List of Jews
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This page is a list of people identified as Jews, either by themselves or by others. "Jewishness" has the meanings both of "adherence to the religion of Judaism" and "membership in the ethnic group 'Jews'". People of both groups are listed here.
This page does not differentiate between Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism or Reconstructionist Judaism. It also does not take into account whether those listed acknowledge their Jewish identity or origins. Many may have spent their lives disguising their Jewish origins, and married gentile (non-Jewish) spouses. In many cases the individuals listed may have only one Jewish parent. They may have never practiced Judaism, and may even have adopted another faith, or may be secular or atheist.
Performing arts
Actors / actresses
- Anouk Aimee, French actress
- Woody Allen, US actor, film director
- Jason Alexander, US actor, known from Seinfeld
- Patricia Arquette, US actress
- Bea Arthur, US actress, known from Maude and The Golden Girls
- Ed Asner, US actor
- Lauren Bacall, US actress
- Barbara Bain, US actress, known from Mission Impossible
- Theda Bara, US actress
- Richard Belzer, US actor and comedian
- Sandra Bernhard, US actress
- Sarah Bernhardt, French actress
- Joey Bishop, US actor, member of the Rat Pack
- Jack Black, US actor and rock musician
- Mel Blanc, US cartoon voice actor
- Selma Blair, US actress
- Yasmine Bleeth, US actress
- Lisa Bonet, US actress, known from The Cosby Show
- Ernest Borgnine, US actor
- Tom Bosley, US actor
- Albert Brooks, US actor
- Mel Brooks, US comedian, filmmaker
- James Caan, US actor
- Dyan Cannon, US actress
- Kate Capshaw, US actress
- Nell Carter, US actress
- Jill Clayburgh, US Oscar-nominated actress
- Joan Collins, British actress, known from Dynasty
- Billy Crystal, US actor and comedian
- Jamie Lee Curtis, US actress
- Tony Curtis, US actor
- Larry David, US actor and comedy writer
- Sammy Davis Jr, US actor and performer (converted)
- Kirk Douglas, US actor
- Richard Dreyfuss, US actor
- Fran Drescher, US actress
- Peter Falk, US actor
- Itzik Feffer, Russian Yiddish actor
- Corey Feldman, US actor
- Norman Fell, US actor
- Harvey Fierstein, US actor
- Carrie Fisher, US actress, star of Star Wars movies
- Harrison Ford, US actor, mother is Jewish
- Al Franken, US actor and comedy writer
- Bonnie Franklin, US actress, known from One Day at a Time
- Allen Funt, US TV personality, creator of Candid Camera
- Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born US actress
- Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-born US actress
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, US actress
- Estelle Getty, US actress, known from Golden Girls
- Melissa Gilbert, US actress, known from Little House on the Prairie
- Judith Godreche, French actress
- Jeff Goldblum, US actor
- Seth Green, US actor
- Jennifer Grey, US actress
- Joel Grey, US actor
- Charles Grodin, US actor
- Steve Gutenberg, US actor
- Nina Hartley, adult film actress
- Goldie Hawn, US actress
- Judd Hirsch, US actor
- Dustin Hoffman, US actor
- Judy Holliday, US Oscar-winning actress
- John Houseman, Romanian-born US actor
- Kate Hudson, US actress, daughter of Goldie Hawn
- Amy Irving, US actress
- Ron Jeremy, US adult film actor
- Al Jolson, US singer, actor, early sound film star
- Carolyn Jones, US actress, known from The Addams Family
- Madeline Kahn, US actress
- Gabriel Kaplan, US actor
- Andy Kaufman, US actor and comedian
- Danny Kaye, US actor, dancer, and singer
- Harvey Keitel, US actor
- Jack Klugman, US actor
- Lisa Kudrow, US actress
- Rikki Lake, US actress
- Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born US actress
- Michael Landon US Actor
- Juliet Landau, US actress
- Martin Landau, US actor
- Piper Laurie, US actress
- Linda Lavin, US actress
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, US actress
- Gloria Leonard, adult film actress
- Eugene Levy, US actor
- Al Lewis, US actor, Grandpa on The Munsters
- Shari Lewis, US actress, known as companion of Lambchop
- Hal Linden, US actor
- Jonathan Lipnicki, US child actor
- Peggy Lipton, US actress, known from the Mod Squad
- Peter Lorre, US actor
- Traci Lords, adult film actress
- Tina Louise, US actress
- Jon Lovitz, US actor and comedian
- Ali MacGraw, US actress
- Marlee Matlin, US Oscar-winning deaf actress
- Benjamin Masten, US radio personality (Audience of Two)
- Walter Matthau, US actor
- Solomon Mikhoels, Russian Yiddish actor
- Bette Midler, US singer and actress
- Marilyn Monroe, US actress (converted)
- Rick Moranis, Canadian actor
- Bess Myerson, US TV entertainer
- Judd Nelson, US actor, member of the Brat Pack
- Laraine Newman, US actress, known from Saturday Night Live
- Paul Newman, US actor
- Leonard Nimoy, US actor, known from Star Trek
- Sharon Osbourne, US actress, wife of Ozzy Osbourne
- Gwyneth Paltrow, US actress
- Sara Jessica Parker, US actress
- Rhea Perlman, US actress
- Suzanne Pleshette, US actress
- Kevin Pollack, US actor
- Tracy Pollan, US actress
- Natalie Portman, US actress
- Rachel, French actress
- Gilda Radner, US actress, known from Saturday Night Live
- Harold Ramis, US actor
- Harry Reems, adult film actor (born Herbert Streicher)
- Roseanne, US actress
- Winona Ryder, US actress
- Emma Samms, British actress, known from Dynasty
- Adam Sandler, US actor/comedian
- Laura Schlessinger, US radio personality
- William Shatner, Canadian actor, known from Star Trek
- Ally Sheedy, US actress
- Dinah Shore, US actress
- Simone Signoret, French actress
- Jaclyn Smith, US actress, original Charlie's Angels
- Rena Sofer, US actress
- Annie Sprinkle, adult film actress (born Ellen Steinberg)
- Howard Stern, US radio personality
- Barbara Streisand, US actress and singer
- David Suchet, British actor
- Elizabeth Taylor, British-born US actress (converted)
- Barbara Walters, US TV news personality
- Rachel Weisz, British actress
Comedians
- Jack Benny, US comedian
- Milton Berle, US comedian
- Fanny Brice, US comedienne
- Lenny Bruce, US satirist
- George Burns, US comedian
- Sid Caesar, US comedian
- Eddie Cantor US comedian, singer, entertainer
- Sacha Baron Cohen, British comedian (Ali G)
- Rodney Dangerfield, US comedian
- Marty Feldman, British comedian
- Larry Fine, US actor, one of the Three Stooges
- Gilbert Gottfried, US comedian
- Buddy Hackett, US comedian
- Curly Howard, US actor, one of the Three Stooges
- Moe Howard, US actor, one of the Three Stooges
- Shemp Howard, US actor, one of the Three Stooges
- Richard Lewis, US comedian
- Jerry Lewis, US actor and comedian
- Alan King, US Show business personality and comic
- Howie Mandel, Canadian comedian
- Marx Brothers, US actors
- Anne Meara, US comedienne and actress
- Joan Rivers, US comedian
- Jerry Seinfeld, US comedian
- Jon Stewart, US comedian
- Ben Stiller, US actor and comedian
Directors
- Stanley Kubrick, US director
- Branko Lustig, US-Croatian film director
- Roman Polanski, Polish director
- Steven Spielberg, US director
- Billy Wilder, Austrian-born US director
Hollywood bosses
- William Fox (20th Century Fox)
- Michael Eisner (Disney Studios)
- Sam Goldwyn, (the "G" in MGM)
- Jeffrey Katzenberg, movie producer
- Carl Laemmle
- Marcus Loew (MGM)
- Louis B. Mayer, (the "M" of MGM)
- Jack Warner (Warner Brothers)
- Lew Wasserman (Universal Studios)
- Darryl Zanuck
- Adolph Zukor
Illusionists
- David Blaine, US illusionist
- David Copperfield, US illusionist
- Uri Geller, Israeli spoon bending magician
- Harry Houdini, US illusionist
- Ricky Jay, US magician
Business
- Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaire
- Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft
- Boris Berezovsky, Russian billionaire
- Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg Financial Markets
- Sergey Brin Co-founder of Google
- Samuel Bronfman, Seagrams Distilleries
- Edgar Bronfman, Sr, Seagrams Distilleries
- Edgar Bronfman, Jr, Vivendi Universal
- Isaac Carasso, Spanish founder of Danone group
- Andre Citroen, French automaker
- Joshua Lionel Cowen, American toy inventor and manufacturer
- Jack Cohen, British businessman, founder of Tesco supermarkets
- Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of Dallas Mavericks
- Marcel Dassault, French industrialist
- Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer Corporation
- Bernie Ecclestone, F1 motor-racing entrepreneur
- Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation
- Mikhail Fridman, Russian billionaire
- Alan Greenspan, economist, chairman of the US Federal Reserve
- Andrew Grove, Co Founder of Intel
- Vladimir Gusinsky, Russian billionaire
- Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russian oligarch
- Henry Kravis, American financier
- Lev Leviev, Russian-born Israeli diamond billionaire
- Daniel M. Lewin, Israeli Internet entrepeneur
- Moses Haim Montefiore, English financier and Zionist
- Roy Neuberger, art dealer
- Harry Oppenheimer, South African diamond and gold mines billionare, (became Christian)
- William Paley, Billionaire who built CBS
- Ron Popeil, US inventor
- Sumner Redstone, CEO of Viacom
- Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker, first of the Rothschild family
- Nathan Mayer Rothschild, British financier and philanthropist
- David Sarnoff, General Manager of RCA corporation
- Ron Sommer, CEO of Deutsche Telekom
- George Soros, Hungarian-born billionaire
- Laurence Tisch, Corporate billionaire, owner of CBS
- Victor Vekselberg, Russian billionaire
- Max Warburg, German banker
- Paul Warburg, American banker, Federal Reserve founder and board member
Cartoons and comics
- Al Capp, US cartoonist
- Will Eisner
- Mark Evanier
- Max Fleischer, US animated cartoonist
- Bob Kane
- Jack Kirby
- Stan Lee
- Harvey Pekar
- Julius Schwartz
- Joe Shuster
- Jerome Siegel
- Joe Simon
- Art Spiegelman
Crime
- Yigal Amir, Israeli assassin (of Rabin)
- David Berkowitz, "Son of Sam", US serial killer, (adopted by Jews, became Christian)
- Legs Diamond, US gangster
- Baruch Goldstein, US / Israeli Arab killer
- Meyer Lansky, US gangster
- Leopold and Loeb, US killers
- Kevin Mitnick, US hacker
- Arnold Rothstein, US gangster
- Jack Ruby, US assassin (of Lee Harvey Oswald)
- Dutch Schultz, US gangster
- Bugsy Siegel, US gangster
- Salomon Morel, Russian death camp commander
Law
- Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Justice
- Stephen G. Breyer, US Supreme Court Justice
- Benjamin N. Cardozo, US Supreme Court Justice
- Arthur Chaskalson, Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa
- Zelman Cowen, Australian legal scholar and Governor-General
- Alan Dershowitz, US lawyer
- Abe Fortas, US Supreme Court Justice
- Felix Frankfurter, US Supreme Court Justice
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, US Supreme Court Justice
- Arthur J. Goldberg, US Supreme Court Justice
- Richard Goldstone, South African judge, international war crimes prosecutor
- Louis Nizer, British born American jurist
- Laurence H. Tribe, Professor of Law, Harvard University
Literature and journalism
- Ahad Ha'am, Hebrew writer and Zionist leader
- Sholem Aleichem, Yiddish writer
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer
- Isaac Asimov, US science fiction author
- Isaak Babel, Russian journalist and writer
- Saul Bellow, American writer
- Max Brod, Bohemian writer and composer
- Harold Brodkey American novelist
- Isaac Deutscher, British historian
- Anne Frank, Dutch Holocaust victim, diarist
- Allen Ginsberg, US poet
- Gluckl of Hamelin, Yiddish religious writer
- Leah Goldberg, Israeli poet
- Nadine Gordimer, South African writer, won a Nobel Prize for Literature
- Amira Hass, Israeli journalist
- Immanuel the Roman, Italian religious erotic poet
- Franz Kafka, Austrian/German-Bohemian writer
- Arthur Koestler, novelist and activist
- Irving Layton, Romanian-born Canadian poet
- Primo Levi, Italian novelist and chemist
- Bernard Malamud, US writer
- Erich Mühsam, German poet and revolutionary
- Amos Oz, Israeli writer
- S. J. Perelman, US writer
- Chaim Potok, US writer
- Marcel Proust, French writer, (son of a Jewish mother)
- Ayn Rand, US writer
- Mordecai Richler, Canadian writer
- Tanya Reinhart, Israeli writer
- Philip Roth, US writer
- Robert Silverberg, US science fiction author
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, US writer
- I. L. Peretz, Yiddish writer
- Tristan Tzara, Romanian-born French poet
- Elie Wiesel, Hungarian / French / American writer about Holocaust
- Stefan Zweig, Austrian writer
- Jan Brzechwa, Polish writer
- Stanisław Jerzy Lec, Polish writer
- Jan Lechoń, Polish writer
- Bruno Schulz, Polish writer
- Antoni Słonimski, Polish writer
- Natan Tenenbaum, Polish writer
- Julian Tuwim, Polish writer
- Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, father of modern Hebrew language
- Israel Zangwill, English writer and Zionist
Military
- Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Soviet military commander
- Moshe Dayan, former Israeli chief of staff
- David Abramovich Dragunsky, Russian anti-Zionist Colonel-General
- Josephus, Jewish priest and military leader who went over to the side of ancient Rome
- Judah the Maccabee, leader of the Maccabees against the ancient Greeks
- Simon bar Kokhba leader of the second Jewish revolt against ancient Rome
- David (Mickey) Marcus US colonel, assisted Israel in 1948 war
- Shaul Mofaz, former Israeli chief of staff, minister of defense
- John Monash, Australian general
- Yoni Netanyahu, Israeli commander of Operation Entebbe, killed in action
- Yitschak Rabin, Israeli chief of staff, Prime Minister of Israel
- Ilan Ramon, Israeli pilot part of attack on Iraq reactor, Israel's first astronaut, killed on the Challenger
- Hyman Rickover US Admiral, Father of the Nuclear Navy
- Ariel Sharon, Israeli general, Prime Minister of Israel
- Haym Solomon, financier of the American Revolution and Revolutionary War
- Joseph Trumpeldor, Russian soldier and early Zionist who died in early Palestine
- Moshe Ya'alon, Israeli chief of staff
- Mordechaj Anielewicz, Warsaw ghetto leader
- Berek Joselewicz, Polish colonel, organized Jewish squads and uprisings
US generals
- Julius O. Adler (World War II)
- Leopold Blumenberg (Civil War)
- Phineas Horowitz (Civil War)
- Stanley H. Hyman (Vietnam)
- Frederick Knefler (Civil War)
- Alfred Mordechai (Civil War)
- Leopold Newman (Civil War)
- Maurice Rose (World War II)
- Edward S. Salomon (Civil War)
- Robert B. Solomon (Vietnam)
Music and Song
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, Russian conductor
- Herb Alpert, US musician
- Daniel Barenboim, Israeli classical musician and conductor
- Irving Berlin, US songwriter, composer
- Dan Bern, US songwriter, singer
- Leonard Bernstein, US conductor, composer
- Ernest Bloch, Swiss-born composer
- Leonard Cohen, Canadian singer (converted to Buddhism)
- Aaron Copland, US composer
- Sammy Davis, Jr, US singer (convert to Judaism)
- Neil Diamond, US singer
- Paul Dukas, French composer
- Bob Dylan, US singer, songwriter
- Giora Feidman, famous clarinet player and Klezmer musician
- Perry Farrell, US musician, bandleader
- Kenny G, US musician
- Art Garfunkel, US singer
- Benny Goodman, US musician, bandleader
- Billy Joel, US singer
- Al Jolson, US singer
- Jascha Heifetz, US violinist
- Susannah Hoffs, one-fourth of the US band The Bangles
- Otto Klemperer, German-born conductor
- Lenny Kravitz, US musician
- Ted Lewis, musician, entertainer
- Gyoergy Ligeti, Hungarian composer
- Gustav Mahler, composer (converted to Catholicism)
- Barry Manilow, US entertainer
- Felix Mendelssohn, German Romantic composer (converted to Christianity)
- Yehudi Menuhin, US/British violinist, conductor, educator
- Giacomo Meyerbeer, opera composer
- Mezz Mezzrow, US jazz musician
- Darius Milhaud, French composer
- Nathan Milstein, US violinist
- Randy Newman, US singer
- Jacques Offenbach, French composer
- Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-US violinist
- Lou Reed, US singer, songwriter
- Anton Rubinstein, Russian pianist and composer
- David Lee Roth, US rock singer
- Curt Sachs, musicologist
- Artur Schnabel, pianist
- Arnold Schoenberg, Austrian composer
- Artie Shaw, US musician, bandleader
- Gene Simmons, bass player for KISS
- Paul Simon, US musician
- Slash, lead guitarist for Guns n' Roses
- Georg Solti, Hungarian/US conductor
- Phil Spector, US record producer and songwriter
- Isaac Stern, US violinist
- Barbra Streisand, US singer, actress
- Willie "The Lion" Smith, US pianist
- Paul Stanley, guitar player for KISS
- Sophie Tucker, Russian born US singer and entertainer
- Jane Wiedlin, one-fifth of the US band the Go-Gos
- Kurt Weill, German/US composer
- John Zorn, US saxophonist and composer
Philosophy and Academic
- Uriel Acosta, philosopher (raised Catholic)
- Theodor Adorno, German philosopher, composer, (father became Protestant, mother Catholic)
- Walter Benjamin, German philosopher, critic, essayist
- Ernst Bloch, German philosopher
- Martin Buber, German and Israeli philosopher
- Hermann Cohen, German Jewish Kantian philosopher
- Noam Chomsky, US linguist, political writer
- Jacques Derrida, French philosopher
- Norman Finkelstein, American academic
- Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychoanalyst
- Lazar Gulkowitsch, Russian-German philosopher
- Samuel Hirsch, German rabbi and philosopher
- Max Horkheimer, German philosopher, sociologist
- Edmund Husserl, German philosopher and Holocaust victim
- Baruch Kimmerling, Israeli sociologist
- Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian born French philosopher
- Deborah Lipstadt, American historian
- Maimonides, philosopher, doctor, rabbi
- Herbert Marcuse, German-American philosopher, sociologist, political scientist
- Benny Morris, Israeli philosopher
- Nostradamus French philosopher, (raised Catholic)
- Philo, Alexandrian philosopher
- Daniel Pipes, US Mideast and Islam scholar and researcher
- Karl Popper, Austrian philosopher
- Yehoshua Porath, Israeli historian
- Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, modern German social philosopher. Converted to Christianity
- Franz Rosenzweig, modern German Jewish philosopher
- Peter Singer, Australian philosopher
- Baruch Spinoza, philosopher, espoused Pantheism
- Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian philosopher (father's parents became Protestants, mother was Catholic gentile)
Politics
US Politicians
- Gary Ackerman, US Congressman from New York
- Madeleine Albright, US secretary of State (raised Christian)
- Abe Beame, Mayor of New York City
- Judah P. Benjamin US Senator, then Confederate Secretary of War and Secretary of State
- Howard Berman, US Congressman from California
- Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City
- Rudy Boschwitz, US Senator from Minnesota
- Barbara Boxer, US Senator from California
- Harold Brown, US Secretary of Defense
- William Cohen, US Senator from Maine, Defense Secretary (father was Jewish)
- Norm Coleman, US Senator from Minnesota
- Rahm Emanuel, US Congressman from Illinois
- Eliot Engel, US Congressman from New York
- Dianne Feinstein, US Senator from California
- Russ Feingold, US Senator from Wisconsin
- Barney Frank, US Congressman
- Jacob Javits, US Senator from New York
- Henry Kissinger, National Security Advisor, then Secretary of State
- Ed Koch, US congressman and New York City mayor
- Herb Kohl, US Senator from Wisconsin
- Tom Lantos, US Congressman from California, (Hungarian born Holocaust survivor)
- Herbert H. Lehman, Governor of NY (1933-1942)
- Fiorello H. LaGuardia, Mayor of New York City (mother was Jewish)
- Frank Lautenberg, US Senator from New Jersey
- Carl Levin, US Senator from Michigan
- Joe Lieberman, Vice President candidate and US Senator from Connecticut
- Julius L. Meier, US politician, governor of Oregon
- Howard Metzenbaum , US Senator from Ohio
- Henry Morgenthau, Jr, Secretary of the Treasury, 1934 -1945
- Jerrold Nadler, US Congressman from New York
- Robert Reich, Secretary of Labor
- Abraham Ribicoff, Senator from Connecticut
- Steve Rothman, US Congressman from New Jersey
- Robert Rubin, Treasury Secretary
- Warren Rudman, US Senator from New Hampshire
- Adam Schiff, US Congressman from California
- James Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense, CIA Director
- Charles Schumer, US Senator from New York
- Brad Sherman, US Congressman from California
- Arlen Specter, US Senator from Pennsylvania
- Henry Waxman, US Congressman from California
- Anthony Weiner, US Congressman from New York
- Paul Wellstone US Senator from Minnesota
- Robert Wexler, US Congressman from Florida
- Ron Wyden, US Senator from Oregon
Israeli Politicians
- Yigal Allon, former general, government minister
- Ehud Barak, former chief of staff, Israeli Prime Minister
- Yossi Beilin, former labor party minister
- Menachem Begin, former head of Irgun, Israeli Prime Minister
- David Ben-Gurion, founder of Israel, Israeli Prime Minister
- Yitzhak Ben-Zwi, second President of Israel
- Moshe Carmel, former party leader and army commander
- Abba Eban, former foreign minister
- Moshe Dayan, former chief of staff, defense and foreign minister
- Levi Eshkol, former Prime Minister of Israel
- Chaim Herzog, former general and diplomat, sixth President of Israel
- Meir Kahane, founder of Kach party (subsequently banned) (assassinated)
- Moshe Katsav, eighth President of Israel
- Tommy Lapid, minister of Justice and leader of Shinnui party
- David Levy, former foreign minister
- Golda Meir, former Prime Minister of Israel
- Benjamin Netanyahu, minister of finance and former Prime Minister
- Shimon Peres, former defense and foreign minister and Prime Minister
- Yitzhak Rabin, former chief of staff, Israeli Prime Minister (assassinated)
- Elyakim Rubinstein, former state attorney general
- Yitzhak Shamir, former head of Lehi, Prime Minister of Israel
- Moshe Sharett, former Prime Minister of Israel
- Ariel Sharon, Israeli general, minister and Prime Minister
- Chaim Weizmann, leading Zionist and scientist, first President of Israel
- Eli Yishai, former minister, leader of the Shas party
- Rehavam Zeevi, former minister and founder of Moledet (assassinated)
Political activists
- Abe Foxman, US director of the Anti-Defamation League
- David Horowitz, US neoconservative writer and social activist
- Mel Mermelstein, Auschwitz survivor and reward-winner from the Institute for Historical Review
- Irv Rubin, chairman of the Jewish Defense League
- Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi-hunter
- Tim Wise, anti-racism lecturer and activist
Revolutionaries
- Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French student leader
- Kurt Eisner, German revolutionary politician
- Emma Goldman, US feminist and anarchist
- Abbie Hoffman, US radical
- Lev Kamenev, Russian Bolshevik leader
- Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet Politburo member
- Bela Kun, Hungarian revolutionary leader
- Maxim Litvinov, Soviet Foreign Minister
- Rosa Luxemburg, German Communist leader
- Karl Marx, founder of Marxism. Raised a Lutheran, became an atheist
- Jerry Rubin, US radical
- Irv Rubin, US radical JDL leader
- Joe Slovo, Lithuanian-born head of South African Communist Party
- Avraham Stern, founder of anti-British Lehi (Stern Gang)
- Leon Trotsky, Russian Bolshevik leader
- Grigory Zinoviev, Russian Bolshevik
Other Politicians
- Peter Baume, Australian Cabinet Minister
- Joe Berinson, Australian Cabinet minister
- Leon Blum, Prime Minister of France
- Marek Borowski, Polish politician, (b. 1946)
- Leon Brittan, British Cabinet minister
- Moss Cass, Australian Cabinet minister
- Barry Cohen, Australian Cabinet minister
- Michael Danby, Australian politician
- Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister (raised an Anglican)
- Sid Einfeld, Deputy Premier of New South Wales, Australia
- Laurent Fabius, Prime Minister of France
- Bronisław Geremek, Polish politician, (b. 1932)
- Herb Gray, Canadian Cabinet minister
- Theodor Herzl, founder of Zionism
- Michael Howard, leader of the British Conservative Party
- Isaac Isaacs, Australian politician and Governor-General
- Vladimir Jabotinsky, Zionist leader
- Keith Joseph, British Cabinet Minister
- Bruno Kreisky, Austrian Chancellor
- Ferdinand Lasalle, German Socialist leader
- Nigel Lawson, British Cabinet minister
- Tony Leon, South African opposition leader
- Pierre Mendes-France, French Prime Minister
- Shirley Porter, British local government leader
- Walther Rathenau, German industrialist and statesman
- Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading, British politician and Viceroy of India
- Herbert Samuel, British politician and High Commissioner of Palestine
- Vaiben Solomon, Premier of South Australia
- Helen Suzman, South African anti-Apartheid member of Parliament
- Julius Vogel, Prime Minister of New Zealand
- Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Russian politician (recently acknowledged Jewish father he previously denied)
- Szmul Zygielbojm, Polish politician, (1895-1943)
Religious figures
Biblical figures
(The historicity of these figures is doubted by secular scholars)
- Aaron, brother of Moses and the first High Priest
- Abigail, a prophetess who became a wife of King David
- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Judaism's "Three Patriarchs"
- Amram and Jochebed, both Levites, parents of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam
- Avishai, one of King David's generals and relative
- Avner, cousin of King Saul and army commander
- Avshalom, rebelious son of King David
- Bathsheba, queen, wife of King David, and mother of King Solomon
- Boaz, husband of Ruth and ancestor of King David
- Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, prophets and leaders of the Exile and Return to Zion
- Elijah and Elisha, important prophets who rebuked the kings of Israel
- Elkanah and Hannah, parents of the prophet Samuel
- Esther and Mordechai, Persian queen, and her uncle, saviors of the Jews on Purim
- Gershom and Eliezer, Moses' and Zipporah's sons
- Gideon, general during the time of the Judges
- Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, the "Twelve Minor Prophets"
- Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, major Prophets
- Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehoram, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam II, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea, the kings of the northern Kingdom of Israel
- Jethro, Zipporah's father and father-in-law of Moses, became a convert after Mt. Sinai
- Jonah, prophet during Kingdom of Israel
- Jonathan, son of King Saul and slain with him in battle
- Joshua, Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Abimelech, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Ibzan, Elon, Abdon, Samson, and Eli, the Judges who ruled after Moses and before the kings
- King Saul, King David, and King Solomon the first three major Jewish kings who ruled over a united kingdom of the 12 Tribes
- Miriam, prophetess, sister of Moses and Aaron
- Moses leader of the Exodus from Egypt received the Torah, Mosaic Law
- Nathan, prophet in time of King David
- Neriah a prophet, and his son Baruch the scribe of Jeremiah
- Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,Gad,Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin, the "Twelve Tribes" the "Children of Israel", sons of Jacob called Israel
- Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's sons (also counted as part of the 12 tribes at times)
- Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, (Queen) Athaliah, Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, Zedekiah, the kings of the southern Kingdom of Judah
- Ruth, Moabite convert and ancestor of King David
- Samuel, last of the Judges and first of the Prophets
- Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, Judaism's "Four Matriarchs"
- Tamar, daughter-in-law, and then levirate wife, of Judah
- Yoav, relative of King David, military leader
- Zerubbabel, lived in time of Ezra and Babylonian exile
- Zilpah and Bilhah, additional wives of Jacob, mothers of 4 of the 12 Tribes
- Zipporah, Moses' wife
Rabbis (Talmudic)
- Abbahu, 4th century Talmudist
- Abaye, 3rd century Talmudist
- Abba Arika, 3rd century Talmudist
- Rabbi Akiva, 1st century Judea, central scholar in Mishnah
- Rav Ashi, 5th century Babylonian Talmudic sage
- Hillel the Elder, 1st century BCE, in Judea, considered the greatest sage of the Second Temple period.
- Hillel II, 4th century creator of the Hebrew calendar, in Judea, son of Judah Nesiah, grandson of Gamaliel IV
- Hillel, son of Gamaliel III, 3rd century, in Judea, grandson of Judah ha-Nasi, and younger brother of Judah Nesiah
- Judah haNasi, 2nd century, Judah the Prince, in Judea, redactor (editor) of the Mishnah
- Shammai, 1st Century BCE, in Judea, key scholar in Mishnah
- Simeon bar Yohai, 1st century mystic, reputed author of the Zohar
- Ben Sira, 2nd century BCE, Egypt, ethics and wisdom teacher
- Yohanan ben Zakkai, 1st century sage in Judea, key to the development of the Mishnah
Rabbis (Middle Ages)
- Abba Mari, (Minhat Kenaot), 13th Century French Talmudist
- Isaac Abendana, 17th century Sephardic scholar in England
- Jacob Abendana, 17th century Sephardic rabbi in England
- Abraham ibn Daud, (Sefer HaKabbalah), 12th century Spanish philospher
- Abraham ibn Ezra, (Even Ezra), 12th century Spanish-North African Biblical commentator
- Asher ben Jehiel, (Rosh), 13th century German-Spanish Talmudist
- Yair Bacharach, (Havvot Yair), 17th century German Talmudist
- Bahya ibn Paquda, (Hovot ha-Levavot), 11th century Spanish philosopher and moralist
- Rabbenu Gershom, 11th century German Talmudist and legalist
- Gersonides, Levi ben Gershom, (Ralbag), 14th century French Talmudist and philosopher
- Jacob ben Asher, (Baal ha-Turim), 14th century German-Spanish legal scholar, wrote Arba'ah Turim codes
- Judah Low ben Bezalel, (Maharal), 16th century Prague mystic and Talmudist
- Hillel ben Eliakim, (Rabbeinu Hillel), 12the century Talmudist and disciple of Rashi
- Hillel ben Naphtali Zevi, (Bet Hillel), 17th century Lithuanian scholar
- Yosef Karo, (Mechaber), 16th centuray Spanish and Land of Israel legal codifier of the Shulkhan Arukh code of Torah Law
- Isaac Luria, (Ari), 16th century Holy Land mystic, founder of Lurianic Kabbalah
- Maimonides, Moshe Ben Maimon, (Rambam), 13th century Spanish-North African Talmudist, philosopher, and law codifier
- Nahmanides, Moshe ben Nahman, (Ramban), 13th century Spanish and Holy Land mystic and Talmudist
- Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, (Sforno), 16th century Italian scholar and rationalist
- Solomon ben Isaac, (Rashi), 11th century Talmudist used as the main teacher of Talmud to this day
- Sforno, 15th, 16th, and 17th century family of Italian Torah scholars and philosophers
- Tosafists, 11th, 12th and 13th century Talmudic scholars, France and Germany, parallel Rashi in importance
- Yehuda Halevi, (Kuzari), 12th century Spanish-Zionist philosopher and poet, lover of Zion
Rabbis (Orthodox)
- Meir Berlin, 20th century religious Zionist leader
- Dovber, 19th century Russian second Rebbe of Lubavitch
- Dovber of Mezeritch, (Maggid), 18th century Eastern European mystic, primary disciple of the Baal Shem Tov
- Elijah ben Solomon, (Gra), 18th century Talmudist and mystic, Lithuanian leader of the Mitnagdim, opponent of Hasidim
- Elimelech of Lezhinsk, (Noam Elimelech) 18th century Polish mystic and Hasid
- Jacob Emden, 18th century German Talmudist and mystic
- Jacob Ettlinger, 19th century German scholar and opponent of Reform
- Nosson Zvi Finkel, (Alter/Sabba), early 20th century founder of Slabodka Yeshiva, Lithuania. Disciples opened major yeshivas in US and Israel
- Ger Rebbes, (Gerrer), Polish Hasidic dynasty in Israel
- Azriel Hildesheimer, 19th century German rabbi and philosopher
- Samson Raphael Hirsch, 19th century founder of neo-Orthodox Judaism in Germany
- Yitzchok Hutner, (Pachad Yitzchok), 20th century European born, American and Israeli Rosh Yeshiva
- Israel ben Eliezer, (Baal Shem Tov), 18th century mystic, founder of Hasidic Judaism
- Moshe Feinstein, (Igrot Moshe), 20th century Russian-American legal scholar and Talmudist
- Yisrael Meir Kagan, (Chofetz Chaim), 20th century Polish legalist and moralist
- Meir Kahane, 20th century founder of the American Jewish Defense League and the Israeli Kach party
- Aryeh Kaplan, Othodox 20th century writer and mystic
- Abraham Isaac Kook, 20th century philosopher and mystic, first chief rabbi of Palestine
- Norman Lamm, 21st century American modern Othodox thinker, head of Yeshiva University
- Moses Chaim Luzzato, (Ramchal), 18th century Italian philosopher, mystic, and moralist
- Meir Lob ben Jehiel Michael, (Malbim), 19th century Russian preacher and scholar
- Rabbi Menachem Mendel, (Tzemach Tzedek), 19th century Russian third Rebbe of Lubavitch
- Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz, 20th century European-born head of US Yeshiva Torah Vodaath
- Nachman of Breslav, (Reb Nachman), 19th century Ukrainian Hasidic rebbe and mystic
- Yisrael Lipkin Salanter, 19th century Lithuanian ethicist and moralist
- Sholom Dovber, 20th century Russian fifth Rebbe of Lubavitch
- Menachem Mendel Schneerson, (Lubavitcher Rebbe), 20th century Hasidic mystic and scholar, seventh Chabad Rebbe
- Joseph Isaac Schneersohn, 20th century sixth Rebbe of Lubavitch
- Shneur Zalman of Liadi, (Alter Rebbe), 18th century mystic and Talmudist, founder of Lubavitch Hasidism and first Lubavitcher Rebbe
- Rabbi Shmuel, 19th century Russian fourth Rebbe of Lubavitch
- Joseph Soloveitchik, 20th century European-born Talmudist and philosopher, leading figure in American Modern Orthodoxy
- Adin Steinsaltz, 21st century Israeli Talmud scholar and philosopher
- Joel Teitelbaum, (Satmar Rebbe), 20th century Hasidic Hungarian-American rebbe known for anti-Zionism
- Ovadia Yosef, 21st century Iraqi-Israeli former Israel Sephardic Chief Rabbi, legal scholar
- Vizhnitz Rebbes, (Vizhnitzer), Polish dynasty of Hasidic rebbes in Israel
- Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl, 20th century European scholar in the Holocaust, wanted to save Jews from Auschwitz
Rabbis (Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and other)
- Elliot N. Dorff, 20th century Conservative rabbi and bioethicist
- Louis Finkelstein, 20th century Conservative Talmud scholar
- Zecharias Frankel, 19th century critical historian, founder of the positive-historical (Conservative) school of Judaism
- Neil Gillman, 21st century American Conservative philosopher
- Louis Ginzberg, 20th century American Conservative Talmud scholar
- Robert Gordis, 20th century leader in Conservative Judaism
- David Weiss Halivni, 21st century Hungarian-American Talmudist of Union for Traditional Judaism (UTJ)
- Jules Harlow, 20th century Conservative Judaism liturgist
- Abraham Joshua Heschel, 20th century Conservative scholar of Hasidism
- Emil Hirsch, 19th century American Reform rabbi and scholar
- Samuel Hirsch, 19th century German-American philosopher of the Reform Movement
- Samuel Holdheim, 19th century German rabbi and founder of classic German Reform Judaism
- Mordecai Kaplan, 20th century founder of the Reconstructionist movement in America
- Isaac Klein, 20th century American Conservative rabbi and scholar
- Nachman Krochmal, 19th century Austrian philosopher and historian
- Harold Kushner, 20th century American Conservative rabbi and popular writer
- Michael Lerner, 21st century American Jewish Renewal, Reconstructionist political activist
- Saul Lieberman, 20th century Lithuanian-American Conservative-Orthodox Talmud scholar
- Jacob Neusner, 20th century Conservative trained scholar and prolific writer
- Joel Roth, 20th century Conservative scholar and rabbi
- Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, 20th century leader of the Jewish Renewal movement
- Mathilde Roth Schechter, 20th century American Conservative scholar
- Solomon Schechter, 20th century scholar and a founder of Conservative Judaism
- Ismar Schorsch, 21st century American Conservative educator and leader
- Leopold Zunz, 19th century German scholar, founded Science of Judaism school
Religious leaders (other)
- Aaron ben Moses ben Asher, 10th century Karaite
- Anan ben David, founder of the Karaites
- Apostles, the "Twelve Apostles", first followers of Jesus who began Christianity
- Jacob Frank, false messiah in Poland, founder of Frankists
- John the Baptist, revered by Christians
- Jesus, founder of Christianity
- Jean-Marie Lustiger, French Cardinal (raised Catholic)
- Mary, mother of Jesus
- Simon of Galilee, considered the first Pope
- Saul of Tarsus (Paul), early Christian leader
- Shabtai Tzvi, false messiah in Turkey, founder of the Sabbatians and Donmeh
Science and mathematics
- Niels Henrik Bohr, Danish physicist
- Herman Branover, Russian / Israeli physicist
- Albert Einstein, German (later US) physicist
- Paul Erdoes, Hungarian mathematician
- Moshe Feldenkrais, engineer, physicist, and founder of the Feldenkrais Method
- Rosalind Franklin, British chemist
- Murray Gell-Mann, US physicist
- Stephen Jay Gould, US paleontologist and author of popular science
- Andrew Grove co-founder and chairman of Intel Corporation
- Fritz Haber, German chemist
- Roald Hoffmann, theoretical chemist
- Karl Gustav Jacobi, German mathematician
- Arthur R. Jensen, eminent American psychologist
- Hans Krebs biologist, discovered Krebs Cycle
- Benoit Mandelbrot, mathematician, creator of fractal geometry
- Lise Meitner, Austrian physicist
- Herman Minkowski, German mathematician
- Robert Oppenheimer, US physicist, leader of the Manhattan Project
- Yakov I. Perelman, Russian author of popular science books
- Gregory Pincus, biologist, inventor of the birth control pill
- Steven Pinker, Canadian psychologist
- Lionel Rothschild, 2nd Lord Rothschild, British zoologist, businessman, and politician
- Oliver Sacks, neurologist and author
- Carl Sagan, US astronomer
- Jonas Salk, US medical scientist, inventor of polio vaccine
- Saharon Shelah, Israeli mathematician
- Robert Sternberg, American psychologist
- Leo Szilard physicist, worked on the Manhattan Project
- Edward Teller, physicist, worked on the hydrogen bomb
- Stanislaw Ulam, mathematician, worked on the hydrogen bomb
- John von Neumann, mathematician and computer scientist
- George Waldbott, physician; allergy and fluoride research pioneer
- Andre Weil, French mathematician
- Steven Weinberg Nobel prize winning physicist
- Doron Zeilberger, outstanding contemporary mathematician
Spies
- Sarah Aaronsohn, head of Nili, a Jewish spy-ring in Palestine
- Denise Bloch, World War II Special Operations Executive agent
- Eli Cohen, Israeli spy, hanged by Syria
- Jonathan Pollard, United States Navy intelligence analyst
- Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, US Communist spies, gave nuclear information to USSR
- Krystyna Skarbek, Special Operations Executive agent
- Hannah Szenes, Special Operations Executive agent
- Mordechai Vanunu, spied on Israel's nuclear reactor, (converted to Christianity)
Sports
- Bob Arum, US boxing promoter
- Moe Berg, US baseball player
- David Beckham, English Soccer{Mothers Father is Jewish}
- Gary Bettman, US National Hockey League Commissioner
- Bernie Ecclestone, British owner of F1 racing
- Marty Friedman, US basketballer
- Bill Goldberg, US professional wrestler
- Shawn Green, US baseball player
- Hank Greenberg, US baseball player
- Alfred Hajos swimmer (double Olympic champion)
- Sandy Koufax, US baseball player
- Sid Luckman, US football player
- Ron Mix, US football player
- Barney Ross, world champion boxer
- Mike Rossman, world champion boxer
- Dolph Schayes, US basketball player
- Mathieu Schneider, US hockey player
- Bud Selig, US Baseball Commissioner
- Mark Spitz, US Olympic swimmer
- David Stern, US Basketball Commissioner
- James Toney, world champion boxer
Visual arts
- Richard Avedon, US photographer
- Marc Chagall, Russian/French painter and stained glass artist
- Judy Chicago, US painter
- Frank Gehry, architect
- Rube Goldberg, US cartoonist, sculptor, and author
- Al Hirschfeld, US caricaturist
- Max Jacob, artist
- Pinchus Kremegne, painter
- Michel Kikoine, painter
- Daniel Libeskind, architect
- Peter Max, artist
- Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter
- Helmut Newton, German photographer
- Jules Pascin, French artist
- Camille Pissarro, French impressionist painter
- H.A. Rey, illustrator
- Chaim Soutine, painter
- William Steig, US cartoonist and illustrator
Miscellaneous
- Menahem Mendel Beilis, victim of Russian blood libel mistrial
- Kitty Carlisle, US game show panelist
- Alex Chiu, inventor of "immortality ring" (convert)
- Alfred Dreyfus, French army officer falsely accused of treason
- Anne Frank, teenage Dutch Holocaust victim and writer
- Herschel Grynszpan, Holocaust victim, killed Nazi
- Monty Hall, Canadian game show host
- Zellig Harris, US linguist
- Monica Lewinsky, US intern to President Bill Clinton
- Mel Mermelstein, Holocaust survivor who sued for damages
- Edgardo Mortara, Jewish Italian child kidnapped by the Catholics
- Max Nordau, Hungarian Zionist leader
- Daniel Pearl, Wall Street Journal journalist, kidnapped and killed.
- Judith A. Resnik, US astronaut
- Joel Stein, Time magazine columnist
- Ludwig von Mises, Austrian economist
- Ruth Westheimer, sex expert