Here All Along

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by Sarah Hurwitz

A well-known political wordsmith rediscovers Judaism, discovering timeless wisdom and spiritual connection in its long-forgotten rites and traditions.

Sarah Hurwitz decided to use her skills as a communicator to write a book... about Judaism, after a decade as a political speechwriter—serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama, a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign. No one is more taken aback than she is.

Hurwitz was the classic lapsed Jew until, at the age of 36, she came upon an advertising for an introduction class on Judaism following a difficult separation. She went on a whim and was blown away by what she discovered: beautiful rituals, practical advice on living an ethical life, and conceptions of God that went beyond the judgy bearded man in the sky—none of which she had learned in Hebrew school or during the two synagogue services she grudgingly attended each year. Hurwitz spent years visiting rabbis' offices, attending Jewish meditation retreats, sitting at Orthodox families' Shabbat dinners, and reading hundreds of books about Judaism, all in the pursuit of answers to her most pressing problems. What she discovered changed her life, and she pondered why there was such a disparity between the depth of what Judaism had to give and how so many Jews, including herself, perceive and feel it.

Sarah Hurwitz is on a quest to bridge this divide by sharing the deep insights she's gained on topics ranging from Jewish holidays, ethics, and prayer to Jewish ideas of God, death, and social justice. She tells us why Judaism matters and how its message is more relevant than ever in this engaging and accessible book, and she motivates Jews to do the necessary learning, questioning, and debate to make this religion their own.