Michael Levitt, 76, is a South African-born biophysicist and a professor of structural biology at Stanford University, a position he has held since 1987. (Levitt holds South African, American, British, and Israeli citizenships.) He received the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, together with Martin Karplus and Arieh Warshel (both Jewish), for “the development of multiscale…
When adjusted for relative population size (Israel and the U.S.), the 1,400 Israelis murdered in the Hamas terror attack on 10/7 are equivalent to approximately 46,000 Americans — more than 15 times the toll of the Al-Qaeda attack on 9/11. It is a shocking, incomprehensible loss for Israel and the Jewish people. We at…
Eric Weinstein, 58, is a brilliant intellectual with a PhD in mathematical physics from Harvard. He is also a hedge fund director and podcast host. The Portal, his podcast, is a self-described “journey of discovery. It is wide ranging and deep diving discussions with distinguished guests from the realms of science, culture, and business.” Weinstein…
Reuben and Rose Mattus (both deceased) were Polish-Jewish immigrant entrepreneurs who founded the creamier, higher-end Häagen-Dazs ice cream brand in 1960/1961. In part, the name chosen was the Danish-sounding ‘Häagen-Dazs’ as a tribute to Denmark’s exemplary treatment of its Jews during the Second World War — incorporating an umlaut which doesn’t exist in Danish, and…
The Maui wildfires of 2023 were a series of fires that burned parts of the island of Maui. The fires, which began on August 8, struck hardest the historic resort town of Lahaina, on Maui’s western peninsula, reducing most of the town to ash and ruins. Ninety-eight people were killed in Lahaina by the smoke…
Jodi Rudoren, 52, has been editor-in-chief of the iconic Jewish news publication The Forward since September 2019. She is a veteran reporter, editor, and digital innovator who spent more than two decades at The New York Times, including nearly four years as its Jerusalem bureau chief. Under her leadership, journalists at The Forward have won…
Max Weinberg , 72, is a drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O’Brien on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. In 2014, Weinberg was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of…
Brett Goldstein, 43, is a British actor, comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. He is best-known for his role as Roy Kent in the Apple TV+ sports comedy series Ted Lasso, for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for each of the show’s first two seasons. In…
Dean Kremer (pronounced KRAY-mer) is a 27-year-old Israeli–American pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles. (Both his parents are Israeli.) He made his MLB debut in September 2020. Previously, Kremer pitched for the Team USA baseball team in the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a gold medal. Members of Kremer’s extended family live in Israel, a…
At the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, billionaire businessman and philanthropist David Rubenstein (74, pictured right)) interviewed acclaimed biographer and journalist Walter Isaacson (71) about six geniuses Isaacson has profiled in best-selling biographies: Henry Kissinger, Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Leonardo DaVinci, Albert Einstein, and — most recently–– Elon Musk. It made for…
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