see the dangers of one group who pay only lip service to national loyalty
running our societies and dictating our �cultural�, political and economic
�futures�.
Mark
http://www.jewsweek.com/society/049.htm
The Jewsweek Fifty
The 50 Most Influential Jews in America
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Jewsweek.com | Influence is a funny thing. It can mean so many things �
power and inspiration to others just to name a few. Some of the people on
this list are influential because of their positions (Alan Greenspan) and
some people are influential because of their personal impact on the Jewish
community (Shlomo Ressler). Both are important.
When compiling this list, we went to the influential people themselves �
asking a panel of celebrities, politicians, educators, and �average� Jews
who they thought should be on this list. We realize that this list may cause
some controversy, by virtue of some of the people we included and by the
exclusion of others. That�s fine. We just hope to get the ball rolling on
this national discussion.
Something to consider when perusing this list: You will see some �small
local� people higher up on the list than some of the big power brokers.
That�s because being an influential Jew means touching people�s lives and
helping promote the Jewish ideal of �being a light unto the nations.� That
is why you�ll see Rebbetzin Miriam Feldman (13) ahead of say, Mortimer
Zuckerman (14) because of the intense impact she has within her community.
As the Talmud teaches, those who save one life have saved a world entire.
Finally, keep this in mind. If you didn�t make it on the list this year �
keep trying.
1. Alan Greenspan
The country is in an economic downward spiral. Since January, companies have
announced 652,510 layoffs � and more are announced each day. People are not
looking to Superman to save the day. They are looking to one person, and one
person only. As Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan is, hands down, the
most influential Jew in America. He is, some would argue, the most
influential person in America. With each interest rate cut � another is
expected this week � this 74-year-old contains the key to an economic
turnaround in this time of recession. When he speaks, the world listens.
Besides that, he�s the economy�s most optimistic cheerleader. �With all our
concerns about the next several quarters, there is still, in my judgment,
ample evidence that we are experiencing only a pause,� he said in a speech
recently.
2. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The buck stops with Justice Ginsburg. And so did the election. In Bush v.
Gore, Ginsburg helped shape the national agenda for the next four years. And
with the Supreme Court making significant decisions on a daily basis, her
role as part of the elite group of top decision-makers in this country makes
her all that more influential. What�s more, the Court�s recent decision in
Good News Club v. Milford Central School, as well as President Bush�s
unwavering desire for faith-based initiatives, takes issues of religion off
the back-burner.
3. Gerald Levin
Gerald Levin holds a lot of power over you. Name an industry and he has his
hand in it. As the second-in-command at AOL Time Warner, he controls what
you watch on television, what books you read, how you surf the net, and how
your news is delivered � just to name a few things that he can do.
4. Senator Joseph Lieberman
OK, so he�s not the Vice-President, but this Connecticut senator still
wields much power in the Washington beltway. His religiousness serves as the
backbone for much of his legislature including his continued war against
Hollywood. As a politician, he stands tall as a moral epicenter in an
oft-immoral business.
5. Steven Spielberg
Consider the following: Spielberg�s Dreamworks SKG has finally put a dent
into Mouse House�s animation with its blockbuster film �Shrek��which just
passed the $200 million mark and could easily take the Oscar in the new Best
Animated Film category. The pre-buzz on his latest film �A.I.,� due out this
week, is already good. And the third installment of the phenomenally
successful �Jurassic Park� franchise is stomping on theaters later this
summer. But we already know that Spielberg is a success in Hollywood. It�s
the fact that he�s an influential Jew that puts him on this list. His Shoah
Foundation continues its noble crusade to videotape any Holocaust survivor
willing to tell their tale. His Righteous Persons Foundation (formed with
the profits from the 1993 blockbuster, �Schindler�s List�), has been focused
entirely on the flip side of charity: giving money away. Mr. Spielberg set
up the foundation with a mission of promoting Jewish learning, advancing
intergroup tolerance and �using arts and media to engage broad audiences on
questions of what it means to be Jewish.�
