And these other Jewish people weren’t Chopped liver
All the people in the list that follows were significant, influential, important. They are just were not, in our view, as significant, influential or important as the 20 people who just made our list of the 20 Most Significant Jews in History.
These Jews, sprinkled throughout history, deserve mention, however, and below they get it. Here are the runners-up to our Top 20 list. In a number of cases, they missed the list by just a fraction and if we did it again, one or two of them might rise up after more careful consideration to the higher list.
What do you think? Are any of the following more deserving? Or are they not deserving at all? Who did we leave out?
Madeleine Albright
First female U.S. Secretary of State.
Lauren Bacall
Legendary actress known for her husky voice and classic Hollywood films.
Irving Berlin
One of America’s greatest songwriters; composed classics like "White Christmas" and "God Bless America."
Louis Brandeis
The first Jewish Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court; champion of privacy rights and free speech.
George Burns
Beloved comedian and actor known for his long career in entertainment.
Roy Cohn
We said significant. We did not say exemplary or even decent. Preaching the gospel of never-admitting-a-mistake, retribution, and dishonesty, Cohn helped Joseph McCarthy and Donald Trump achieve full nastiness and destructiveness. Though he was gay when that was a curse, it does not excuse the malevolence and its consequences for the United States.
Howard Cosell
Influential American sports journalist and broadcaster.
Sammy Davis Jr.
Multi-talented entertainer; singer, dancer, and actor, member of the Rat Pack.
Alfred Dreyfus
His case in 1894 exposed the depth of European anti-Semitism. A French artillery officer, he was wrongfully convicted of treason for allegedly communicating military secrets to Germany. Sent to Devil’s Island, his real "crime" was his Jewish heritage. Emile Zola’s “J’Accuse…!” letter ignited the case internationally, highlighting widespread scapegoating of Jews.
Benjamin Disraeli
British Prime Minister and only Jewish-born British leader (although he converted to Anglicanism).
George and Ira Gershwin
Musical brothers: George, a composer ("Rhapsody in Blue"), and Ira, a lyricist.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Iconic U.S. Supreme Court Justice and champion for gender equality.
Marty Glickman
Jewish-American athlete and broadcaster; denied the chance to run in the 1936 Berlin Olympics due to anti-Semitism.
Ben Hecht
Perhaps Hollywood’s top screenwriter and rewriter. Also among the first to recognize the Nazi threat and to mobilize efforts to rescue European Jews.
Scarlett Johansson
Acclaimed actress known for "Lost in Translation," "Marriage Story," and Marvel’s "Black Widow."
Henry Kissinger
Former U.S. Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize-winning diplomat.
Sandy Koufax
Hall of Fame baseball pitcher who famously refused to pitch during Yom Kippur.
Hedy Lamarr
Actress and inventor; her innovations helped pave the way for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
Meyer Lansky
Known as “the mob’s accountant,” he was one of the most powerful figures in 20th-century organized crime.
Emma Lazarus
Wrote the iconic poem on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Jerry Lewis
Legendary comedian, actor, and humanitarian known for his telethons for muscular dystrophy.
Sid Luckman
Hall of Fame NFL quarterback for the Chicago Bears; revolutionized passing in football.
Joe Lieberman
Former U.S. Senator and first Jewish candidate on a major-party presidential ticket (2000 VP candidate with Al Gore).
Bernie Madoff
Infamous financier who orchestrated the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Jackie Mason
Borscht Belt comedian who later found success on Broadway and television.
Golda Meir
The first—and so far only—female Israeli Prime Minister.
Bess Myerson
The first Jewish Miss America.
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Physicist known as the "father of the atomic bomb."
Don Rickles
Legendary insult comedian and actor.
The Rothschild Family
Long the richest family in Europe, the Rothschilds built their fortune through banking and business in many countries over multiple centuries.
Adam Sandler
Comedian, actor, and musician known for his "Saturday Night Live" characters and hit movies like "The Wedding Singer."
Sheryl Sandberg
Tech executive and author of "Lean In"; former Chief Operating Officer of Facebook (Meta).
Jonas Salk
Invented the first successful polio vaccine and refused to patent it for profit.
Sarah Silverman
Comedian, actress, and writer known for her satirical and boundary-pushing humor.
Mark Spitz
Swimmer who won 7 gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
George Soros
Billionaire investor, philanthropist and supporter of liberal and democratic causes worldwide.
Barbra Streisand
Iconic singer, actress and filmmaker; among the best-selling music artists in history.
Jon Stewart
Comedian, political commentator and longtime host of "The Daily Show."
Leon Trotsky
Russian revolutionary, Marxist theorist and a leading figure in the Bolshevik Revolution.
Salome Alexandra
The only woman to rule Judea during the Second Temple period, and the last ruler before Roman domination.
Vladimir Zelensky
Current President of Ukraine; former actor and comedian who rose to international prominence leading Ukraine during wartime.
Lehman Brothers
Jewish immigrants who built an investment bank with money originally earned through the sale of southern cotton to mills up north. Their investment house’s 2008 collapse triggered a global financial crisis.