(José Niño, Headline USA) Sarah Hurwitz, who crafted speeches for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, told an audience that Jews were forced to dominate Hollywood and banking because of discrimination, declaring that antisemites “made us do that.”
In remarks captured on social media, Hurwitz addressed the persistent stereotype about Jewish control of Hollywood with a surprising response. “You made us do that!” she declared during a previous appearance on Jewish Women’s Archive, suggesting that historical discrimination forced Jews into the entertainment industry.
In a video that circulated on Twitter/X, she extended the same logic to banking, framing Jewish success in finance as a defensive reaction to antisemitism rather than a matter of choice or ambition.
Former Obama speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz says Jews were forced to "control Hollywood."
"You made us do that!"
She says the same goes for banking. pic.twitter.com/8QDLZYBKrH
— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) November 21, 2025
But her most incendiary remarks emerged at the Z3 Conference earlier this month, where she spoke about the challenges of defending Israeli military actions while images from Gaza circulate globally. “I’m sorry if this is a graphic thing to say, but when I’m trying to make arguments in favor for Israel, I’m talking through a wall of dead children,” Hurwitz told the conference attendees.
Sarah Hurwitz tells Z3 Conference that Jewish schools should ban smartphones to keep youths from seeing the carnage in Gaza: "I'm sorry if this is a graphic thing to say, but … when I'm trying to make arguments in favor for Israel … I'm talking through a wall of dead children." pic.twitter.com/dLLW6rdbE2
— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) November 21, 2025
She proposed a radical solution for Jewish educational institutions. Hurwitz suggested that Jewish day schools should prohibit smartphones entirely, preventing students from viewing footage of the carnage in Gaza on their devices.
These statements followed her appearance at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly, where she argued that Holocaust education has backfired by teaching young people to side with perceived underdogs. She complained that social media platforms bombard youth with violent imagery that undermines pro-Israel advocacy.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
