In a borough of 2.6 million people, with the largest Jewish population in the world, the competition to be an influential is fierce. That’s why it’s so impressive that despite being out of office, former Councilman David G. Greenfield, the current CEO of Met Council on Jewish Poverty is ranked by City & State Magazine as the 10th most influential person in Brooklyn. Greenfield is the highest ranking Jewish leader on the list of the 50 most influential Brooklynites.

Greenfield, 39, represented Boro Park & Flatbush in New York City Hall for eight years where he rose to the position of council leadership and chair of the powerful council land use committee that has the final say on all zoning and development in New York City. Greenfield left City Hall after his term ended in December to lead the Met Council on Jewish Poverty – New York’s largest Jewish tzedakah with over 200 employees, 21 buildings and 16 affiliated agencies. Met Council is perhaps best known as the organization that provides $10 million in free kosher food to those in need throughout New York through their 16 subsidiary JCC organizations, yeshivas, mosdos and 35 kosher food pantries across New York. Met Council runs the largest free distribution program of kosher food on Pesach and Rosh Hashanah in all of North America and provides many other services ranging from affordable housing to crisis intervention to free Holocaust survivor services.

Other notable Jews in the top 10 of the City & State list include Real Estate Developer Jed Walentas whose Two Tree Management is currently developing the $1.5 billion Domino site in Brooklyn; Jonathan Rosen & Valerie Berlin whose eponymous consulting firm provides political advice to the likes of Mayor Bill de Blasio; and David Steiner the Chairman of movie and TV production powerhouse Steiner Studios also located in Brooklyn.

Kenneth Gibbs, the CEO of Maimonides Medical Center also appears on the list in the #32 slot. Brooklyn’s Catholic Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio is ranked # 15. The only other frum Jew to make the cut was Rabbi David Niederman, the politically powerful chasidic leader of the UJO of Williamsburg, who was ranked at # 34. Russian-American radio mogul Gregory Davidzon rounded out the Jewish machers on the list at # 49.

(Charles Gross – YWN)