Former Michelle Obama speechwriter–turned–Jewish thinker and author Sarah Hurwitz joins Polina and Yelena to unpack what it actually means to be a Jew in 2025, beyond ethnic jokes, bagels, and a vague sense of guilt. Sarah talks about how her own culturally Jewish identity was slowly transformed into a deep and joyful commitment, and why deep learning is essential if we want to withstand modern antisemitism.
We discuss how 2,000 years of Christian anti-Judaism, Nazi racial antisemitism, Soviet anti-Zionism, and contemporary campus anti Israel ideology all feed into today’s hostility toward Jews and Israel—and how most Jews (and non-Jews) have no idea where these ideas come from. She breaks down the “three upgrades” of antisemitism, why “Zionism = racism/colonialism” is historically illiterate, and why Jewish students on some campuses are being treated like stand-ins for the world’s ultimate evil.
The conversation dives into what Judaism actually is, how the idea that every human being is created in the image of God shaped democracy and human rights, and why “the chosen people” is wildly misunderstood, it’s a burden of responsibility, not a claim of superiority. Sarah also explains Judaism as a living, evolving interpretive tradition (hello, 2,500 years of commentary and argument), why dissent and chavruta-style debate are sacred.
Sarah ends on a surprisingly hopeful note – so listen in to hear her message.
- 06:30 — Judaism as wisdom, not just religion or holidays
- 09:00 — Why antisemitism keeps reinventing itself
- 12:30 — Image of God, equality & the Jewish roots of democracy
- 15:00 — The title As a Jew and reclaiming identity without apology
- 18:00 — Internalized antisemitism & the “cultural Jew” problem
- 21:30 — What Jews actually are: peoplehood, tribe, civilization
- 24:00 — Campus antisemitism
- 27:30 — Israel, refugees & dismantling the “original sin” myth
- 31:00 — Zionism explained (without the hysteria)
- 34:30 — Qatar, ideology, and what’s shaping academia
- 37:00 — Michelle Obama, “silence,” and the problem with performative activism
- 40:00 — Chosenness redefined: responsibility, not superiority
- 43:00 — Jewish law evolves: debate, dissent & chavruta
- 46:00 — How observant is Sarah now?
- 48:30 — What gives Sarah hope for Jews in 2025
- 51:00 — Jewish spirituality, bodies, death rituals & chaplaincy
- 54:00 — Parting wisdom: why Jewish learning is the antidote
Topics Discussed:
- The history of Israel’s founding: land purchased at inflated prices, UN partition, war, refugees on all sides and why Israel is not founded on some unique “original sin”
- Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and why Palestinians are treated as a unique, multi-generational refugee category in a way that has harmed both Palestinians and Israelis.
- Qatar’s influence and money in U.S. universities and how that has influenced academic discourse on Israel.
- Why Sarah, as a proud Zionist and proud American, rejects the idea that Jews can’t be loyal Americans.
- What “chosenness” really means in Jewish tradition (spoiler: not racial superiority)
- The Jewish idea that every person is created b’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God) and how that idea helped shape the moral core of American democracy
- How chavruta (study partnership) and argument “for the sake of heaven” sharpens thinking and deepens truth—illustrated live in Polina, Yelena, and Sarah’s back-and-forth
- What’s next for Sarah
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If you enjoyed this episode, you may like these conversations:
- Our previous podcast with Sarah discussing her first book, Here All Along
- Brandy Shufutinsky on the Marxist Roots of Ethic Studies
- Rabbi Steve Leder, History, Faith , DEI, Ethics, Anxiety and Awe
- Sophia Khalifa, Bedouin Muslim Israeli Engineer Shares Why She Became an Acivitist for Israel
- Dumisani Washinton, Pastor, CEO and Author of Zionism and the Black Church
- Soviet Anti-Semitism with Izabala Tabarosky,
- Erin Molan Fearless Reporter and Advocate for Humanity
