The 28th Annual Gates of Chai Lectureship in Contemporary Judaism "Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life: A Conversation with Sarah Hurwitz on Judaism, Flourishing, and Meaning," will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in the Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom. The event is free, but preregistration is required. Please CLICK HERE to register.

Sarah Hurwitz is the author of Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There)—which was a finalist for two National Jewish Book Awards and for the Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature—and of As A Jew: Reclaiming Our Story From Those Who Shame, Blame, and Try To Erase Us, which won the Natan Notable Book Award. She was a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as head speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Prior to working in the White House, Hurwitz was the chief speechwriter for Hillary Clinton on her 2008 presidential campaign. She 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. Hurwitz is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School and has completed training to be a chaplain, which she does on a volunteer basis at a hospital near her home.