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Why was my Jewish identity so apologetic and humiliating?, Obama speechwriter asks in new book

JL;DR SUMMARY Sarah Hurwitz's new book, "As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us," delves into the complexities of Jewish identity amidst contemporary challenges such as rising antisemitism and debates over Israel. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish TraditionJewish IdentityJewish TextsLiberal ZionismSarah HurwitzTextlineHospital Chaplain

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"We spoke at a livestreamed Folio event presented by the New York Jewish Week and UJA-Federation of New York."
Washington DC, United States
"The book also draws on her recent training and experience as a hospital chaplain, volunteering on the oncology floor of a hospital in the Washington, D.C. area, where she lives."
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
"Hurwitz, 44, is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School."
Israel
"The alternative you propose, in order for Jews to embrace their own story, is that they embrace the textline, which you call the repository of our Jewish memory, the raw material for the story we tell about who we are. I am not familiar with textline how does it differ from text? This is actually from [the late Israeli novelist] Amos Oz, and his daughter, historian Fania Oz-Salzberger."

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Retrieved 2025-10-14 05:31:04 UTC
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