Jewish-American icons who changed the world for the better -

Ever since the arrival of the first Jews on American soil in 1954, Jewish Americans have been deeply involved in the progression and development of art, science, and culture in the United States. Despite facing generations of bigotry and persecution, the strong and resilient Jewish spirit has persevered through the ages, and countless individuals have made their mark on American society.

Click on to read up on some of the most important and influential Jewish-Americans figures in history, past and present.

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Bob Dylan -

A man who truly needs no introduction, Bob Dylan is known the world over as one of the most famous and influential songwriters and guitarists of all time. Dylan's grandparents emigrated from Odessa, in modern-day Ukraine, after facing persecution during the anti-Jewish pogroms of 1905.

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg -

Ruth Bader Ginsburg served on the Supreme Court of the United States for 27 years, and in that time became perhaps the most iconic individual to ever hold the position. Serving as the first female Jewish justice in the history of the court, RBG gained international renown for her impassioned dissents and her strong code of ethics.

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Emma Lazarus -

Jewish-American poet and activist Emma Lazarus is one of the greatest grassroots heroes of 19th-century New York. Appalled by the rampant anti-Semitism of the 1800s, Lazarus dedicated herself to helping destitute immigrant Jews coming in from Ellis Island. Just one of her many accomplishments was opening the Hebrew Technical Institute, a vocational school that helped Jewish immigrants enter the workforce and become self-sufficient. Lines from her poem 'The New Colossus' are inscribed in bronze at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

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Jonas Stalk -

Jonas Salk changed the world overnight when he introduced his polio vaccine in 1953. It was the first safe and effective polio vaccine ever made, effectively putting an end to the disease's reign of terror. In a true show of humanitarianism, Salk refused to patent his vaccine recipe, so that it could be used around the world and save as many lives a possible.

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Stan Lee -

One of the most beloved men in America, Stan Lee took his father's small publishing house and turned it into the multinational entertainment conglomerate Marvel Comics, which now dominates Hollywood and, as it always has, the comic book industry. Lee is credited as co-creator of almost all of the most famous Marvel heroes, including the X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, and Iron Man.

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Barbra Streisand -

Barbra Streisand was, at one point, arguably the most popular woman in America. One of less than 20 individuals to win an EGOT, Streisand won a Grammy for her debut album, 'The Barbra Streisand Album,' and was the first woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Director, awarded to her for the 1983 film 'Yentl.' Of course, she also won the Best Actress Oscar for 'Funny Girl' (1968).

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Alexander David Goode -

Rabbi Alexander David Goode was a true hero of World War II. Serving as a chaplain, he and three other chaplains gave their lives helping nearly 400 soldiers escape a transport ship that had been hit by a Nazi torpedo. Goode and his fellow chaplains gave their life vests to the others and went down with the boat, allegedly calmly praying with arms intertwined.

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Larry David -

Larry David has managed to stay in the spotlight for more than 30 years, due in no small part to his genius wit that has made classics out of his television shows 'Seinfeld' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm.'

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Gertrude B. Elion -

Gertrude B. Elion was born to two Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in New York City in 1918. Elion would go on to win a Nobel Prize in 1988 for her invaluable and revolutionary work in the field of pharmaceutical treatment. Elion's findings would help treat leukemia, malaria, and other serious ailments.

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Jon Stewart -

One of the most iconic and beloved television hosts of the 20th and 21st century, Jon Stewart anchored Comedy Central's comedy news program 'The Daily Show' for 16 years. Famous for his piercing wit, Stewart formed a unique method of mixing a real news show, dealing with real events and conducting serious interviews, with hysterical commentary that helped lessen the blow of some of the most difficult stories of his tenure.

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Ruth Handler -

Born to Polish-Jewish immigrants in Denver, Colorado, Ruth Handler was a businesswoman and inventor whose mark on the world can't be overstated. Perhaps best known for inventing the immensely popular Barbie doll, Handler also invented a breast prosthesis that set a new standard for an essential product that had seen little to no innovation before.

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Noam Chomsky -

Known today mostly for his political discourses, Noam Chomsky's largest and most influential contribution to the world is in the field of linguistics, where he has breathed new life into the field with his theories of universal and transformational grammar, both of which fall under the umbrella of biolinguistics, which posits the foundations of language are innate in human brains, as opposed to something adopted from external sources.

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Gloria Steinem -

One of the most influential journalists of her time and a leading luminary of the modern feminist movement, Gloria Steinem's effect on women's involvement and portrayal in media has made her an eternal icon. In addition to co-founding the game-changing progressive women's magazine Ms., she is also a founder of the National Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Media Center, the latter founded with Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan.

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David Julius -

Jewish-American physiologist David Julius was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 2021 for his lab's invaluable work studying the nature of the body's pain receptors. This research will help develop more effective nonopioid painkillers and will widen the scope of treatment for afflictions such as fibromyalgia.

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Paul Simon -

The immensely famous and multifaceted Paul Simon was born to Hungarian-Jewish parents in New Jersey in 1941. During the long and wildly successful career he's led since then, as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist, Simon has accumulated no less than 16 Grammys.

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Peter Falk -

One of the most distinctive, recognizable, and beloved faces of Hollywood belonged to formidable actor Peter Falk. Most famous for starring as the titular protagonist in the hit television series 'Columbo,' Falk was also respected in the circles of theater and film.

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Gerty Cori -

Gerty Theresa Cori, an Austro-Hungarian-born Jewish American, made history in 1947 when she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology for her discoveries regarding the conversion of glycogen, an important source of energy in the body.

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Art Spiegelman -

Art Spiegelman, the son of a Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivor, is most famous for his seminal graphic novel 'Maus,' which tells the story of his father's time in Poland and concentration camps during World War II. Spiegelman received a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1992.

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Philip Glass -

Philip Glass is one of the most prolific and influential composers of the 20th century. A virtuoso pianist, Glass has penned everything from film scores to operas and symphonies. A movement from his score for the seminal 1985 film 'Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,' 'String Quartet No. 3,' has become one of the most celebrated pieces of modern classical music.

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Isaac Asimov -

Isaac Asimov, born to a family of Russian-Jewish millers who emigrated to the United States when he was young, is thought of by many as one of the most important science fiction writers of all time. His 'Foundation' trilogy was given the Hugo Award for Best All-Time Series, an award that was only ever given out once.

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Mel Blanc -

Mel Blanc is without a doubt the most prolific voice actor in history, and the man that all other voice actors look up to. Known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices," Blanc, born to a German-Jewish family in San Francisco, voiced iconic radio and cartoon characters such as Barney Rubble, Mr. Jetson, and just about every 'Looney Tunes' character there was, including, of course, Bugs Bunny.

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Allen Ginsberg -

Allen Ginsberg was a leading pioneer of the Beat Generation, a literary movement that took the world by storm in the 1950s and '60s. Ginsberg is considered one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century.

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Levi Strauss -

While not the inventor of denim jeans, Levi Strauss is the man who made them a worldwide sensation. In 1873, together with tailor Jacob W. Davis, Strauss patented and marketed the game-changing work pants through his business firm, Levi Strauss & Co., and has been a household name ever since.

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The Marx Brothers -

Fans, critics, and historians all agree that the family vaudeville comedy troupe known as the Marx Brothers were the most influential group of comedians of the 20th century. Born to French- and German-Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s, the five brothers would produce 15 comedy films during their storied career.

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Hannah Arendt -

Famous for the thoughtful and philosophical prose she wrote while covering the trial of lead Nazi Adolf Eichmann in 1961, Hannah Arendt placed an indelible mark on political philosophy, journalism, and the world's understanding of the Jewish diaspora. After being born in what was then the German Empire and surviving the Holocaust, Arendt emigrated to New York City, the place she called home for the rest of her days.

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Arthur Kornberg -

Biochemist Arthur Kornberg, born to a family of Austrian Jews in New York in 1918, made great leaps in the field of DNA research. Kornberg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 1959 for his groundbreaking discovery of DNA polymerase, an essential formative component of DNA that causes its replication.

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J.D. Salinger -

J.D. Salinger, one of the most famous writers in American history, was born the son of a rabbi in a family of Lithuanian-Jewish heritage. Before becoming the legendary author of 'Catcher in the Rye,' Salinger was also drafted into World War II, where he fought on D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge.

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Emma Goldman -

Emma Goldman, while sorely underappreciated during her life, is now recognized as an incredibly important 20th-century political philosopher and activist. An early radical figure in America's fights for civil liberties, Goldman was known for distributing birth control information under threat of imprisonment, and for generally catalyzing support for a range of issues.

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George Wald -

While perhaps not exactly a household name, George Wald's scientific findings involving retinas would have a huge impact on advancements in vision and eye treatment. In 1967, Wald earned a Nobel Prize along with two other biochemists for their work identifying vitamin A as a major component in the makeup of retinas.

Sources: (HuffPost) (Geni) (Britannica)

See also: Vintage photographs of life on a kibbutz

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