In response to the horrors of Hamas’ massacre on October 7th and the ensuing war in Israel, the Zahava and Moshael Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought has been outspoken in its defense of the Jewish state, publishing writings and op-eds across several leading publications. Straus Scholar Fayga Tziporah Pinczower (SCW '26), in her first semester on campus at Stern College for Women, has been leading the charge. Ms. Pinczower, a political science and philosophy major, has been published three times in The Wall Street Journal since October 7th, a tremendous accomplishment that raises the impact and profile of the Straus Center and the wider Yeshiva University community.
In her first letter to the editor on October 27th, 2023, Ms. Pinczower addressed reports that falsely blamed Israel for bombing the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, arguing forcefully that “facts have never interfered with an anti-Semitic agenda.” Charging that “the mask of objective journalism has been ripped from many on the left,” Ms. Pinczower called on Israel to change course. “I hope Israel abandons any hope of appeasing public opinion, and does whatever it takes to protect its people,” she wrote.
On November 27th, 2023, in her second letter to the editor, Ms. Pinczower commented on the pervasive anti-Semitism now being experienced by Gen Z Jews in the wake of October 7. “Anti-Semitism isn’t a relic of my grandparents’ past,” she lamented. Her letter went on to highlight the powerful advocacy of young Jews in response to the massacre and ensuing war. Ms. Pinczower leaves her readers with a powerful call to action: “Our complacency has been transformed into a compulsion—to act, scream and protect our future…We will continue to galvanize each other in prayer, advocacy and aid.”
In addition to her letters to the editor, Ms. Pinczower was also published in the Wall Street Journal’s “Future View” opinion column on November 28th, 2023. In her commanding piece on the dominance of cultural Marxism and victimhood ideologies on American college campuses, Ms. Pinczower exposes the “rampant moral depravity” and “rising rejection of American values” at elite universities across the country. “We can combat the putrefaction of Western values in our existing universities or create new ones,” Ms. Pinczower insists, “[if] the silent majority finds its voice, we may preserve our common humanity and restore pride in our American values.”
When she’s not writing, Ms. Pinczower serves as a Legal Intern at Agudath Israel of America Headquarters, participates in the Tikvah Fund’s Collegiate Forum, and is an AIPAC campus leader at YU.
