December 08, 2022

White House Speechwriter for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, Sarah Hurwitz Shares Her Story and What Led Her to Write the book Here All Along

48 minutes

Are you curious about the process of writing a speech for the President of the United States? During 2017 - 2019, Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. In our conversation, she shares what it was like to write speeches for the Obamas and the career path that led her to speechwriting. We also discuss how a decision to take a beginner's class on Judaism led Sarah down a transformational journey.

Sarah grew up culturally Jewish and didn't fully understand or connect to her religion until the fateful Intro to Judaism class changed everything. Sarah's book, Here All Along reveals what inspired her to continue learning about Jewish wisdom ranging from holidays, rituals, and prayer to Jewish conceptions of God, death, and social justice. If you are a cultural Jew or just interested in learning about Judaism, we think you will appreciate the wisdom in Sarah's book. We also discuss Sara's latest part time job as a hospital chaplain and the meaning it has brought to her life.

Topics Discussed: (06:11) The amount of time you have for each speech totally depends on the occasion (08:48) You worked on President Obama's college commencement speech in 2009 (13:57) How taking a course in Judaism at a DC community center changed yourn life (17:17) How long did it take you to write? (22:30) Your book discusses gossip and how it can affect people's lives (29:11) Becoming a well trained chaplain (34:35) How do you go about getting your book published? (35:52) One of the Jewish spiritual practices is spontaneous personal prayer (38:42) What do your parents and the rest of your family feel about this newfound devotion (41:19) Early stories of Israelites that were flawed (45:51) Do you think going down this path has improved your life

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