Ordained in 2011 by the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs is the spiritual leader of Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, Maine. She is the inaugural holder of the Dorothy “Bibby” Levine Alfond chair in Jewish Studies at Colby College, in Waterville. In addition, she’s the Executive Director of the Center for Small Town Jewish…
Philip Glass, 86, is a renowned composer and pianist, widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass’s work has been associated with minimalism, being built up from repetitive phrases and shifting layers. He has written 15 operas, numerous chamber operas and musical theatre works, 14 symphonies, 12 concertos,…
It’s hard to believe, but there was a Jewish-Israeli professional wrestler and bodybuilder who later became an ordained Orthodox rabbi. Rafael Halperin (1924-2011) also excelled at weightlifting and karate. He entered competitions and became the Israeli national champion in karate, boxing, and bodybuilding. (In 1950, Halperin organized Israel’s first “Mr. Israel” bodybuilders competition.) Finally, he…
Charles “Chuck” Schumer, 73, has served as U.S. Senate Majority Leader since 2021 and the senior United States senator from New York since 1999. A member of the Democratic Party, he has led the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2017 and was Senate Minority Leader from 2017 to 2021. On Nov. 29, Schumer delivered a powerful…
WOW! FACTS
Inventor of the mobile phone, “Father of the Internet,” inventor of the video game cosole, inventor fo the laser, inventor of the gramophone, creator of the Barbie Doll, creator of the cruise ship, “Father of Immunology,” inventor fo the modern condom (!), a prime minister of the U.K., a three-time prime minister of France, a president of Switzerland and the primary financier of the American Revolution?
We knew you could guess… all of them are (or were) Jews!
To learn about these and many more AmazingJews, watch a compilation put together by JewOfTheWeek.net in 2015 and posted on YouTube. >>
Nobel Prizes
Although Jews are less than two-tenths of one percent of the world’s population, more than 20% of Nobel Prize winners have been Jewish. Source: Google
Polio Vaccine
Millions and millions of people worldwide have been spared the ravages of poliomyelitis — including paralysis and even death — thanks to research conducted by Jewish scientist Dr. Jonas Salk and his team. The Salk vaccine entered widespread use in the U.S. in 1955. Source: Wikipedia
Miss Liberty
The words “…give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…” on the Statue of Liberty were written by Emma Lazarus, a Jew. Source: BuzzFeed
Blue Jeans
Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Germany, invented his blue jeans in 1873. Source: BuzzFeed
Start-Up Nation
Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world. It has the highest rate of entrepreneurship among women and people over 55 in the world. Source: BuzzFeed