New York – In the fall of 2006, Sony Pictures chairman and CEO Michael Lynton and his pal Gary Ginsberg, now an executive vice president of Time Warner Inc., began working on a list of the 50 most influential rabbis in the U.S. The friends devised the following unscientific criteria to rank the leaders, whose specialties range from kashrut to Kabbalah: Are they known nationally/internationally? (20 points.) Do they have political/social influence? (20 points.) Do they have a media presence? (10 points.) Are they leaders within their communities? (10 points.) Are they considered leaders in Judaism or their movements? (10 points. ) How big are their constituencies? (10 points.) Have they made an impact on Judaism in their career? (10 points.) Have they made a greater impact beyond the Jewish community and their rabbinical training? (10 points.) NEWSWEEK published that first list around Passover, 2007, with this caveat: “Is the list subjective? Yes. Is it mischievous in its conception? Definitely.” Now in its fourth year, Lynton and Gisberg’s list includes eight fresh names and a new rebbe in the top spot.
1.Yehuda Krinsky—As the leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Krinsky is the contemporary face of the Hasidic branch. (2009 Ranking No. 4)
36.Sara Hurwitz—Hurwitz rose to national attention when Rabbi Avi Weiss (No. 18) bestowed her with the title of “rabba.” She is considered the first Orthodox woman rabbi ordained in the United States, and in this role she has had an impact on the roles considered acceptable for modern Orthodox women. (NEW)
Read the full list at Newsweek Magazine
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21 Responses
The fact that Rav Elyashiv, Rav Shteinman, Rav Ovadya Yosef, Rav Wosner, Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky Etc…
are not even on the list, let alone the top of the list, just shows what sheker the list is. If I were R’ Krinski, I would be embarrassed.
If 1,700-3,000 families/members gets Rabbis to number 30-31 on the list, then a lot Hasidic Rabbis should be here too.
Gei learn mit a goy Bartenurah…
It’s no great honor to be on that list.
Is it appropriate to include such stories from non-Jewish media in YWN? What a bunch of frei Jews consider to be important is largely irrelevant.
To #1: the headline is the “50 most influential rabbi’s in AMERICA”. Where would rav Eliyashiv, rav shteinman or rav wosner fit in? But you are right that these guys don’t understand the matzav. The reform and conservative movements are a dying entity. They are loosing a minimum of 2 percent a year whereas lakewood, monroe, boro park and other centers of orthodoxy are growing by leaps and bounds. If these guys knew what they were talking about reb malkiel and the satmar rebbe/s would have made it into the list. Putting in sara hurvitz is a joke. What has she added to klal yisroel? What has she done for the community?
i didnt see mark golubs name on there. why? he should have been on there.
The fact that Rav Elyashiv, Rav Shteinman, Rav Ovadya Yosef, Rav Wosner, Rav Shmuel Kamenetzky Etc…
are not even on the list, let alone the top of the list, just shows what sheker the list is. If I were R’ Krinski, I would be embarrassed.
I don’t know why you’re so surprised about this.
Firstly, the list is for the top 50 Rabbis in the US — so it’s obvious why Rav Yosef, Rav Eliyashiv et al are not on the list.
As for anyone else, you shouldn’t be surprised. When you take into account the criteria for inclusion, it should be obvious why none of them are on the list.
The Wolf
number 1, it says 50 most influential rabbis in the U.S.
besides, i think newsweek made a mistake, should have said the 50 LEAST influential rabbis in the U.S.
Just in my neighborhood, Rabbi Weiss does deserve to be on the list, but so does his first cousin Rabbi Willig because of his many students at YU and also his work on the RCA prenup that will save many women from agunah status. (Their shuls are five minutes apart by foot; I have davened and learned at both.)
So glad that no rabbi who I would ever ask a shaila to is on the list!
This actually raises an interesting point. It doesn’t matter what you call her, a marat, or rabbah- it is still seen as a rabbi from the secular world. She is Rabbi Hurvits to Newsweek.
So glad that no rabbi who I would ever ask a shaila to is on the list!
Why would you never ask a shaila of Rabbi Menachem Genack?
The Wolf
Why isn’t the Lubavitcher Rebbe on this list ??
I thought that Weiss, while agreeing that she was a woman, said that she wasn’t ordained as a rabbi.
Although the Lubavitcher Rebbe is no longer among the living and therefore probably does not meet the criteria, he may very well be the most influential Rabbi in America today. They should have made an exception and included him since many thousands of his followers believe him to be only “concealed” from them.
“to rank the leaders, whose specialties range from kashrut to Kabbalah”
Do you have to be a “rabbi” to specialise in kashrus, or kabbalah?
what a perfect story for shiva asar bitamuz. While the easy reaction is laitzanus, let’s realize how unbeleivably sad it is that Jews with so much potential to be leaders in Klal Yisrael are so misguided (aside from the Frum few of course). What are we doing about this? Do we honestly believe that Moshiach has a chance of coming with our current attitude towards our not-yet-frum brothers and sisters? What can YOU do to help?????
Ask 100 jews to compile a list and you will gert 100 different versions. The chance of any given rabbi making more than maybe 10 of those lists would be slim indeed.
Remember, rabbosai, this list is just one opinion. It is NOT a din.
Response #4
While I agree that the list includes individuals who have less of an impact on the Jewish people than other names that come to mind, I still think that it is YWN worthy to include this as it is important for us Frum Jews to know what other Jews think and what they read. The reality is that while we (the Orothdox world) may be growing in numbers, we fall short when it comes to the area of real Jewish outreach and impacting the greater Jewish world.
most of these people aren’t even rabbis just heads of jewish organizations
Hashem Yeracheim. It’s a huge chilul Hashem that us Yidden are connected with such abomoniable people (with the exeption of but a maybe 2 – 5 ehrelich Yidden on that list). I understand that the goyim recognize that they are reform, conservative, reconstructionist, etc. But I don’t think an average goy knows the difference between an orthodox Jew and one of the above type Jews. They have no Jewishness to them at all. They just identify themselves as Jewish for kavod. How in the world can a mishkav zachor call himself Jewish (and how ironic it is that their head tumah leader is a woman). There is no justification to that but kavod. But if you look at the our true leaders (roshei yeshivas, rebbes, etc), they’re not in it for kavod. They are mamesh lishem Shomayim. You cannot be a leader without anavah, which we learned from Moshe Rabbeinu. That is the huge differnce between Orthodox and non-Jewish Jews. This is obviously stuff we already know, but I couldnt help but speak out my mind after reading this disgusting list (which I wish I didn’t).