Judaism Unbound Podcast Episode 512: Antisemitism Beyond Christian Hegemony - Sarah Hurwitz
Dan and Lex are joined by Sarah Hurwitz, author of a recently-published book entitled As a Jew, which explores ways in which antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity -- and how Jews can reclaim their tradition. This episode is the second in a short mini-series on antisemitism, following up on a conversation last week with Daniel May.
[1] Learn more about Sarah Hurwitz here, and learn more about her two books (Here All Along and As a Jew) via this link.
[2] Early in the episode, Hurwitz mentions the ways in which early American reformers of Judaism, and early Zionists, each felt strong negative feelings toward many aspects of Jewish tradition. For an exploration of early Zionists’ ideas, related to this, see Mazel Mones’s ShavuotLIVE presentation from 2024 entitled Diasporic Deviance and Misfit Mysticism.
[3] Hurwitz references being able to relate to some of the beautiful elements ancient sacrifices at the temple in Jerusalem, while still holding opposition to them in other respects. For an episode exploring this as a major theme, see Episode 153: Fiction Between Worlds - Ruby Namdar.
[4] The notion of “bad Jews” arises in this conversation, and Hurwitz articulates strong opposition to usage of the term to describe any Jews (we agree!). For previous Judaism Unbound episodes looking at that, see any of the following:
[5] Lex references hermeneutics of suspicion and hermeneutics of generosity — two contrasting ways of approaching text interpretation that are both important. For an article exploring this in further detail, click here.
[6] For more on questions about Israel-Palestine discourse on college campuses, including in relationship to Hillel chapters (mentioned at the end of this conversation) see Episode 126: Open Hillel - Rachel Sandalow-Ash, Eva Ackerman.