting off deep aspects of the tradition led to something inert or at least less engaging that it could be.
But she does her own version of effacement, of saying “pick me, I’m one of the good ones”, in her repeated and repetitive insistences on highlighting how monstrously, historically, mythically, implacably terrible and really super no good and very (very!) bad, the current Israeli government is. How desperately she seeks to reassure the reader that, while she is now a knowledgeable full-throated Zionist and proud Jew, she’s one of the good ones! This grated on me. Setting aside the substance of the points she raises, the very fact she feels the need to keep doing this, and doesn’t seem to realize how it is another form of what she is talking about… it made me wonder if she understood her own argument. The impulse to pick out the current government and use Netanyahu as a boogie man — again, substance aside — is itself a form of the “pick me” impulse she writes about so much and so clearly here.
September 27, 2025
This is a terrific book for Jews who didn't have a particularly "Jewish" upbringing or haven't generally considered themselves to be Jewish -- as well as for non-Jews who want to better understand their Jewish friends, Jewish culture, history and traditions, as well as why the modern state of Israel was created and why it must continue to thrive.
There were so many moments when I had to put this book down to reflect upon what I was reading. My yellow hi-liter got a great workout because I kept on marking up sentences and paragraphs that I wanted to absorb deeply and remember.
One particularly strong lesson in this book is how antisemitism works--from both the right and the left. In essence, the Jews are seen as the sole reason X (something) isn't happening (social justice, progress, whatever the big societal project may be at the moment for any particular community). Totally changed how I see the challenges I am worried about as a Jew in America today.
The upshot for Hurwitz is this: Be whatever kind of Jew you want, but whatever path or identity you choose, know your facts, history, culture and traditions. Because doing all that makes us stronger. #JewishPride
There were so many moments when I had to put this book down to reflect upon what I was reading. My yellow hi-liter got a great workout because I kept on marking up sentences and paragraphs that I wanted to absorb deeply and remember.
One particularly strong lesson in this book is how antisemitism works--from both the right and the left. In essence, the Jews are seen as the sole reason X (something) isn't happening (social justice, progress, whatever the big societal project may be at the moment for any particular community). Totally changed how I see the challenges I am worried about as a Jew in America today.
The upshot for Hurwitz is this: Be whatever kind of Jew you want, but whatever path or identity you choose, know your facts, history, culture and traditions. Because doing all that makes us stronger. #JewishPride
December 21, 2025
One of the most important books I’ve read all year.
“Jewish tradition tends to speak in both-and shades of gray, insisting that we balance competing claims and honor seemingly contradictory truths…None of this makes for good social media posts or signs at protests. I still smile when I think about a young woman I met during one of my Hillel college visits who told me how uneasy she felt walking through campus protests. The signs were all so strident and simplistic, she said. She couldn’t imagine how she would fit everything she thought…on a sign.
We joked about how her sign would be in a tiny font, thousands of words typed onto posterboard articulating the various arguments and ideas with which she was wrestling.
I cannot think of a more Jewish image than that thoughtful girl standing amidst her screaming classmates, her sign crammed with so many words.”
~
“Israel is a country. Like my own country, America, it is both highly flawed and extraordinary. I will never stop criticizing either country when they go wrong. But I will also never apologize for their very existence—or my own.
I will not let haters or purists or those smugly at home in their magnificent detachment lay waste to Israel’s story or turn my people into their thought experiment. I will not let them gaslight me into forgetting the Jewish past or ignoring the Jewish present. I will not let them do to the Jewish country what people have for thousands of years done to Jews.
The shame is on them, not on me.
I am no longer ashamed.”
“Jewish tradition tends to speak in both-and shades of gray, insisting that we balance competing claims and honor seemingly contradictory truths…None of this makes for good social media posts or signs at protests. I still smile when I think about a young woman I met during one of my Hillel college visits who told me how uneasy she felt walking through campus protests. The signs were all so strident and simplistic, she said. She couldn’t imagine how she would fit everything she thought…on a sign.
We joked about how her sign would be in a tiny font, thousands of words typed onto posterboard articulating the various arguments and ideas with which she was wrestling.
I cannot think of a more Jewish image than that thoughtful girl standing amidst her screaming classmates, her sign crammed with so many words.”
~
“Israel is a country. Like my own country, America, it is both highly flawed and extraordinary. I will never stop criticizing either country when they go wrong. But I will also never apologize for their very existence—or my own.
I will not let haters or purists or those smugly at home in their magnificent detachment lay waste to Israel’s story or turn my people into their thought experiment. I will not let them gaslight me into forgetting the Jewish past or ignoring the Jewish present. I will not let them do to the Jewish country what people have for thousands of years done to Jews.
The shame is on them, not on me.
I am no longer ashamed.”
December 20, 2025
This was so wonderful.
December 26, 2025
Sarah very eloquently put in words what I've been trying to articulate for the past two years. thank you.
September 22, 2025
I start with some statistics I have pulled from the scrupulous research (more than 350 footnotes) that underpins this book.
• There 15.7 million Jews in the world.
• There are 7.5 million Jews in the United States today, including 5.8 million adults.
• Of these Jewish adults, 1.5 million consider themselves atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, but have a Jewish parent or were raised Jewish. For them, being Jewish is tied to family, ethnicity or culture, not religious practice.
• Just 7 percent of these non-religious Jews report that being Jewish is very important to them and just 4 percent of them think it is very important for their grandchildren to be raised Jewish.
• 2.6 million American adults with a Jewish parent or parents were raised Jewish but identify as a member of another religion or don’t identify with any religion and don’t consider themselves Jewish in any other way.
• So, if you add those 5.8 million adults who identify as Jews to the 2.6 million who have a Jewish family background but don’t consider themselves to be Jewish, there really are 8.4 million American adults who are in some way Jewish. But nearly a third of them reject that label entirely or practice a non-Jewish religion, and nearly 20 percent more don’t think being Jewish is all that important
• And of those American Jews who do identify as Jewish, when asked what aspect of their Jewishness are essential, the number one answer was remembering the Holocaust, then “leading an ethical and moral life,” working for justice and equality in society, being intellectually curious and continuing family traditions, and also having a good sense of humor.
• Of married Jews today, just 18 percent who wed before 1980 have a non-Jewish partner, compared with 61 percent of Jews who got married between 2010 and 2020.
• Of the non-Orthodox Jews who married during that decade, 72 percent wed someone who is not Jewish.
• The largest Zionist organization in America is Christians United for Israel, which has more than ten million members.
These statistics made a strong impression on me and helped me (and may help you) understand why Hurwitz wrote this valuable book, a candid account of her journey to becoming a “knowing” Jew.
A knowing Jew is one who is Jewish by choice and not just by birth, who has more than a sketchy knowledge of the history of the Jewish people, including the history of Zionism, and has learned that as a Jew you are part of a peoplehood brought together not by its shared bloodline but, as Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger have pointed out, by its shared “textline.”
Knowing the textline is crucial because it entails a commitment to learn from Judaism’s foundational texts: the Torah, the Talmud, the Mishnah-- and from the subsequent line of texts produced during the history of the Jews by the most learned and/or insightful rabbis and other writers (a great number of them cited in the book). Hurwitz acknowledges that there are any number of ways to live as a Jew. But Hurwitz wants us to see that a Jewish life must be built on at least a basic knowledge of these texts.
More than that Hurwitz wants us to see that she has found a truer identity and a more meaningful life because of her continuing engagement with the history and the textline of Judaism.
Hurwitz certainly realizes that her commitment as an American to a life that embraces Judaism must also grapple with her and the world’s feelings about Zionism and Israel. Her book was written after October 7th. She does not ignore what happened on that day or what Israel has done in and to Gaza in the days since. But she has not written this book to attack or defend Israel’s actions. She just wants us to see why the state of Israel must continue to exist.
The value of this book then is its offer to Jewish Americans who have lost touch with or are estranged from their Jewish identity, and to other Americans who are seeking an approachable introduction to contemporary Judaism, that--if they are in search of a meaningful life, and they choose to allow her—Hurwitz can provide a path to living proudly, gratefully and joyfully as a Jew.
Thank you HarperOne for providing an advance copy in galley form for review consideration via NetGalley. Please note: Quotes taken from a galley may change in the final version.
All opinions are my own.
• There 15.7 million Jews in the world.
• There are 7.5 million Jews in the United States today, including 5.8 million adults.
• Of these Jewish adults, 1.5 million consider themselves atheist, agnostic or nothing in particular, but have a Jewish parent or were raised Jewish. For them, being Jewish is tied to family, ethnicity or culture, not religious practice.
• Just 7 percent of these non-religious Jews report that being Jewish is very important to them and just 4 percent of them think it is very important for their grandchildren to be raised Jewish.
• 2.6 million American adults with a Jewish parent or parents were raised Jewish but identify as a member of another religion or don’t identify with any religion and don’t consider themselves Jewish in any other way.
• So, if you add those 5.8 million adults who identify as Jews to the 2.6 million who have a Jewish family background but don’t consider themselves to be Jewish, there really are 8.4 million American adults who are in some way Jewish. But nearly a third of them reject that label entirely or practice a non-Jewish religion, and nearly 20 percent more don’t think being Jewish is all that important
• And of those American Jews who do identify as Jewish, when asked what aspect of their Jewishness are essential, the number one answer was remembering the Holocaust, then “leading an ethical and moral life,” working for justice and equality in society, being intellectually curious and continuing family traditions, and also having a good sense of humor.
• Of married Jews today, just 18 percent who wed before 1980 have a non-Jewish partner, compared with 61 percent of Jews who got married between 2010 and 2020.
• Of the non-Orthodox Jews who married during that decade, 72 percent wed someone who is not Jewish.
• The largest Zionist organization in America is Christians United for Israel, which has more than ten million members.
These statistics made a strong impression on me and helped me (and may help you) understand why Hurwitz wrote this valuable book, a candid account of her journey to becoming a “knowing” Jew.
A knowing Jew is one who is Jewish by choice and not just by birth, who has more than a sketchy knowledge of the history of the Jewish people, including the history of Zionism, and has learned that as a Jew you are part of a peoplehood brought together not by its shared bloodline but, as Amos Oz and Fania Oz-Salzberger have pointed out, by its shared “textline.”
Knowing the textline is crucial because it entails a commitment to learn from Judaism’s foundational texts: the Torah, the Talmud, the Mishnah-- and from the subsequent line of texts produced during the history of the Jews by the most learned and/or insightful rabbis and other writers (a great number of them cited in the book). Hurwitz acknowledges that there are any number of ways to live as a Jew. But Hurwitz wants us to see that a Jewish life must be built on at least a basic knowledge of these texts.
More than that Hurwitz wants us to see that she has found a truer identity and a more meaningful life because of her continuing engagement with the history and the textline of Judaism.
Hurwitz certainly realizes that her commitment as an American to a life that embraces Judaism must also grapple with her and the world’s feelings about Zionism and Israel. Her book was written after October 7th. She does not ignore what happened on that day or what Israel has done in and to Gaza in the days since. But she has not written this book to attack or defend Israel’s actions. She just wants us to see why the state of Israel must continue to exist.
The value of this book then is its offer to Jewish Americans who have lost touch with or are estranged from their Jewish identity, and to other Americans who are seeking an approachable introduction to contemporary Judaism, that--if they are in search of a meaningful life, and they choose to allow her—Hurwitz can provide a path to living proudly, gratefully and joyfully as a Jew.
Thank you HarperOne for providing an advance copy in galley form for review consideration via NetGalley. Please note: Quotes taken from a galley may change in the final version.
All opinions are my own.
November 20, 2025
Five stars for this extraordinary and eloquent indictment of anti-Semitism in America and how extreme anti-Zionism has become the cover for more traditional anti-Semitic hate. It's also a remarkable personal story of how Hurwitz came to a deeper understanding of her faith and her own identity in relation to Judaism and Israel.
It's a deeply emotional book and a deeply personal one, and yet, her story of witnessing the shocking resurgence of Jewish hate from communities she thought were her own, is the story of all American Jews in the last few years.
I quote her extensively to make her points clearly and to convey the level of betrayal felt by many in the Jewish community.
"Anti-Semitism is dangerous regardless of who it's coming from, and it comes from people of all backgrounds and beliefs. But what I saw on college campuses and in other elite spaces unsettles me in a way that no white supremacist possibly can.
There is nothing shocking to me about white supremacists hating Jews. I expect nothing else from them - hatred is their brand. And these are not my people. I do not personally know anyone who believes in the great replacement theory, or engages in Holocaust denial, or thinks highly of Nazis.
But people who work in academia, publishing, and mental health are my people - or at least they should be. We have the same education, live in the same communities, and care about the same issues. These are the respectable people.... They are supposed to be the ones who stand up when others turn on minorities."
As she begins to explain how anti-Zionism has turned into Jew hatred, she starts with what she doesn't think anti-Zionism it. It's not:
- criticism of the Israeli government or its policies, or
- a belief that major changes should be made to the current political arrangement, like a two-state solution or confederation (but which does not include a belief that Israel should be stripped of its sovereignty).
But there is a strain of anti-Zionism that is "opposed to Jews having self-determination in their ancestral homeland the way that Poles have self-determination in Poland and Japanese people have self-determination in Japan."
She goes on to say "Anti-Zionists are highly critical of Israel but believe that it's not sufficient for Israel to make fundamental changes to its policies or laws, or even to its map through diplomacy or negotiations. The only appropriate solution is to unfound the state, to strip it of its sovereignty such that Jews no longer have political power."
To put a finer point on it, Hurwitz notes that this proposal is radical in the extreme. "I could not find another example of a country that's officially recognized by the United Nations and more than 160 other countries, and that's existed for so many years, being stripped of its sovereignty against its will."
What's clear from her narrative (and she makes this explicit) is that this type of extreme penalty is proposed only for the nation that represents the homeland for the Jews. It is because it is the Jewish state and is a "colonial, oppressor state" that this action must be taken. This is, of course, complete rubbish. The Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years. The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the pogroms in Eastern Europe and Russia, the Holocaust, the list goes on and on. So much for being the oppressors. But those who espouse these extreme anti-Zionist/antisemitic beliefs are not interested in history. They have a tale to tell, and they want it to fit into their skewed world view.
Sarah Hurwitz has written a brilliant book that identifies and calls out the new form of anti-Semitism. Everyone, Jew and non-Jew alike should read this compelling and eloquent condemnation of an ancient hatred that has resurfaced in America from some of the most unlikely places.
It's a deeply emotional book and a deeply personal one, and yet, her story of witnessing the shocking resurgence of Jewish hate from communities she thought were her own, is the story of all American Jews in the last few years.
I quote her extensively to make her points clearly and to convey the level of betrayal felt by many in the Jewish community.
"Anti-Semitism is dangerous regardless of who it's coming from, and it comes from people of all backgrounds and beliefs. But what I saw on college campuses and in other elite spaces unsettles me in a way that no white supremacist possibly can.
There is nothing shocking to me about white supremacists hating Jews. I expect nothing else from them - hatred is their brand. And these are not my people. I do not personally know anyone who believes in the great replacement theory, or engages in Holocaust denial, or thinks highly of Nazis.
But people who work in academia, publishing, and mental health are my people - or at least they should be. We have the same education, live in the same communities, and care about the same issues. These are the respectable people.... They are supposed to be the ones who stand up when others turn on minorities."
As she begins to explain how anti-Zionism has turned into Jew hatred, she starts with what she doesn't think anti-Zionism it. It's not:
- criticism of the Israeli government or its policies, or
- a belief that major changes should be made to the current political arrangement, like a two-state solution or confederation (but which does not include a belief that Israel should be stripped of its sovereignty).
But there is a strain of anti-Zionism that is "opposed to Jews having self-determination in their ancestral homeland the way that Poles have self-determination in Poland and Japanese people have self-determination in Japan."
She goes on to say "Anti-Zionists are highly critical of Israel but believe that it's not sufficient for Israel to make fundamental changes to its policies or laws, or even to its map through diplomacy or negotiations. The only appropriate solution is to unfound the state, to strip it of its sovereignty such that Jews no longer have political power."
To put a finer point on it, Hurwitz notes that this proposal is radical in the extreme. "I could not find another example of a country that's officially recognized by the United Nations and more than 160 other countries, and that's existed for so many years, being stripped of its sovereignty against its will."
What's clear from her narrative (and she makes this explicit) is that this type of extreme penalty is proposed only for the nation that represents the homeland for the Jews. It is because it is the Jewish state and is a "colonial, oppressor state" that this action must be taken. This is, of course, complete rubbish. The Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years. The crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the pogroms in Eastern Europe and Russia, the Holocaust, the list goes on and on. So much for being the oppressors. But those who espouse these extreme anti-Zionist/antisemitic beliefs are not interested in history. They have a tale to tell, and they want it to fit into their skewed world view.
Sarah Hurwitz has written a brilliant book that identifies and calls out the new form of anti-Semitism. Everyone, Jew and non-Jew alike should read this compelling and eloquent condemnation of an ancient hatred that has resurfaced in America from some of the most unlikely places.
August 20, 2025
The author of As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Shame, Blame, and Try to Erase Us was a speech writer for Michelle Obama. She now makes her own speeches about Judaism, Israel, and antisemitism. Her previous book described her decision to engage more directly with the religion of her ancestors. This one details her reasons for doing so with a specific focus on history and contemporary society.
Sarah Hurwitz had a fairly typical upbringing as the child of suburban Jews. Her family emphasized education, liberal politics, a vague feeling of superiority, and Holocaust remembrance over religious observance. She attended Hebrew school as a preteen and celebrated the "important" Jewish holidays (Chanukah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) but never engaged too deeply with any of it. She knew she was a good person with decent secular values and felt embarrassed by the apparent irrationality of more devout Jews. As a Jew is her attempt to explain how modern American Jews grew to become ashamed of their origins. It offers a corrective to that unfortunate attitude.
This book has been carefully researched, considered and written. It contains valuable information with which too many otherwise intelligent and well-meaning people are unfamiliar. The analysis of the difference between "Purim antisemitism" and "Chanukah antisemistism" is brilliant. Her descriptions of the history of Israel and the contemporary State are obviously born of intensive research and personal experience. She is proud to be a Jewish American and loves both her native and ancestral countries without losing sight of their faults.
There is a tremendous amount of compelling material in this book but I wish it were not weakened by flaws that might not be apparent to all readers.
While I share the author's early experiences (although from a previous generation), I spent six years living as a practicing member of an Orthodox Jewish community. As such, I take issue with some of her ideas..
The rhapsodic descriptions of happy Hasidim fail to mention that the children running around loose during worship services are all boys. Their sisters are sitting quietly behind the mechitzah (partition between men and women in a synogogue) with their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Similarly, she applauds the female rabbis among Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish congregations as well as their looser definition of anyone with even one Jewish parent who is raised as a Jew without explaining the very real rejection those children will face if they try to join a more traditional branch. She also glosses over the issue of Jewish atheists, explaining that she doesn't have to believe that God gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai to believe they are, in some nebulous way, "sacred." This feels disingenuous.
Also, there is some self-aggrandizement in the author's glomming onto the virtues of Michelle Obama's late mother when she attends her funeral. This is not a case of showing respect to her former boss; it appears to be her way of claiming Jewish universality when she writes about a woman she has neverr met.
This book held my interest, taught me some facts I didn't know, and gave me much to think about. I would caution prospective readers not to rely on it as a single source.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperOne for the opportunity to access a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Sarah Hurwitz had a fairly typical upbringing as the child of suburban Jews. Her family emphasized education, liberal politics, a vague feeling of superiority, and Holocaust remembrance over religious observance. She attended Hebrew school as a preteen and celebrated the "important" Jewish holidays (Chanukah, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) but never engaged too deeply with any of it. She knew she was a good person with decent secular values and felt embarrassed by the apparent irrationality of more devout Jews. As a Jew is her attempt to explain how modern American Jews grew to become ashamed of their origins. It offers a corrective to that unfortunate attitude.
This book has been carefully researched, considered and written. It contains valuable information with which too many otherwise intelligent and well-meaning people are unfamiliar. The analysis of the difference between "Purim antisemitism" and "Chanukah antisemistism" is brilliant. Her descriptions of the history of Israel and the contemporary State are obviously born of intensive research and personal experience. She is proud to be a Jewish American and loves both her native and ancestral countries without losing sight of their faults.
There is a tremendous amount of compelling material in this book but I wish it were not weakened by flaws that might not be apparent to all readers.
While I share the author's early experiences (although from a previous generation), I spent six years living as a practicing member of an Orthodox Jewish community. As such, I take issue with some of her ideas..
The rhapsodic descriptions of happy Hasidim fail to mention that the children running around loose during worship services are all boys. Their sisters are sitting quietly behind the mechitzah (partition between men and women in a synogogue) with their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Similarly, she applauds the female rabbis among Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish congregations as well as their looser definition of anyone with even one Jewish parent who is raised as a Jew without explaining the very real rejection those children will face if they try to join a more traditional branch. She also glosses over the issue of Jewish atheists, explaining that she doesn't have to believe that God gave the Ten Commandments at Sinai to believe they are, in some nebulous way, "sacred." This feels disingenuous.
Also, there is some self-aggrandizement in the author's glomming onto the virtues of Michelle Obama's late mother when she attends her funeral. This is not a case of showing respect to her former boss; it appears to be her way of claiming Jewish universality when she writes about a woman she has neverr met.
This book held my interest, taught me some facts I didn't know, and gave me much to think about. I would caution prospective readers not to rely on it as a single source.
I would like to thank NetGalley and HarperOne for the opportunity to access a free advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
August 17, 2025
I am not a Jew. I am a Christian pastor who grew up as the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of pastors. That feels like an important and necessary disclaimer.
I don't have a deep fountain of knowledge of Jewish culture, belief, and practice. I am learning and reading this book was part of that.
In As a Jew, Sarah Hurwitz blends personal experience with experiences of other Jews to present the blessing of her tradition and faith alongside the struggle presently and historically in the face of persecution. Her account is highly engaging and draws upon many other rabbis and authors. It is a thoroughly researched book containing factual information such as statistics along with her interpretation of the facts. She heavily critiques both the left and the right for different reasons. Her views are nuanced by a recognition that the leadership of Israel is imperfect and that leaders should be held accountable for the policies they make and the actions they take. The solution she seems to see is for everyone to become Zionist. Her perception is that people in the US have been too sympathetic to Palestinians despite the American government continuing to outfit Israel with weapons. This book has further instilled in me the need for peace, not just in the Holy Land but also in the ways that we talk about people of different nationalities or religions. If our speech cannot be peaceful, our actions will not be either.
This book is far from balanced or impartial and I did not expect it to be. It has made me curious to hear other perspectives and to see where there are similarities and differences from what I have read in As a Jew. She presents a correlation between Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism as if you cannot be Anti-Zionist and someone who advocates for peace for Jews and Palestinians alike. I found that challenging to accept though through her examples, I can understand how her lived experience would lead her to be such a strong advocate for Zionism.
This is one of those books that gives you a lot to think about, especially if you're reading it from a different religious and/or political background than the author. I would recommend reading it if you're interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict or if you're interested in the experience of an American Jew before, during, and after October 7. But I do hope that if you choose to read this book, that it's not the only book on the subject you read. It's an important perspective but not the only perspective. I don't have any other recommendations because this is the first I've read but I do feel compelled to read and learn more because of this book and I think that's a pretty good thing to leave the reader with.
Thank you HarperOne and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I don't have a deep fountain of knowledge of Jewish culture, belief, and practice. I am learning and reading this book was part of that.
In As a Jew, Sarah Hurwitz blends personal experience with experiences of other Jews to present the blessing of her tradition and faith alongside the struggle presently and historically in the face of persecution. Her account is highly engaging and draws upon many other rabbis and authors. It is a thoroughly researched book containing factual information such as statistics along with her interpretation of the facts. She heavily critiques both the left and the right for different reasons. Her views are nuanced by a recognition that the leadership of Israel is imperfect and that leaders should be held accountable for the policies they make and the actions they take. The solution she seems to see is for everyone to become Zionist. Her perception is that people in the US have been too sympathetic to Palestinians despite the American government continuing to outfit Israel with weapons. This book has further instilled in me the need for peace, not just in the Holy Land but also in the ways that we talk about people of different nationalities or religions. If our speech cannot be peaceful, our actions will not be either.
This book is far from balanced or impartial and I did not expect it to be. It has made me curious to hear other perspectives and to see where there are similarities and differences from what I have read in As a Jew. She presents a correlation between Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism as if you cannot be Anti-Zionist and someone who advocates for peace for Jews and Palestinians alike. I found that challenging to accept though through her examples, I can understand how her lived experience would lead her to be such a strong advocate for Zionism.
This is one of those books that gives you a lot to think about, especially if you're reading it from a different religious and/or political background than the author. I would recommend reading it if you're interested in the Israel/Palestine conflict or if you're interested in the experience of an American Jew before, during, and after October 7. But I do hope that if you choose to read this book, that it's not the only book on the subject you read. It's an important perspective but not the only perspective. I don't have any other recommendations because this is the first I've read but I do feel compelled to read and learn more because of this book and I think that's a pretty good thing to leave the reader with.
Thank you HarperOne and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
November 15, 2025
Hurwitz’s first book, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life-in Judaism, is primarily about her reintroduction to Judaism as an adult. Hurwitz uses her spiritual journey as a vehicle for explaining basic Jewish concepts and practices to a readership whose Jewish education she might describe as pediatric. She makes a compelling case for disconnected and weakly-attached American Jews to remediate their Jewish illiteracy, building a pathway to insights that she personally has found very meaningful.
As A Jew, her new book, is also an account of her research into Jewish history, but the focus is on antisemitism. There’s some overlap with the first book, but no less than 90% is fresh material. The catalyst for the book seems to be Hamas’ murderous attack on Israel in October 2023 and the waves of so-called “anti-Zionist” protest and violence which immediately ensued.
Until I read the book, I didn’t understand that much of the foundation for antisemitism is universalism. Neither Islam nor Christianity nor nationalist movements nor Communism accept rejection of their dogmas. Dissent, a core Jewish tradition, is something none of them can tolerate.
Early Christianity took a universalist position: if Christianity was right, then Judaism had to be wrong. Judaism was defined in opposition to Christianity. Jews were identified as preternaturally powerful, depraved and conspiracy-minded. How else could they have persuaded the Romans to kill God’s Son? Saint Augustine probably saved the Jews from eradication because he came up with a “Jewish witness” doctrine which argued that forcing Jews to live in a subjugated condition would serve two important functions for Christianity. First, because Christian theology believed that the Old Testament contained prophecies about Christ, the continued existence of Jews would prove that the Christians didn’t fabricate the Old Testament. The Jews would function as living witnesses. Second, the Jews’ misery would be understood as a God-inflicted punishment for the wrongness of Judaism.
Despite Augustine’s prohibition of killing Jews, there were frequent massacres for more than a millennium after his death in 430 AD. Jews were (re)accused of deicide, of killing Christian children and consuming their blood, of spreading bubonic plague, etc. Martin Luther initially embraced Jews, expecting them to convert to his reformed version of Christianity, but he turned on them viciously when his embrace was rejected. By the end of the 15th century most Jews had fled Western Europe for Eastern Europe where they were also subjected to periodic pogroms.
With the Enlightenment, economic opportunities and citizenship opened for Jews in Germany and France, but the old obsession with Jewish power, depravity and conspiracy only meant that religion-based antisemitism morphed into something more “scientific”: racial antisemitism, which could not be accommodated by conversion.
Hurwitz elaborates on dozens of interesting ideas. I’ll summarize just three of them. First is the paired concept of Purim antisemitism (we must kill the Jews to defend ourselves) vs. Hanukah antisemitism (Jews are OK if they agree to be Jewish in the way we the majority demand). The latter doesn’t seem like bigotry: just renounce Zionism and we’ll accept you.
Second, pre-modern Jews didn’t define themselves as practitioners of a religion called Judaism. Instead, they saw themselves as members of a nation with its own laws, culture, languages, holidays and cultural practices. The Enlightenment and emerging nationalist movements considered religious identity to be separate from national identity. Jews who would never have accepted Jesus as their savior in pre-Enlightenment France had to accept Frenchness in order to be saved in post-revolutionary France. This led to a movement to reform/transform Judaism from an all-encompassing 24/7 identity that determined every aspect of daily life to more of a Christian-style religion.
Third, the new problem on campuses isn’t Jews’ religion, race, culture, commitment to social justice or remembrance of the Holocaust. It’s not individual Jews; it’s Jews as a nation. To gain acceptance, all you have to do is renounce Zionism. This is a new iteration of Hanukah antisemitism.
Hurwitz provides a concise history of Zionism and Israel. She acknowledges the Arab perspective and the suffering of Arabs who were displaced. She is critical of the Israel’s current government and the settler extremism it tolerates. But she vigorously rebuts allegations that Zionism is a colonialist movement. This is an idea that seems to have originated in the Soviet Union after the Six Day War, when the USSR launched a massive anti-Zionist propaganda campaign in the Middle East. It was the Soviets who pushed the UN to adopt a resolution that equated Zionism with racism. They equated imperialism, colonialism and Naziism with Zionism and succeeded in rebranding “a movement for national self-determination to a racist, fascist, Nazi-like, genocidal, imperialist, colonialist, militarist and apartheid-promoting conspiratorial ideology.” Much of this language and thinking is echoed on campuses and in progressive organizations around the world today.
I’m afraid my review is only scratching the surface. I think the best thing I can do is gift copies to friends who are also confused by much of the world’s response to October 7th.
As A Jew, her new book, is also an account of her research into Jewish history, but the focus is on antisemitism. There’s some overlap with the first book, but no less than 90% is fresh material. The catalyst for the book seems to be Hamas’ murderous attack on Israel in October 2023 and the waves of so-called “anti-Zionist” protest and violence which immediately ensued.
Until I read the book, I didn’t understand that much of the foundation for antisemitism is universalism. Neither Islam nor Christianity nor nationalist movements nor Communism accept rejection of their dogmas. Dissent, a core Jewish tradition, is something none of them can tolerate.
Early Christianity took a universalist position: if Christianity was right, then Judaism had to be wrong. Judaism was defined in opposition to Christianity. Jews were identified as preternaturally powerful, depraved and conspiracy-minded. How else could they have persuaded the Romans to kill God’s Son? Saint Augustine probably saved the Jews from eradication because he came up with a “Jewish witness” doctrine which argued that forcing Jews to live in a subjugated condition would serve two important functions for Christianity. First, because Christian theology believed that the Old Testament contained prophecies about Christ, the continued existence of Jews would prove that the Christians didn’t fabricate the Old Testament. The Jews would function as living witnesses. Second, the Jews’ misery would be understood as a God-inflicted punishment for the wrongness of Judaism.
Despite Augustine’s prohibition of killing Jews, there were frequent massacres for more than a millennium after his death in 430 AD. Jews were (re)accused of deicide, of killing Christian children and consuming their blood, of spreading bubonic plague, etc. Martin Luther initially embraced Jews, expecting them to convert to his reformed version of Christianity, but he turned on them viciously when his embrace was rejected. By the end of the 15th century most Jews had fled Western Europe for Eastern Europe where they were also subjected to periodic pogroms.
With the Enlightenment, economic opportunities and citizenship opened for Jews in Germany and France, but the old obsession with Jewish power, depravity and conspiracy only meant that religion-based antisemitism morphed into something more “scientific”: racial antisemitism, which could not be accommodated by conversion.
Hurwitz elaborates on dozens of interesting ideas. I’ll summarize just three of them. First is the paired concept of Purim antisemitism (we must kill the Jews to defend ourselves) vs. Hanukah antisemitism (Jews are OK if they agree to be Jewish in the way we the majority demand). The latter doesn’t seem like bigotry: just renounce Zionism and we’ll accept you.
Second, pre-modern Jews didn’t define themselves as practitioners of a religion called Judaism. Instead, they saw themselves as members of a nation with its own laws, culture, languages, holidays and cultural practices. The Enlightenment and emerging nationalist movements considered religious identity to be separate from national identity. Jews who would never have accepted Jesus as their savior in pre-Enlightenment France had to accept Frenchness in order to be saved in post-revolutionary France. This led to a movement to reform/transform Judaism from an all-encompassing 24/7 identity that determined every aspect of daily life to more of a Christian-style religion.
Third, the new problem on campuses isn’t Jews’ religion, race, culture, commitment to social justice or remembrance of the Holocaust. It’s not individual Jews; it’s Jews as a nation. To gain acceptance, all you have to do is renounce Zionism. This is a new iteration of Hanukah antisemitism.
Hurwitz provides a concise history of Zionism and Israel. She acknowledges the Arab perspective and the suffering of Arabs who were displaced. She is critical of the Israel’s current government and the settler extremism it tolerates. But she vigorously rebuts allegations that Zionism is a colonialist movement. This is an idea that seems to have originated in the Soviet Union after the Six Day War, when the USSR launched a massive anti-Zionist propaganda campaign in the Middle East. It was the Soviets who pushed the UN to adopt a resolution that equated Zionism with racism. They equated imperialism, colonialism and Naziism with Zionism and succeeded in rebranding “a movement for national self-determination to a racist, fascist, Nazi-like, genocidal, imperialist, colonialist, militarist and apartheid-promoting conspiratorial ideology.” Much of this language and thinking is echoed on campuses and in progressive organizations around the world today.
I’m afraid my review is only scratching the surface. I think the best thing I can do is gift copies to friends who are also confused by much of the world’s response to October 7th.
June 22, 2025
Book Review: As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us by Sarah Hurwitz
Rating: 4.8/5
Initial Impressions
Sarah Hurwitz’s As a Jew is a searing yet hopeful manifesto that intertwines personal awakening with historical reckoning. Written with the precision of a White House speechwriter and the urgency of a public intellectual, the book confronts how antisemitism has distorted Jewish self-perception—and how reclaiming tradition can be an act of resistance.
Emotional Resonance & Reactions
Reading this felt like witnessing a metamorphosis. Hurwitz’s candid admission of her own disconnection from Judaism (“I’m Jewish, but not that Jewish”) mirrored my own encounters with cultural ambivalence. Her journey from apathy to fervent engagement—sparked by a single adult education class—stirred both empathy and inspiration. The chapters dissecting antisemitic tropes (e.g., myths of Jewish power) were gut-wrenching but necessary, exposing how internalized prejudice operates. At times, the historical analysis verged on dense, but Hurwitz’s lyrical prose (e.g., neural groove deep into the world’s psyche) kept me anchored.
Strengths
-Timely Defiance: A potent counter-narrative to rising global antisemitism, advocating unapologetic Jewish pride.
-Historical Clarity: Traces how centuries of persecution shaped modern Jewish identity without reducing it to victimhood.
-Personal-Universal Balance: Memoir meets polemic; her individual story illuminates collective struggles.
Constructive Criticism
-Pacing: Early memoir sections could be more tightly integrated with later historical analysis to avoid tonal whiplash.
-Intersectionality: While focused on antisemitism, brief nods to how race, class, or gender intersect would enrich the critique.
-Practical Takeaways: More concrete steps for readers seeking their own reclamation (e.g., study resources) would amplify impact.
Final Verdict
As a Jew is a clarion call to reclaim identity from the shadows of hate. Hurwitz’s blend of scholarly rigor and raw vulnerability makes this more than a book—it’s a lifeline for anyone wrestling with belonging in a hostile world.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
Rating: 4.8/5 (A luminous, urgent work that transforms shame into strength.)
Rating: 4.8/5
Initial Impressions
Sarah Hurwitz’s As a Jew is a searing yet hopeful manifesto that intertwines personal awakening with historical reckoning. Written with the precision of a White House speechwriter and the urgency of a public intellectual, the book confronts how antisemitism has distorted Jewish self-perception—and how reclaiming tradition can be an act of resistance.
Emotional Resonance & Reactions
Reading this felt like witnessing a metamorphosis. Hurwitz’s candid admission of her own disconnection from Judaism (“I’m Jewish, but not that Jewish”) mirrored my own encounters with cultural ambivalence. Her journey from apathy to fervent engagement—sparked by a single adult education class—stirred both empathy and inspiration. The chapters dissecting antisemitic tropes (e.g., myths of Jewish power) were gut-wrenching but necessary, exposing how internalized prejudice operates. At times, the historical analysis verged on dense, but Hurwitz’s lyrical prose (e.g., neural groove deep into the world’s psyche) kept me anchored.
Strengths
-Timely Defiance: A potent counter-narrative to rising global antisemitism, advocating unapologetic Jewish pride.
-Historical Clarity: Traces how centuries of persecution shaped modern Jewish identity without reducing it to victimhood.
-Personal-Universal Balance: Memoir meets polemic; her individual story illuminates collective struggles.
Constructive Criticism
-Pacing: Early memoir sections could be more tightly integrated with later historical analysis to avoid tonal whiplash.
-Intersectionality: While focused on antisemitism, brief nods to how race, class, or gender intersect would enrich the critique.
-Practical Takeaways: More concrete steps for readers seeking their own reclamation (e.g., study resources) would amplify impact.
Final Verdict
As a Jew is a clarion call to reclaim identity from the shadows of hate. Hurwitz’s blend of scholarly rigor and raw vulnerability makes this more than a book—it’s a lifeline for anyone wrestling with belonging in a hostile world.
Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for the review copy.
Rating: 4.8/5 (A luminous, urgent work that transforms shame into strength.)
September 8, 2025
As a follow up to Hurwitz's earlier book about how she discovered Judaism as an adult after a more lackluster observance as a child, this second book focuses less on specific aspects of observance and more on understanding why she and many others were estranged from Judaism to begin with. In doing this, she reaches back historically to the underpinnings of antisemitism--among Christians for religious reasons and then among others who saw Jews as an inferior race but one that had overwhelming control.
One of section of her analysis I found most interesting was how Jews in Western Europe during the Enlightenment traded citizenship in a country for life-encompassing religious and cultural practices. She explains that French Jews proved they were loyal to France by adopting the language, dress and other traits of the French while explaining that their Judaism amounted to merely attending a "different church." This bargain seems to have spread among Jews, not just in Western Europe, but in the US, leading to the kind of uninspiring Judaism that Hurwitz experienced as a child.
There's also quite a bit of attention paid to debates about Israel, with Hurwitz going back to pre-1948 history and casting events in a light that she feels rebuts much of the current critique of Israel as colonialist and racist. She concedes that she has strong reservations about the current Gaza war and the current Israeli government as well as the occupation but asserts that these reservations are not reasons to state that Israel has no right to exist, as many anti-Zionists do.
Overall, the book is well researched but not highly engaging in some parts. While Hurwitz cites many sources, I wonder if there are other points of view she might have wrestled with that aren't represented.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.
One of section of her analysis I found most interesting was how Jews in Western Europe during the Enlightenment traded citizenship in a country for life-encompassing religious and cultural practices. She explains that French Jews proved they were loyal to France by adopting the language, dress and other traits of the French while explaining that their Judaism amounted to merely attending a "different church." This bargain seems to have spread among Jews, not just in Western Europe, but in the US, leading to the kind of uninspiring Judaism that Hurwitz experienced as a child.
There's also quite a bit of attention paid to debates about Israel, with Hurwitz going back to pre-1948 history and casting events in a light that she feels rebuts much of the current critique of Israel as colonialist and racist. She concedes that she has strong reservations about the current Gaza war and the current Israeli government as well as the occupation but asserts that these reservations are not reasons to state that Israel has no right to exist, as many anti-Zionists do.
Overall, the book is well researched but not highly engaging in some parts. While Hurwitz cites many sources, I wonder if there are other points of view she might have wrestled with that aren't represented.
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley.
September 30, 2025
From the review of Zibby Owens (because its perfect):
'The author unpacks the internal shame Jews carry—shame born of history, of social pressure, of false stories—and replaces it with grounded teaching, personal stories, and honest struggle. This book invites Jews to stand without apology, to reclaim what was muted or ignored, and to move forward with a sense of rootedness. This book offers light for us to see our own reflection—and strong enough to make you say, “No more hiding.” - Zibby Owens.
This book packs a ton of information, as Sarah Hurwitz takes us through her own personal journey to study Jewish history. This is a book that can be constantly referred back to, when these details suddenly are required (for reference).
There are many meaningful sections, where Sarah becomes very personal and you could feel it through her words. I will quote from the beginning of the book:
"There is no one "right" way to practice Judaism: there are countless ways to be a passionate committed Jew. And no matter how far you may feel from your tradition, it is still yours- your birthright, your inheritance. ..... This tradition is yours, too, and there are no prerequisites for beginning the process of claiming it, and letting it claim you back."
"Jewish thought and moral wisdom have both shaped and challenged Western culture, and Jewish impact has been wildly DISPROPORTIONATE to our numbers. Of te ancient Near Eastern civilizations in existence at the birth of the Jewish people - the Hittites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, and so many others - none remain, lost to history long ago. But Jews are still here, and I believe Jewish civilization still has something important to say, to us and to the world.This book is the storyof howI learned to listen and understand. - Sarah Huwitz.
Great read and this book is a keeper. Five stars.
November 28, 2025
Hurwitz's other book about Judaism ("Here All Along") had a huge impact on me when I began the process of seriously trying to understand Judaism and thinking about what it meant to live a Jewish life. Like Hurwitz (and a lot of younger American Jews), I grew up in a secular household with no formal religious education. "Here All Along" helped me unpack my understanding of Judaism and learn that my perceptions of Jewish religious practice were shaped by my understanding of Christianity and other "universal" religions (even though I wasn't raised and didn't identify as Christian!).
"As a Jew" picks up with a similar thread. While "Here All Along" sought to connect younger, unaffiliated Jews with religious tradition, "As a Jew" is very much informed by the post-October 7 rise in antisemitic mis-/disinformation that (sadly) a lot of younger, unaffiliated Jews have accepted as fact (for a lot of reasons and not necessarily out of bad intentions). Instead of seeking to connect us with religious tradition, however, this book focuses more on the broader history of the Jewish people and of antisemitism.
I didn't finish the book this time around -- because it offers a broad history, and I've read a lot more Jewish literature since I read her first book, it was a good refresher but I didn't learn a lot of new information. I'm still rating it five stars because it is a really concise, approachable overview of (parts of) Jewish history that I would recommend to anyone, Jewish or not, who wants to learn more about Judaism, Jewish history and antisemitism, especially in the context of current events. (If you're more interested in religious practice, though, I'd read her other book!)
"As a Jew" picks up with a similar thread. While "Here All Along" sought to connect younger, unaffiliated Jews with religious tradition, "As a Jew" is very much informed by the post-October 7 rise in antisemitic mis-/disinformation that (sadly) a lot of younger, unaffiliated Jews have accepted as fact (for a lot of reasons and not necessarily out of bad intentions). Instead of seeking to connect us with religious tradition, however, this book focuses more on the broader history of the Jewish people and of antisemitism.
I didn't finish the book this time around -- because it offers a broad history, and I've read a lot more Jewish literature since I read her first book, it was a good refresher but I didn't learn a lot of new information. I'm still rating it five stars because it is a really concise, approachable overview of (parts of) Jewish history that I would recommend to anyone, Jewish or not, who wants to learn more about Judaism, Jewish history and antisemitism, especially in the context of current events. (If you're more interested in religious practice, though, I'd read her other book!)
August 10, 2025
Exceptional. Hurwitz initially frames this as an exploration of her relationship with Judaism and how she squares this with Jewish history and antisemitism, but there is so much more here. Her overview of Jewish history and the history of antisemitism is a powerful presentation to set the stage for current conversations. The establishment of this conceptual framework made a lot of concepts click for me, helping me catch my bearings in an increasingly disorienting infoscape. And she brought receipts; the source list is impressive, thorough and extensive. That said, there is no malice in her text; "us vs. them" is not the objective -- there is a kindness to her approach that I particularly appreciate.
As you can surmise from her impressive career, Hurwitz is a phenomenal writer, so the prose is powerful and impactful… even as she is explaining heavy concepts or disturbing historical events you don't want to look away. She is a truly talented writer, knowing exactly how much detail to provide to make an impact without being heavy-handed. As I was reading, I highlighted so many powerful passages and know I will be rereading portions and referencing this book in the future. I wish I could share a few passages here, but as my copy of the book is an advance reader proof, it cannot be quoted until final publication.
If Dara Horn's books and articles resonate with you, this book is a must-read. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Hurwitz, and HarperOne for sending me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
As you can surmise from her impressive career, Hurwitz is a phenomenal writer, so the prose is powerful and impactful… even as she is explaining heavy concepts or disturbing historical events you don't want to look away. She is a truly talented writer, knowing exactly how much detail to provide to make an impact without being heavy-handed. As I was reading, I highlighted so many powerful passages and know I will be rereading portions and referencing this book in the future. I wish I could share a few passages here, but as my copy of the book is an advance reader proof, it cannot be quoted until final publication.
If Dara Horn's books and articles resonate with you, this book is a must-read. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Hurwitz, and HarperOne for sending me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
November 6, 2025
A Powerful, Honest Exploration of Identity
As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz is a thoughtful and accessible exploration of Jewish identity, belief, community, and history. Hurwitz blends personal stories with reflections on ritual, spirituality, ethics, and the challenges of being Jewish in a modern world. She manages to make complex ideas feel approachable, offering both depth for those already connected to Judaism and clarity for those still searching. The book also addresses antisemitism, belonging, and the internal struggles many Jews feel when trying to define what Judaism means to them personally.
As a Jew who has struggled with my own identity, questioned where I fit in, and faced the weight of antisemitism, this book hit home in profound ways. So much of what Hurwitz explores mirrors the questions I’ve quietly wrestled with. Reading her words felt like sitting with someone who actually gets it, the confusion, the disconnect, the longing to belong. For as alone as I’ve sometimes felt, this book reminded me that there are others just like me, trying to find their footing and navigate this life with the same mix of pride, uncertainty, and hope.
As a Jew is compassionate, grounding, and deeply validating. It doesn’t lecture — it guides. It doesn’t shame, it encourages curiosity. By the end, I felt both understood and connected to something bigger than myself.
Whether you’re observant, secular, culturally Jewish, or somewhere in the middle, this is a must-read. A beautiful companion for anyone on the journey of Jewish identity. Highly recommended.
As a Jew by Sarah Hurwitz is a thoughtful and accessible exploration of Jewish identity, belief, community, and history. Hurwitz blends personal stories with reflections on ritual, spirituality, ethics, and the challenges of being Jewish in a modern world. She manages to make complex ideas feel approachable, offering both depth for those already connected to Judaism and clarity for those still searching. The book also addresses antisemitism, belonging, and the internal struggles many Jews feel when trying to define what Judaism means to them personally.
As a Jew who has struggled with my own identity, questioned where I fit in, and faced the weight of antisemitism, this book hit home in profound ways. So much of what Hurwitz explores mirrors the questions I’ve quietly wrestled with. Reading her words felt like sitting with someone who actually gets it, the confusion, the disconnect, the longing to belong. For as alone as I’ve sometimes felt, this book reminded me that there are others just like me, trying to find their footing and navigate this life with the same mix of pride, uncertainty, and hope.
As a Jew is compassionate, grounding, and deeply validating. It doesn’t lecture — it guides. It doesn’t shame, it encourages curiosity. By the end, I felt both understood and connected to something bigger than myself.
Whether you’re observant, secular, culturally Jewish, or somewhere in the middle, this is a must-read. A beautiful companion for anyone on the journey of Jewish identity. Highly recommended.
December 7, 2025
As someone who considers themselves knowledgeable about Judaism, I was genuinely surprised by the depth of insight and fresh perspective Sarah Hurwitz offers in "As A Jew." This book is an absolute triumph and deserves every bit of praise it receives.
Even with my existing background, I found myself learning an incredible amount. Hurwitz doesn't just rehash familiar concepts; she delves into the core values, history, and philosophical arguments that underpin Jewish thought and practice. This isn't just a book about Judaism, it's a profound exploration of how ancient wisdom can provide a meaningful framework for modern life.
The level of meticulous research that went into "As A Jew" is evident on every page. Hurwitz synthesizes complex texts and historical context seamlessly, creating a narrative that is both scholarly and incredibly accessible. It’s clear she put in the work to present a comprehensive and well-rounded picture.
While I may not personally agree with every single one of her specific interpretations or applications, I have immense respect for her positions. More importantly, I deeply respect the honesty and vulnerability with which she shares her personal journey back to faith. Her story of rediscovering Judaism and finding meaning in its traditions is powerful and genuinely moving.
"As A Jew" is a must-read for anyone Jewish or not seeking a deeper understanding of this rich tradition. It's a book that invites reflection, demands respect, and ultimately, inspires connection. Highly, highly recommended!
Even with my existing background, I found myself learning an incredible amount. Hurwitz doesn't just rehash familiar concepts; she delves into the core values, history, and philosophical arguments that underpin Jewish thought and practice. This isn't just a book about Judaism, it's a profound exploration of how ancient wisdom can provide a meaningful framework for modern life.
The level of meticulous research that went into "As A Jew" is evident on every page. Hurwitz synthesizes complex texts and historical context seamlessly, creating a narrative that is both scholarly and incredibly accessible. It’s clear she put in the work to present a comprehensive and well-rounded picture.
While I may not personally agree with every single one of her specific interpretations or applications, I have immense respect for her positions. More importantly, I deeply respect the honesty and vulnerability with which she shares her personal journey back to faith. Her story of rediscovering Judaism and finding meaning in its traditions is powerful and genuinely moving.
"As A Jew" is a must-read for anyone Jewish or not seeking a deeper understanding of this rich tradition. It's a book that invites reflection, demands respect, and ultimately, inspires connection. Highly, highly recommended!
September 8, 2025
As A Jew intrigued me from the minute I saw the description of the book, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it, especially with all the antisemitism that is prevalent in the world today. In this book, Sarah discusses how she grew up Jewish, but more culturally than religious, similar to the way I was raised. She talks about Jewish history and how we came to be, the adversity we've had to face, and touched on how the Middle East conflict started, and how it continues today. She talks about the October 7 massacre, and all that it fueled, spreading more antisemitism worldwide, and how it caused many Jews to come together for support.
This book was something that stood with me, because I was able to empathize with much of what Sarah has gone through. I grew up Jewish and went to Hebrew School and celebrated holidays, but was never religious. My Jewish identity is a part of who I am, and I'm proud to be Jewish, and a Zionist, but like Sarah, though I believe in Israel's right to exist, I don't agree with their government, as the same can be said for America. In a time where I've found myself connecting more with my Jewish friends, and ending friendships since October 7, this book made me feel less alone. This is a book I recommend for anyone to read regardless of religion, and highly encourage non-Jews to read it to learn more about our history, faith, customs, and what makes us the strong people we are.
Thank you to NetGalley, and HarperOne for the e-arc.
This book was something that stood with me, because I was able to empathize with much of what Sarah has gone through. I grew up Jewish and went to Hebrew School and celebrated holidays, but was never religious. My Jewish identity is a part of who I am, and I'm proud to be Jewish, and a Zionist, but like Sarah, though I believe in Israel's right to exist, I don't agree with their government, as the same can be said for America. In a time where I've found myself connecting more with my Jewish friends, and ending friendships since October 7, this book made me feel less alone. This is a book I recommend for anyone to read regardless of religion, and highly encourage non-Jews to read it to learn more about our history, faith, customs, and what makes us the strong people we are.
Thank you to NetGalley, and HarperOne for the e-arc.
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