Masha Gessen is a world-renowned Russian-American Jewish author, journalist, and non-binary activist. A staff writer for The New Yorker and winner of the National Book Award, they are celebrated for their incisive analysis of authoritarianism and the politics of memory.
Gessen is one of the most influential public intellectuals today, with major works including The Man Without a Face and The Future Is History. Their career is dedicated to using masterful non-fiction writing to expose the nature of power and how individuals survive within oppressive systems. As a Jewish intellectual, Gessen has made controversial yet enlightening contributions to understanding how Holocaust memory is utilized in contemporary politics.
In recent years, Gessen has been at the center of discourse for their sharp criticism of Israeli policy. In late 2023, they published the long-form essay In the Shadow of the Holocaust in The New Yorker, drawing a historical comparison between the Gaza Strip and Jewish ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe. While sparking significant controversy, the piece was lauded by many progressives. Gessen wrote: “We must have the courage to apply the lessons of history to the present, even when the comparison is painful. ‘Never Again’ should mean ‘Never Again for anyone’.” Despite facing pressures, including threats to academic awards, Gessen maintains that intellectuals must retain moral autonomy and refuse to use Jewish identity as a passport to support military occupation.