Sarah Hurwitz in conversation with Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker
via Zoom with Q and A from the audience
Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Sarah wrote the book, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There), about her journey into Judaism.
Curious?
RSVP. (You can hide in the background of Zoom 😊).
Intrigued?
Read the book in advance! You can purchase a copy through Mount Zion for $18 or buy an audio version.
Ok, ready to dip my toe in a bit more….
Join us for a one-time book club discussion about Here All Along led by MZ clergy and staff. Mark your calendars! You can pick a demographic, but everyone is welcome to attend any discussion.
November 15, 8:00 pm
Open to All (Led by Shai Avny) Register here.
November 16, 7:00 pm
Three Groups:
- Those who have participated in MZ travels (Led by Cantor Spilker) Register here.
- College students (Led by Sue Summit) Register here.
- Teens (Led by Abby Gore) Register here.
November 17, 7:00 pm
Empty Nesters (Led by Rabbi Adler) Register here.
November 18, 7:00 pm
- Young Adults (Led by Rabbi Spilker) Register here.
- Parents of young and school age children (Led by Cantor Strauss-Klein) Register here.
Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism
(After Finally Choosing to Look There)
Hurwitz was the quintessential lapsed Jew—until, at age thirty-six, after a tough breakup, she happened upon an advertisement for an introductory class on Judaism. She attended on a whim, but was blown away by what she found: beautiful rituals, helpful guidance on living an ethical life, conceptions of God 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. That class led to a years-long journey during which Hurwitz visited the offices of rabbis, attended Jewish meditation retreats, sat at the Shabbat tables of Orthodox families, and read hundreds of books about Judaism—all in dogged pursuit of answers to her biggest questions. What she found transformed her life, and she wondered: How could there be such a gap between the richness of what Judaism offers and the way so many Jews like her understand and experience it?
Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Sarah wrote this book, “Here all along,” about her journey into Judaism.
