The following is a Newsweek Web Exclusive:
This list is intended to provoke a global conversation about the role of our religious leaders in today’s world. Although this is a well-thought-out list, it is by no means scientific and is not connected to any religious movement or agenda. Our criteria:
Are they known nationally/internationally?
Do they have political/social influence?
Do they have a media presence?
Are they leaders within their communities?
Are they considered leaders in Judaism or their movements?
Size of their constituency
Have they made an impact on Judaism in their career?
Have they made a “greater” impact?
The Rabbis
1. David Saperstein (2008 Ranking #5) Saperstein jumps to the top spot because of his role as Washington insider and political powerbroker and Friend of Obama. He is the Director of the Religious Action Center and the Co-Chair of the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty.
2. Marvin Hier (2008 Ranking #1) Hier is a major player in national and world politics and has built one of the world’s leading human rights organizations, the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
3. Mark Charendoff (2008 Ranking #10) Charendoff is President of the Jewish Funders Network, an international organization of family foundations, public philanthropies and individual funders.
4. Yehuda Krinsky (2008 Ranking #4) Krinsky’s impact continues to grow as the global leader of the Chabad movement.
5. David Ellenson, Ph.D. (2008 Ranking #8) Ellenson is charged with training tomorrow’s leaders as the President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the nation’s oldest institution of higher Jewish education.
6. Robert Wexler, Ph.D. (2008 Ranking #3) Wexler is the President of American Jewish University.
7. Shmuley Boteach (2008 Ranking #9) Boteach calls himself “America’s Rabbi.” He continues to promote himself and his perspective on his daily radio show, on television and in his long list of books, including the recently published “The Broken Male and How to Fix Him.”
8. Eric Yoffie (2008 Ranking #2) Yoffie is the leader of the Reform movement, representing 1.5 million Jews in over 900 synagogues. He has pioneered dialogue programs with Christians and Muslims nationwide.
9. Uri D. Herscher, Ph.D. (2008 Ranking #6) Herscher is the Founder and President of the Skirball Cultural Center.
10. Irwin Kula (2008 Ranking #7) The Co-President of CLAL and bestselling author continues to raise his profile nationally as an innovator committed to reshaping America’s spiritual landscape.
11. David Wolpe (2008 Ranking #12) Wolpe is considered one of the most dynamic pulpit rabbis in America
12. Peter J. Rubinstein (2008 Ranking #15) Rubinstein is the spiritual leader of New York’s Central Synagogue.
13. Yehuda Berg (2008 Ranking #11) Berg is the world’s most popular authority on the Kabbalah.
14. Norman Lamm (2008 Ranking #43) Lamm is Chancellor of Yeshiva University.
15. Joseph Telushkin (2008 Ranking #21) Telushkin is a best-selling author and speaker.
16. J. Rolando Matalon (2008 Ranking #13) Matalon is the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun.
17. Menchem Genack (NEW) Genack is the CEO of the Orthodox Union’s Kosher Division.
18. Ellen Weinberg Dreyfus (NEW) Dreyfus is the new head of the CCAR.
19. Jeffrey Wohlberg (2008 Ranking #18) Wohlberg is Rabbi at Washington, D.C.’s Adas Israel Congregation.
20. Steve Gutow (NEW) Gutow is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
21. Harold M. Schulweis (2008 Ranking #19) Schulweis is considered the leading Conservative Rabbi of his generation and the Founder of Jewish World Watch.
22. Haskel Lookstein (2008 Ranking #22) Lookstein is head of New York’s Ramaz School and Rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.
23. Dan Ehrenkrantz (2008 Ranking #20) Ehrenkrantz is the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
24. Michael Greenbaum (2008 Ranking #37) Greenbaum is Vice Chancellor and COO of the Jewish Theological Seminary.
25. Sharon Kleinbaum (2008 Ranking #17) Kleinbaum is the Senior Rabbi of New York’s synagogue for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jews.
26. M. Bruce Lustig (2008 Ranking #24) Lustig is the leader of Washington Hebrew Congregation, the largest congregation in Washington, D.C.
27. Art Green (2008 Ranking #23) Green is Dean of Hebrew College’s Rabbinical School.
28. Daniel Brenner (NEW) Brenner is the new Executive Director of Birthright Next.
29. Abraham Cooper (2008 Ranking #25) Cooper is the Associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
30. David Stern (2008 Ranking #26) Stern is leader of the largest congregation in the Southwest, Temple Emanu-El in Dallas
31. Sharon Brous (2008 Ranking #30) Brous is the founder of IKAR, one of America’s most dynamic new congregations.
32. Stephen Pearce (2008 Ranking #47) Pearce is the leader of San Francisco’s largest congregation, with 2,700 families.
33. Marc Schneier (Returning from 2007 List) Schneier is President and Founder of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding.
34. Kerry M. Olitzky (2008 Ranking #32) Olitzky is one of the leading rabbinical advocates for outreach to interfaith and unaffiliated families in America.
35. Ephraim Buchwald (2008 Ranking #44) Buchwald is the Founder of the National Jewish Outreach Program.
36. Arthur Schneier (2008 Ranking #28) Schneier is the spiritual leader of Park East Synagogue and Founder and President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. He is the first rabbi to host the Pope at his synagogue.
37. Mark Golub (NEW) Golub is the CEO of Shalom Television.
38. Avi Weiss (2008 Ranking #36) Weiss is the driving force behind the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.
39. Naomi Levy (2008 Ranking #41) Levy is a popular author and a leading woman in the Conservative movement.
40. Bradley Shavit Artson (2008 Ranking #31) Artson is the Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University.
41. Elliot Dorff (2008 Ranking #35) Dorff is the leader of the top lawmaking body in Conservative Judaism.
42. Bradley Hirschfield (2008 Ranking #39) Hirschfeld is the Co-President of CLAL and an outspoken proponent of interfaith dialogue.
43. Hayim Herring (2008 Ranking #40) Herring is Executive Director of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal).
44. Ed Feinstein (NEW) Feinstein has taken Valley Beth Shalom to a whole new level.
45. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (2008 Ranking #27) Schacter-Shalomi is Founder of the Jewish Renewal Movement in America.
46. Elie Kaunfer (NEW) Kaunfer is the Founder of Mechon Hadar and Kehilat Hadar.
47. Harold Loss (2008 Ranking #42) Loss has more than 12,000 members in his congregation at Temple Israel in Detroit, MI.
48. Jill Jacobs (NEW) Jacobs runs the Jewish Funds for Justice.
49. Joy Levitt (NEW) Levitt is the Executive Director of the JCC of Manhattan.
50. Michael Paley (2008 Ranking #48) Paley is the scholar-in-residence and director of the Jewish Resource Center of the UJA-Federation of New York.
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42 Responses
Chillul Hashem
Interesting how they are all men –
shows how meaningless the title “Rabbi” is. not even shmiras shabbos is required.
recognize anybody?!
This list should have been published for Purim (not Pesach).
Mammesh Gedolei Hador.
Such Yiddish Nachas. Or…?
Why is YWN even posting this??
Actually, the *real* chillul Hashem is that someone pretending to be frum would post anonymous lashon hara here in the comments. Do you really believe lashon hara doesn’t count on the internet? If you have something meaningful to say, please do so and sign your name. The only Purim Torah I’m reading are the comments!
#2 – check the list again
#8 what loshon horah, besides, do know hilchos lashan hora?
To #2,
What are you talking about? There are plenty of female “Rabbi’s” on the list. Like #’s 18,25,31,34,39,40,48, & 49.
No, #8, this article most certainly does qualify as Purim Torah.
Do these guys really think that people such as the leading rabbonim of Lakewood and NY are irrelevant? To me, some of them certainly seem more important and relevant than the “CEO of Shalom Television” (sounds like a missionary thing, by the way).
These are not “traditional” orthodox rabbis. Most of them are kofrim b’ikur R”L. Unfortunately this is what a rabbi is in the 21st century.We need the Geula Shleima now!!!
if ur so makpid on lashon hara u shouldnt be reading the comments b’chlall
also 1 of them taka is a lady
#2 what are you talking about look @ 18 & 39
David Wolpe- I believe he is a conservative Rabbi. He often debates Sam Harris, a famous atheist… which is a considerable undertaking.
Joseph Telushkin- Don’t know much about his rabbi status, but he co-authored an excellent book called “Why the Jews? The Reason for Antisemitism”. Highly recommend.
Berg Is a Meshumed
After looking at the list, I was wondering why I was left off.
Vhat! Dey left me off AGAIN!!!
Many of them are questionably Jewish, and certainly not “rabbi”. YWN seems to have a very limited understanding of the non-frum community.
Why are the worse anti-semites “RABBIS”, Talk about Alma D’Shikrah ! HASHEM YAAZOR .
Berg is also a crackpot.
Look, this is the way of thinking that calls Hitler a great man, and evil people “people of the year.”
since when is a non-jewish magazine morah derech of what is a ‘rabbi’ , that some of you are upset?
most of these ‘rabbis’ should be sued for malpractice!!
The list isn’t claiming to be a list of the best Rabbis, but the most influential.
Moshe kibail Torah misinia..etc..and this bunch,with some very slight exceptions never attached themselves to that chain. They may be rabbis,but the term has lost or changed its definition. They are NOT b’nei Torah,and 99% do not represent me in any way shape or form. I’d be embarrassed to be in their company,for the most part.A doctor who does not know or believe in medicine cannot give prescriptions.
#25 is a rabbi?1?
Aza ponim hut der gantze zach! B’H no one of real authority is among them!
If Moshiach doesn’t come this Nisson, we’re really up the creek!
I am not sure that Rabbi Krinsky and Buchwald are so honored to be on this list.
Whether you agree with this list or not, it is important to understand that our frum perspective is very limited – there is a large world out there and we are very small part, significant to ourselves, but not necessarily to others. This is how the larger world views some rabbis.
Why not one talmide chacham? NOT ONE. Only perverts phonys mushchasim and ousvorfs kofrim minim and apikorsim
Time for everybody to chill out. I recommend that we all submit to YWN those Rabbis who have had a great influence on our lives and thus we can create our own list of the top 50 American rabbis for the orthodox jews.And please, if you disagree with someone’s choice don’t comment on it. Just ignore it and submit your own. I would like to submit the name of Rabbi Frand of Ner Yisroel in Baltimore.
To most American Jews, the ones titled “Rabbi” are Rabbis–male, female, observant, non-observant, believer, or atheist.
To most American Jews, Lakewood is (at most) a city in New Jersey.
How many Jews in American are frum compared to how many are “non-affiliated” or (at best) “Reform?”
The article came from Newsweek, not YWN. But it is important that YWN post these types of articles so that we in the frum world can know what is going on with the other 80% of our brothers and sisters.
Oy, to all you telling #2 that there IS ladies on the list: #2 KNOWS that!!! Its called sarcasim!!!!
Take a chill pill.
Of course roshei yeshivot and Admorim are more important!
The article says “influential” Not the same. It’s certainly newsworthy to know these facts.
(PS #12 do you have ANY basis for what you wrote?)
look in hilchos loshon hora its mutar to speak l’h about a kofer b-ikur, one who thinks orthodoxy should be modernized is a kofer.
47. Harold Loss (2008 Ranking #42) Loss has more than 12,000 members in his congregation at Temple Israel in Detroit, MI.
This is a tremendous LOSS for Klal Yisroel
hen um lvudud yishkon. ‘EVAGOYIM LO YISCHASHUV’ the gadlis from a yid is if he’s not chushiv by the goyim, burich hashem our rabbunim and tzadeekim don’t need to b on the list, they rather want to be on the listing of, what we say before we put on our ‘talis’, KACH EZKEH LCHALIKA DRABUNUN VTALIS NOEH BGAN EDEN IM HATZDEEKIM’. THE TZADEEKIM LIST IN GAN EDEN, that’s what’s important, not the newspaper list.
I hope my comment isn’t read as calling everyone on the list I disagree with evil, etc. Just saying that whoever compiled the list didn’t consult me. Their loss.
Influential?! to whom? When I speak with reform or conservative jews, one question that always comes up is if the “Rabbi”s speaches ever entail self improvement, demanding introspection. The answer is always a resounding “no”.
They posted the list before Pesach so that we know whom to have in mind when mentioning the Arba Bonim in the Haggadah.
א לעכטיגער פורים
if you yeshiva boochers are the immune system of Judaism, then i would call your comments to this worldly Rabbi list – an expected but awful allergic reaction.