The Jerusalem Post's 50 Most Influential Jews 2025
In a world of constant change, influence takes many forms – guiding, questioning, and leaving a lasting mark. Over a year of profound change, these 50 shaped conversations, challenges, and hopes. 🧵 👇
No. 1: After October 7 shattered something for many Israelis, one strategic decision in 5785 became a tipping point that moved even sworn critics back to Netanyahu's fold.
No. 2: The real estate billionaire who became Trump's Middle East envoy carries a Star of David from a personal tragedy that drives his approach to hostage negotiations.
No. 3: How Israel's Mossad chief managed to run hundreds of agents simultaneously inside Iran for an operation that fundamentally altered the Middle East balance.
No. 4: The IDF chief of staff who led Operation Rising Lion is now facing his biggest domestic challenge yet - one that could define Israel's social contract.
No. 5: Two Trump advisers are reshaping US policy on hostages and immigration - one through empathy born from tragedy, the other through unprecedented executive power.
No. 6: The CEO who lost 658 employees on 9/11 now controls America's commerce policy and has created a controversial pathway to citizenship for the ultra-wealthy.
No. 9: The Google co-founder who fled Soviet antisemitism at age 6 has quietly donated $700 million and returned to AI development full-time for humanity's biggest challenges.
No. 10: Four Israeli friends who met on a bus to IDF service built the fastest-growing software company in history - and Google paid $32 billion for it.
No. 11: The Canadian-Israeli billionaire appointed to lead World Jewish Congress Israel has made TIME's philanthropy list while cycling his way into diplomatic history.
No. 12: Israel's president makes daily calls to world leaders but receives minimal media attention despite being arguably the hardest-working head of state in Israeli history.
No. 13: The aerospace CEO who developed the Arrow missile system now leads Israel's largest defense company through record-breaking contracts and profitability.
No. 14: Six Jewish billionaires have quietly become the backbone of Israel's wartime funding and tech innovation, but their approaches couldn't be more different.
No. 15: The Air Force chief who eliminated Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah has restored Israel's aerial supremacy but faces questions about one controversial operation.
No. 16: Two opposition leaders are battling to replace Netanyahu's government, but their rivalry may be their biggest obstacle to forming a unity coalition.
No. 18: The son of a Jewish father from Belarus has become Vladimir Putin's most trusted administrator, running Russia's domestic policy amid international sanctions.
No. 19: The education philanthropist has increased his foundation's budget from 24 million to 40 million euros, creating a lifeline for Jewish schools facing unprecedented antisemitism.
No. 20: The Magen David Adom CEO, who started as a volunteer at 15, has revolutionized Israel's emergency response times through groundbreaking systems.
No. 21: The Jewish National Fund-USA CEO is building a $350 million World Zionist Village in Beersheba while leading the most effective Zionist organization in America.
No. 22: The Jewish Federations leader who raised $850 million for Israel emergency campaigns has become the architect of North American Jewish community response.
No. 23: Four Trump officials are pushing the administration's agenda while one wears a Star of David ring she never removes, even in the most sensitive diplomatic meetings.
No. 24: Three Democratic leaders are quietly securing major pro-Israel victories on Capitol Hill, including one breakthrough that could change how universities handle antisemitism.
No. 25: The astrophysicist who measures the universe's expansion rate is leading development of a $2 billion telescope that will revolutionize our view of space.
No. 26: The Israeli-born physician who became one of the world's top 50 richest people has a controversial vision for the West Bank that divides even her supporters.
No. 27 Three Jewish-American business leaders under 50 are reshaping Hollywood and tech, with one seeking Israeli residency and another reinventing himself after WeWork.
No. 28: Four religious leaders shape Jewish life from Washington's Capitol Hill to criminal underworld peace negotiations to ultra-Orthodox resistance.
No. 31: Two pillars of Israel's justice system stand at the center of the judicial reform storm - one fired by ministerial committee, the other proving judicial independence.
No. 32: The former prime minister who's been out of office for three years is consistently polling second to Netanyahu despite saying little and doing less.
No. 34: Four leaders of organizations supporting war survivors represent different faces of Israeli resilience, from KKL-JNF's first female chair to United Hatzalah's emergency innovation.
No. 35: Two nonprofit leaders represent Israeli resilience - one rebuilding Kfar Azza after October 7 massacre, the other mobilizing agricultural volunteers during crisis.
No. 37: The CEO of Israel's rescue organization, who launched nationwide resilience centers, is helping 3,000 volunteers cope with unprecedented trauma.
No. 38: Two medical leaders are bringing innovation to healthcare - one calling his hospital project 'most important modern Zionist project,' another leading high-risk pregnancies.
No. 39: Three Silicon Valley investors are reshaping defense technology, while one chartered emergency airlifts delivering $35 million in aid after October 7.
No. 41: The 47-year-old regional council head who represents a new generation of West Bank leaders is pushing sovereignty with a more diplomatic approach.
No. 42: Three voices of the hostage crisis never asked for their fame - one returned after 484 days, another chose to lead, and one refuses to let survival be its own end.
No. 43: Two leaders of America's most powerful pro-Israel lobby are strengthening Washington-Jerusalem ties while one brings medical expertise to strategic advocacy.
No. 44: Two leaders of America's most powerful pro-Israel lobby are strengthening Washington-Jerusalem ties while one brings medical expertise to strategic advocacy.
No. 45: Seven influential advocates defend Israel across platforms from Hollywood to international law, with one granddaughter of Holocaust survivors facing boycott calls.
@Ostrov_A @noatishby @EYakoby No. 46: Two leaders represent Israel's security and diverse population - one founding movement of 35,000 reserve officers, another uniting 259 local authorities.
@Ostrov_A @noatishby @EYakoby No. 47: Three Israeli sports phenoms in their 20s are reshaping perceptions of Israeli athletics while representing their country at the highest international levels.
@Ostrov_A @noatishby @EYakoby No. 48: Three performers sparked pride worldwide this year - one sang under threats at Eurovision, another produced an antisemitism documentary, and one returned from war wounds to music.
@Ostrov_A @noatishby @EYakoby No. 49: Three influential voices explain the Middle East to millions - one founded a media company valued at $100 million, another wrote a definitive book on Israeli innovation.
No. 50: Two senior defense industry figures are leading Israel's military technology revolution - one deploying laser systems, another securing massive European contracts.
Second day of Iranian strikes on Israel🧵:
One person was killed and 13 wounded from Iranian missiles in the North, IDF attempted a targeted strike on the Houthi senior military commander in Yemen.
Kanye West threatened Jewish people about a supposed conflict with him over a Jewish agenda and said that he couldn't be antisemitic because black people are Jews also, in a now-removed tweet.
These remarks come after Kanye West's Instagram account was restricted over alleged antisemitism expressed in a conversation with Diddy that he leaked onto the social media platform.
@yaakovkatz Further developments on China's attempt to influence the Jerusalem Post as an Israeli politician calls it "chutzpah of the first degree" and an attempt to damage freedom of the press.
@yaakovkatz The Post previously explained why it will continue to bring such important stories to its readers and to conduct interviews with newsmakers like @MOFA_Taiwan Minister Joseph Wu.
@yaakovkatz@MOFA_Taiwan China threatened not only to sever ties with The Jerusalem Post if the article was deleted, but also threatened to downgrade ties with the State of Israel.