In the wake of the harrowing events of October 7, 2023, Jewish students on campuses across the Western world have faced an unprecedented wave of hostility, with threats against their identity, heritage, and homeland. (Wicked Son, November 2024), edited by David Hazony, is a timely collection of essays by young Jewish thought leaders offering a vision for the Jewish future. The book’s foreword is written by Eylon Levy, co-founder of the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons' Office, host of the State of a Nation podcast, and former Israeli Government Spokesman.
The volume gathers a wide range of perspectives, all united by a common thread: the belief in the importance of Jewish identity, a strong bond to Israel, and the need for Zionist resilience in the face of rising anti-Semitism and political alienation. Young Zionist Voices is not merely a theoretical discussion but a blueprint for how the next generation must respond to an ever-changing and often hostile world. Among the voices included in this anthology are those of Straus Scholars Fayga Tziporah Pinczower (SCW ‘26) and Rebecca Guzman (SCW ‘27) both deeply engaged in Jewish life both on and off their campuses, and their contributions will be summarized below.
The collection has already garnered praise from prominent Jewish figures. Dara Horn, the author of People Love Dead Jews, remarks, “Reading this book is like taking all these brilliant young people out for coffee—and then listening, in silent awe, as they articulate their visions for the future. In a time of horror, here’s some fantastic news: The Jewish future is in good hands.” Yossi Klein Halevi, author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, concurs, stating, “As this essential collection of thoughtful and inspiring essays reveals, our future leadership is already emerging. This book is a gift of hope.”
Fayga Tziporah Pinczower: Rediscovering True Jewish Identity
Fayga Tziporah Pinczower’s essay, titled “Never Let Others Define Us,” is a profound reflection upon the evolving relationship between Jews and their identity in the face of external pressures.
Her piece begins in Washington D.C. where she attended a conference convened a month after October 7, 2023 for Jewish students from across the country. Many shared stories of being physically intimidated, isolated, and harassed, and made repeated reference to their Jewish identity. Hearing these troubling anecdotes and the various formulations of Jewish identity compelled Fayga Tziporah to consider what the Jewish tradition has to say about this very subject. This marked a pivotal moment in her own exploration of what it means to be a Jew in today’s world, and she shares some of her conclusions.
Central to her thesis is the contrast between how others see and describe Jews and how Jews must define themselves:
The modern term “identity” hardly captures the depth offered by three thousand years of Jewish texts and tradition.
That’s why I suggest we Jews replace empty buzzwords like “indigenous” with ivri, or “Hebrew,” which reminds us of our forefather Abraham who dared to stand “across the river” while the rest of the world failed to see Truth; who deliberated with God to save fellow humans but ultimately accepted His will; who tirelessly spread knowledge of God and divine moral principles to mankind.
Similarly I refuse to replace yisrael, or Israel, with “minority” when that name was hard-won by Jacob after fiercely struggling with both man and God. I refuse to discard yehudi—which means both “Jew” and “Judean”—for “oppressed,” when the word reminds me that Mordechai, the ish yehudi, the Judean man, refused to bow to evil and understood that our miraculous existence depended on spiritual fortitude; and I refuse to abandon the mamlechet kohanim v’goy kadosh—the “kingdom of priests and a holy nation”—for “privilege,” when the former bonds me to sacred covenantal dignity and responsibility.
These words exemplify her argument that Jews must resist the temptation to define themselves based on external ideologies or political movements that fail to understand the true essence of Jewish identity. Rather, Jews must reclaim their original, divinely given names rooted in their relationship to God and the sources of the tradition.
Fayga Tziporah Pinczower's intellectual abilities, shown here in her defense of a Jewish identity rooted in the Jewish tradition, is complemented by her legal research and advocacy on behalf of the Jewish community. She has interned with organizations such as KnowUS, where she engaged in research on the battles facing yeshivas and school choice policies in the United States. She interned as well at The Becket Fund and the Heritage Foundation through the Tikvah Beren Summer Fellowship, which reflect her commitment to religious liberty and her deep belief in the need to protect both Jewish identity and rights in American society.
Rebecca Guzman: A Call for Courageous Affirmation
Rebecca Guzman’s essay, ay It Loud: Judaism Is Zionism,” stands as a passionate reaffirmation of the inextricable link between Jewish identity and Zionism. Guzman shares a distressing, personal account of the terror attack on October 7, 2023, while in Jerusalem with her family. She then shares her reflection upon the deep connection that has bound her Jewish identity to Israel.
Rebecca underscores that for many Jews, the State of Israel is not just a political entity, but a fundamental part of their very existence. She critiques the growing anti-Zionist rhetoric within certain Jewish circles as fatally flawed, urging Jews everywhere to embrace Zionism as integral to their survival and identity.
After calling out some of the obscenities of the virulently anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace, she writes:
Jews who reject Zionism are rejecting the premise that Jews should have a state where they can live without being persecuted. Perhaps it is possible to believe, in the comfort of one’s San Francisco home or Camden flat, that the game has ended, and we can finally stop running. Centuries have passed since the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, and we are generations removed from the gas chambers and death camps of the Holocaust. Perhaps it is possible to believe that we do not need to be Zionists anymore.
But if Hamas’s calculated acts of savagery on October 7, and the world’s response since then, have proven anything, it is that the game is not over. Those who hate Israel do not, for the most part, exclude Jews from their hatred. Zionism is inherent to Jewish identity, and no amount of anti-Zionist Jews can change this truthful perception.
She then goes on to say:
Regardless of one’s qualms with the Israeli government or disillusionment with Judaism itself, in order for the Jewish people to have a future in the Diaspora and in their historic homeland, Zionism must once again become intrinsic to Jewish identity. We must value ourselves, we must prioritize our statehood, and we must accept the challenge of defining our identity.
Rebecca Guzman is no stranger to eloquent prose. She is studying Creative Writing at Stern College for Women and is a participant in the Tablet Fellowship, a collaboration between Tablet Magazine and the Straus Center. She has written for Jewish Journal and The Jewish Press, and her writing has been recognized by the National Council of Teachers of English and The New York Times. On campus, she is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maccabee Review at ӣ and Junior Opinions Editor of the YU Commentator. She hopes to merge her passion for creative writing and Jewish ideas, dedicating herself to telling meaningful Jewish stories.
A Shared Commitment
The essays by Ms. Pinczower and Ms. Guzman contribute to a central theme in the volume: the importance of reclaiming Jewish identity in a world that is often hostile to it. They are part of a broader movement of young Jews who are affirming what it means to be Zionist in a time of crisis—advocating for the future of the Jewish people and for the survival and flourishing of Israel itself. These two Straus Scholars, with their thoughtful essays and activism, are clear examples of the type of leadership that will guide the Jewish community through the challenges of the next generation.
