{"podcast":{"title":"The Five Books: Jewish Authors on the Books That Shaped Them","slug":"the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649","podcast_index_feed_id":7105649,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/TPG5767073783","website_url":"https://www.fivebookspod.org/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/f4455e5c-a100-11ef-8f4b-5bef350a0955/image/1e4a6b77a187fd738e31e8c0f8dc7ebd.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Tali Rosenblatt Cohen","episode_count":60,"summary":"The Five Books celebrates the role of books in our lives. Each week we’ll talk with a Jewish author about five books in five categories. We’ll hear about: two Jewish books that have impacted the author’s Jewish identity; one book (not necessarily Jewish) that they think everyone should read - a book that changed their worldview. We’ll get a peek into what book they're reading now, and we’ll hear the inside scoop on the new book they’ve just published. The Five Books creates a space for all listeners to explore what it means to live, write, and read as a Jewish American today.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T16:20:27.051592+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649"},"episode":{"title":"Sarah Hurwitz on Reclaiming Our Jewish Story","slug":"sarah-hurwitz-on-reclaiming-our-jewish-story","published_at":"2025-09-16T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/sarah-hurwitz-on-reclaiming-our-jewish-story","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG2858645425.mp3?updated=1757614824","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/51/tracking.swap.fm/track/tcQd6Q6C0RUUlOHq1Ytj/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/TPG2858645425.mp3?updated=1757614824","summary":"As Rosh Hashanah approaches - a time of reflection, renewal, and returning to our deepest selves - I can’t think of a better moment to listen to (and read) Sarah Hurwitz. Best known as a White House speechwriter, Sarah has turned her extraordinary gift with words inward, asking essential questions about how we have constructed our Jewish identities in her new book, As A Jew. Together we explore everything from why Jewish law insists on the tiniest ethical details to why “I don’t know” can be a profound prayer, and how the health of the Jewish ‘body’ depends on honoring all its parts. It’s a conversation about seeing one another more clearly, exactly the kind of soul work the High Holidays call us to do. At thirty-six, Sarah Hurwitz was a typical lapsed Jew. On a whim, she attended an introduction to Judaism class that sparked a journey of discovery that transformed her life. Years later, as Hurwitz wrestled with what it means to be Jewish at a time of rising antisemitism, she wondered: Where had the Judaism she discovered as an adult been all her life? And why had her Jewish identity consisted of a series of caveats and apologies: I’m Jewish, but not that Jewish . . . I’m just a cultural Jew . . . a little different, but not in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable. Seeking answers, she discovered how hateful myths about Jewish power, depravity, and conspiracy have worn a neural groove deep into the world’s psyche, shaping not just how others think about Jews, but how Jews think about themselves. She soon realized that the Jewish identity she’d thought was freely chosen was actually the result of thousands of years of antisemitism and two centuries of Jews erasing parts of themselves and their tradition in the hope of being accepted and safe. In As a Jew, Hurwitz…","meta_description":"As Rosh Hashanah approaches - a time of reflection, renewal, and returning to our deepest selves - I can’t think of a better moment to listen to (and read…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3148,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/episodes/sarah-hurwitz-on-reclaiming-our-jewish-story/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-five-books-jewish-authors-on-the-books-that-shaped-them-7105649/sarah-hurwitz-on-reclaiming-our-jewish-story.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}