About Sarah
For nearly 15 years, Sarah Hurwitz built a career finding just the right words. She served as a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, first as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Sarah worked with Mrs. Obama to craft widely-acclaimed addresses and traveled with her across America and to five continents.
Prior to working in the White House, Sarah was in the thick of political campaigns – serving as the chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign and deputy chief speechwriter for Senator John Kerry in 2004 and General Wesley Clark in 2003.
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Her days were long, her deadlines tight, and her job was to help others express their deepest convictions in words that could rise above the noise.
Then, at the age of thirty-six, after a tough breakup, Sarah heard about an intro to Judaism class at her local Jewish Community Center. A self-described lapsed Jew, she had always viewed Judaism more as a tedious obligation than a source of meaning. But on a whim, seeking distraction and an escape from her lonely apartment, she signed up.
To her astonishment, she discovered a tradition that is profound, wise, challenging, and alive. She encountered ancient practices that spoke to the challenges of modern life, a moral and ethical framework that felt urgently relevant, and conceptions of God beyond the judgy bearded man in the sky. This was a tradition that didn’t demand blind faith or perfect behavior, but invited deep questioning, honest wrestling, and committed striving to be not just a good person, but a great one.
That class led to others, and after years spent studying Jewish texts, wrestling with their complexities, and exploring how ancient Jewish wisdom can help us live better lives, Sarah embarked on a new career – as an author.
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Her first book, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) was a finalist for two National Jewish Book Awards and for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. Her second book, to be published in September of 2025, is entitled As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try To Erase Us.
Sarah has been profiled in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and The Guardian; interviewed on The Today Show, Morning Joe, and NPR; and named by The Forward as one of 50 Jews who impacted American life in 2016 and 2019.
Sarah is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and was a 2017 Fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard.
She has also completed chaplaincy training and volunteers as a chaplain at a hospital near her home in Washington, DC – a sacred space where she listens to people’s stories rather than writing them. This part of her life is less about perfect phrasing and more about deep presence. But the heart of the work remains the same: to help people find meaning, dignity, and connection – through words, through their traditions, and through one another.
Illustration by Andrea Mongia
Sarah's Books
Sarah’s first book, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life—in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There), chronicled her rediscovery of Judaism with the same clarity and insight that defined her political writing. The book was named a finalist for two National Jewish Book Awards and for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature.
Her second book, As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us, will be published in September 2025. In it, she explores the many ways Jewish identity has been distorted by antisemitism and makes a powerful case for embracing a proud, bold, joyful Jewish identity.
Speaking
Sarah has spoken to hundreds of audiences across America and worldwide, including corporations, industry associations, law firms, non-profit organizations, Jewish organizations (synagogues, Federations, JCCs, foundations), and college campuses.
In her engaging, informative, and inspiring talks, Sarah explores the transformational and urgently relevant wisdom of Jewish tradition; unpacks antisemitism and the complexities of Jewish identity; offers a behind-the-scenes look at life in the White House; and helps people find their voices and craft compelling stories that break through the noise and change hearts and minds.
