Lists of American Jews
Appearance
Lists of Americans |
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By US state |
By ethnicity |
This is a list of famous Jewish Americans.
At about 6 1/2 million, the Jewish population of the United States is currently the largest Jewish population in the world. Judaism is the second most populous religion in the US after Christianity, comprising over 2% of the population. Here is a list of some prominent Jewish Americans, arranged by field of activity.
Sports
Baseball
- Cal Abrams, baseball player
- Brad Ausmus, baseball player (Jewish mother)
- Bo Belinsky, baseball player (Jewish mother)
- Moe Berg, baseball player & spy
- Ron Blomberg, baseball player, MLB's first designated hitter
- Lou Boudreau, baseball player, MVP 1948, HoF (Jewish mother)
- Harry Danning, baseball player
- Barney Dreyfuss, co-founder of the World Series
- Theo Epstein, general manager of the Boston Red Sox
- Shawn Green, baseball player
- Adam Greenberg, baseball player
- Hank Greenberg, baseball player, MVP 1935/1940, HoF
- Ken Holtzman, baseball player
- Gabe Kapler, baseball player
- Sandy Koufax, baseball player, MVP 1963, HoF
- Mike Lieberthal, baseball player (Jewish father)
- Jason Marquis, baseball player
- Levi Meyerle, credited with first double and triple (1876)
- Marvin Miller, first director of the MLBPA
- Buddy Myer, baseball player
- Lip Pike, 19th century player
- Al Rosen, baseball player, MVP 1953
- Goody Rosen. baseball player
- Scott Schoeneweis, baseball player
- Bud Selig, baseball commissioner
- Larry Sherry, baseball player
- Norm Sherry, baseball player
- Steve Stone, baseball player
- Adam Stern, baseball player
- Phile Weintraub, baseball player
- Kevin Youkilis, baseball player
Basketball
- Red Auerbach, basketball coach, HoF
- Senda Berenson, educator & sportswoman, HoF
- Sue Bird, basketball player (Jewish father)
- Larry Brown, basketball coach
- Mark Cuban , owner Dallas Mavericks
- Marty Friedman (basketball)
- Marty Friedman, basketball player, HoF
- Eddie Gottlieb, NBA co-founder, HoF
- Nat Holman, basketball player & coach, HoF
- Red Holzman, basketball coach, HoF
- Nancy Lieberman, basketball player, HoF
- Harry Litwack, basketball coach, HoF
- Maurice Podoloff, basketball commissioner, HoF
- Abe Saperstein, creator of the Harlem Globetrotters, HoF
- Dolph Schayes, basketball player, HoF
- Ossie Schectman, scored first basket of NBA (1946)
- Barney Sedran, basketball player, HoF
- David Stern, basketball commissioner
Boxing
- Ray Arcel, boxing trainer, HoF
- Bob Arum, boxing promoter, HoF
- Abe Attell, world featherweight champion, HoF
- Max Baer, world heavyweight champion (Jewish paternal grandfather; boxed wearing "Star of David")
- Benny Bass, world featherweight champion, HoF
- Samuel Berger, first Olympic heavyweight champion
- Joe Choynski, heavyweight fighter, HoF
- Charley Goldman, boxing trainer, HoF
- Mike Jacobs, boxing promoter, HoF
- Jackie Kallen, boxing promoter
- Louis Kid Kaplan, world featherweight champion, HoF
- Benny Leonard, world lightweight champion, HoF
- Battling Levinsky, world light-heavyweight champion, HoF
- Jill Matthews, world junior-flyweight champion
- Dana Rosenblatt, world middleweight champion
- Maxie Rosenbloom, world light-heavyweight champion, HoF
- Barney Ross, world lightweight and welterweight champion, HoF
- Mike Rossman, world light-heavyweight champion (Jewish mother)
- Sammy Sieger, talented featherweight boxer
- Lew Tendler, the "greatest southpaw in ring history", HoF
Chess
- Lev Alburt, US Chess Champion, HoF
- Joel Benjamin, US Chess Champion
- Hans Berliner, World Postal Chess Champion, HoF
- Arthur Bisguier, US Chess Champion, HoF
- Arnold Denker, US Chess Champion, HoF
- Roman Dzindzichashvili, US Chess Champion
- Esther Epstein, US Women's Chess Champion
- Larry Evans, US Chess Champion, HoF
- Reuben Fine, chess grandmaster, HoF
- Bobby Fischer, US & World Chess Champion, HoF (Jewish mother & alleged Jewish father; does not identify, and is in fact an outspoken anti-Semite)
- Gisela Gresser, US Women's Chess Champion, HoF
- Boris Gulko, US Chess Champion
- Israel Horowitz, chess player, HoF
- Isaac Kashdan, chess grandmaster, HoF
- George Koltanowski, chess grandmaster, HoF
- Irina Levitina, US Women's Chess Champion & bridge champion
- Fred Reinfeld, chess writer, HoF
- Samuel Reshevsky, US Chess Champion, HoF
- Herman Steiner, US Chess Champion
- Wilhelm Steinitz, World Chess Champion, HoF
- Michael Wilder, US Chess Champion
Football
- Lyle Alzado, football player
- Alan Arbuse, football player
- Harris Barton, football player
- Al Davis, football coach, PFHoF
- Jay Fiedler, football player
- Benny Friedman, football player, PFHoF, CFHoF
- Sid Gillman, football coach, PFHoF, CFHoF
- Marshall Goldberg, football player, CFHoF
- Marv Levy, footbal coach, PFHoF
- Benny Lom, football player
- Sid Luckman, football player, PFHoF, CFHoF
- Ron Mix, football player, PFHoF
- Igor Olshansky, football player
Golf
- Amy Alcott, golfer
- Bruce Fleisher, golfer
- Jonathan Kaye, golfer
- Cristie Kerr, golfer (Jewish father)
- Morgan Pressel, golfer
Hockey
- Gary Bettman, NHL commissioner
- Sara DeCosta, hockey player
- Jeff Halpern, hockey player
- Mathieu Schneider, hockey player
Mind sports
- Billy Eisenberg, bridge & backgammon champion
- Charles Goren, bridge player & writer
- Oswald Jacoby, bridge & backgammon champion
- Joel Sherman, scrabble champion
Miscellaneous Sports
- Alan Gelfand, skateboarder, Ollie inventor
- Albert Axelrod, fencer
- Gary Auerbach, frisbee champion
- Sidney Franklin, bullfighter
- Vic Hershkowitz, handball champion
- Marshall Holman, bowling champion
- Jimmy Jacobs, handball champion, boxing coach
- Sada Jacobson, fencer
- Mark Roth, bowling champion
- Kerri Strug, gymnast
Motor sports
- Kenny Bernstein, drag racer
- Paul Newman, auto racer & team owner (Jewish father)
- Peter Revson, F1 racer
- Mauri Rose, Indy 500 racer
Poker
- Mickey Appleman, poker champion (4 WSOP bracelets)
- Lyle Berman, poker player & business executive (3 WSOP bracelets)
- Barry Greenstein, poker player & philanthropist (1 WSOP braclet)
- Perry Green, poker player (3 WSOP bracelets)
- Jay Heimowitz, poker player (6 WSOP bracelets)
- Howard Lederer & Annie Duke, poker players (2 & 1 WSOP bracelets) (unconfirmed)
- Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, poker player (2 WSOP bracelets)
- David Sklansky, poker player & author (3 WSOP bracelets) (unconfirmed)
- Jack Straus, poker player (2 WSOP bracelets, 1 championship)
- Stu Ungar, poker player (5 WSOP bracelets, 3 championships)
Power sports
- Isaac Berger, Olympic weightlifter (1g2s)
- Bill Goldberg, professional wrestler
- Scott Levy, professional wrestler (Raven)
- Dean Malenko, professional wrestler
- Amy Weisberger, powerlifter
- Henry Wittenberg, Olympic wrestler (1g1s)
Skating
- Sasha Cohen, figure skater
- Scott Cohen, free skating champion
- Aaron Feinberg, rollerblading champion
- Sarah Hughes, figure skating champion (Jewish mother)
- Irving Jaffee, speed skating champion
Soccer
- Yari Allnut, soccer player
- Jeff Agoos, soccer player
- Dan Calichman, soccer player
- Don Garber, soccer comissioner
- Shep Messing, soccer player
- Sara Whalen, soccer player
- Ethan Zohn, soccer player
Swimming
- Tiffany Cohen, Olympic swimmer (2g)
- Anthony Ervin, Olympic swimmer (1g1s) (Jewish mother)
- Lenny Krayzelburg, Olympic swimmer (3g)
- Jason Lezak, Olympic swimmer (2g1s1b)
- Keena Rothhammer, Olympic swimmer (1g1s)
- Mark Spitz, Olympic swimmer (9g1s1b)
- Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer (4g1s4b) (Jewish father)
Tennis and racquet sports
- Joey Cornblit, jai-alai player
- Brad Gilbert, tennis player & coach
- Brian Gottfried, tennis player
- Marty Hogan, racquetball player
- Aaron Krickstein, tennis player
- Victor Niederhoffer, squash player
- Dr. Renée Richards, tennis player
- Dick Savitt, tennis player
- Mike Yellen, racquetball player
Track and Field
- Lillian Copeland, Olympic field athlete (2g1s)
- Doug Heir, Paralympic athlete (6g2s2b)
- Deena Kastor, long-distance runner
- Abel Kiviat, middle-distance runner
- Lon Myers, 19th century running champion
- Myer Prinstein, Olympic jumper (4g1s)
Business
Finance
- Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg, mayor of New York, philanthropist
- Eli & Edythe Broad, business leader & philanthropists
- Steven Cohen, billionaire founder of SAC Capital Management
- Marcus Goldman & Samuel Sachs, founders of Goldman Sachs
- Robert Rubin, Jon Corzine, Marc Benioff, Steven Friedman, & Edward S Lampert of Goldman Sachs (more Jewish partners, chairmen, CEOs, etc. have belonged to the group but are not listed and/or unconfirmed)
- Guggenheim family, business leaders, philanthropists & art patrons
- Carl Icahn, billionaire Investments Takeovers
- Jerome Kohlberg, billionaire co-founder of KKR leveraged buyout
- Bruce Kovner, billionaire owner of Caxton Associates
- Henry Kravis, leveraged buyout pioneer and philanthropist co-founder of KKR
- Alexandre, Simon & Elie Lazard, founders of Lazard
- Edward Lampert, billionaire founder of ESL Investments
- Thomas Lee, billionaire leveraged bayout
- Henry, Emanuel & Henry Lehman, founders of Lehman Brothers
- Norma Lerner, billionaire co-owner of MBNA Financial
- Randolph Lerner, billionaire co-owner of MBNA Financial
- Nancy Lerner Beck, billionaire co-owner of MBNA Financial
- Michael Milken, junk bond king, fraudster & philanthropist
- Jack Nash co-owner of Odissey Partners leveraged bayout
- Roy Neuberger, financier & art dealer
- Nelson Peltz, billionaire leveraged buyout
- Michael Price, billionaire investor (one jewish parent)
- George Roberts, billionaire co-founder of KKR leveraged buyout
- Jacob Schiff, financier & philanthropist
- Muriel Siebert, first woman to purchase a seat on NYSE
- George Soros, financier & philanthropist
- Sandy Weill, ex-CEO of Citigroup, philanthropist
Retail and rental
- Max Azria, founder of BCBG
- Arthur Blank & Bernie Marcus, founders of Home Depot, philanthropists
- Nehemiah Cohen & Samuel Lehrman, founders of Giant Food
- Isaac & Bernard Gimbel, founders of Gimbel's, Saks Fifth Avenue
- John Hertz, founder of Yellow Cab, owner of The Hertz Corporation (unconfirmed)
- Sidney Kimmel, retailer & philanthropist
- Ralph Lauren, founder of Polo Ralph Lauren, acquired Club Monaco
- Paul, Georges, Maurice & Armand Marciano, founders of Marciano and GUESS
- Morris Markin, founder of Checker Cabs
- David May, founder of May Department Stores (Robinsons-May, Famous-Barr, Filene's, Foley's, Hecht's, Kaufmann's, L.S. Ayres, Marshall Field's, Meier & Frank, Strawbridge's & The Jones Store)
- Joe, Ralph & Avi Nakash, founders of Jordache
- Al Neiman, Carrie Neiman & Herbert Marcus, founders of Neiman-Marcus
- Julius Rosenwald, head of Sears & Roebuck, philanthropist
- Isador Straus, head of Macy's, Titanic victim
- Nathan Swartz, founder of Timberland
- Leslie Wexner, founder of Limited Brands, Victoria's Secret
- Mel Ziegler, Pat Ziegler & Bill Rosenzweig, founders of Banana Republic
Toys
- Beatrice Alexander, founder of the Alexander Doll Company
- Ralph Baer, inventor of the games console
- Joshua Lionel Cowen, toy train manufacturer, founder of Lionel Corporation
- Maurice Greenberg, founder of Coleco
- Nathan Greenman, toy manufacturer
- Ruth Handler, inventor of Barbie, founder of Mattel
- Henry & Helal Hassenfeld, founders of Hasbro
- Isaac Larian, founder of MGA Enretainment inventor of Bratz doll
- Charles Lazarus, founder of Toys R Us
- Rose & Morris Michtom, inventors of the teddy bear
- David Rosen, founder of SEGA (unconfirmed)
Confectionery
- Louis Auster, inventor of egg cream
- Burton Baskin & Irving Robbins, founders of Baskin Robbins
- Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry's
- Joseph Friedman, inventor of the flexistraw
- Hyman Golden, Arnold Greenberg & Leonard Marsh, founders of Snapple
- Herb Hyman, founder of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Charles Lubin, founder of Sara Lee
- Reuben Mattus, founder of Häagen-Dazs
- Bill Rosenberg, founder of Dunkin' Donuts
- Howard Schultz, head of Starbucks
- Soofer Family, founder of Soofer Company and Sadaf
Electronics
- Beny Alagem, founder of Packard Bell
- Michael Dell, founder of Dell, philanthropist
- Donna Dubinsky, co-founder of Palm Computing
- Lee Felsenstein, moderator of the Homebrew Computer Club
- Andrew Grove, co-founder of Intel
- Eugene Kleiner, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor, venture capitalist
- Jaron Lanier, virtual reality products
- Arthur Rock, hi-tech venture capitalist (Intel, Apple)
- Ben Rosen, hi-tech venture capitalist (Compaq, Lotus)
- Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore International
- Andrew Viterbi & Irwin Jacobs, founders of Qualcomm
Software and Internet
- Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft (Jewish mother)
- Dan Bernstein, creator of qmail
- Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston, creators of Visicalc
- Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google
- Bram Cohen, creator of BitTorrent
- Mark Cuban, founder of Broadcast.com, owner of the Dallas Mavericks
- Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle
- Rob Glaser, founder of RealNetworks
- Max Goldberg, creator of YTMND.com
- Andy Hertzfeld, programmer on Mac OS
- Larry Kaplan, co-founder of Activision
- Mitch Kapor, founder of Lotus Software, co-founder of EFF
- Raymond Kurzweil, artificial intelligence software
- Phil Katz, creator of PKZip
- Leslie Lamport, initial developer of LaTeX
- Max Levchin, founder of PayPal
- Elias Levy (aka Aleph One), long-time moderator of Bugtraq
- Jef Raskin, interface designer for Apple Macintosh
- Seymour I. Rubinstein, creator of WordStar
- Jonathan Sachs, chief programmer on Lotus Software
- Joshua Schachter, creator of del.icio.us
- Richard Stallman, programmer of Emacs, founder of GNU
- Larry Tesler, creator of Gypsy
- Dave Winer, content management, XML-RPC
Media
- Jack & Harry Cohn, co-founders of Columbia Pictures
- Michael Eisner, head of The Walt Disney Company
- William Fox, Joseph Schenk, co-founders of 20th Century Fox
- Leonard Goldenson, head of ABC
- Irving Kahn, co-founder of TelePrompTer
- Carl Laemmle, founder of Universal Studios
- Marcus Loew, Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer, co-founders of MGM
- William S. Paley, head of CBS
- Sumner Redstone, head of Viacom
- Ralph Roberts, Daniel Aaron, Julian Brodsky, founders of Comcast
- David Sarnoff, head of RCA
- Robert Shaye, founder of New Line Cinema
- Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, founders of Dreamworks SKG
- Harry, Albert, Sam & Jack Warner, founders of Warner Brothers
- Bob & Harvey Weinstein, founders of Miramax
- Adolph Zukor, founder of Paramount Pictures
Publishing
- Walter Annenberg, publisher & philanthropist
- Alfred & Blanche Knopf, founders of Knopf Publishing
- Samuel Irving Newhouse, founder of Advance Publications
- Adolph Ochs, former head of the New York Times
- Joseph Pulitzer, publisher (Jewish father)
- Barney Rossett, founder of Grove Press (Jewish father)
- Richard L. Simon & Max Schuster, founders of Simon and Schuster
- Roger W. Straus, Jr., co-founder of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Daniel Dirk Robert Zif, owners of Zif Davis Publishing
- Mortimer Zuckerman, owner of New York Daily News and US News and World Report
Advertising
- Edward Bernays, father of public relations
- Bill Bernbach, advertising pioneer
- Jay Chiat, advertiser
- Stan Freberg, advertiser & radio personality
- Oscar Goldstein, creator of Ronald McDonald
- Albert Lasker, advertising pioneer, founder of the Lasker Award
- Shirley Polykoff, advertiser
- Ron Popeil, inventor & father of infomercials
- Jay Schulberg, creator of Got Milk?
Models
- Angelyne, model, LA billboard icon
- Barbi Benton, model, actress
- Caprice Bourret, model
- Brooke Burke, model (Jewish mother, raised Jewish)
- Cindy Margolis, model
- Bess Myerson, Miss America
- Simon Rex, model, actor, MTV VJ
- Lindsey Vuolo, model
- Nikki Schieler Ziering, model (converted)
Artists
Visual artists
- Leonard Baskin, sculptor & graphic artist
- Bernard Berenson, art critic
- Wallace Berman, assemblage artist
- Ross Bleckner, painter
- Victor David Brenner, designer of the US penny
- Judy Chicago, feminist painter
- Jo Davidson, sculptor
- Jim Dine, pop artist
- Henry Dreyfuss, industrial designer
- Jacob Epstein, UK-based sculptor
- Helen Frankenthaler, abstract expressionist
- Milton Glaser, graphic designer
- Jack Goldstein, multi media
- Leon Golub, political painter
- Adolph Gottlieb, abstract exppresionist
- Clement Greenberg, art critic
- Herb Grika, painter and installation artist
- Philip Guston, abstract expressionist
- Eva Hesse, minimalist sculptor
- R.B. Kitaj, UK-based painter
- Lee Krasner, abstract expressionist
- Tamara de Lempicka, art deco painter (half Jewish)
- Sol LeWitt, sculptor
- Roy Lichtenstein, pop artist
- Jacques Lipchitz, cubist sculptor
- Morris Louis, abstract expressionist
- Herb Lubalin, graphic designer
- Peter Max, pop artist
- Louise Nevelson, abstract expressionist sculptor
- Barnett Newman, abstract expressionist
- Paul Rand, graphic designer
- Larry Rivers, pop artist
- Susan Rothenberg, painter
- Mark Rothko, abstract expressionist
- Julian Schnabel, neo-expressionist
- George Segal, pop art sculptor
- Richard Serra, minimalist sculptor (half Jewish)
- Ben Shahn, social realist painter
- Nancy Spero, painter, collage artist
- Max Weber, cubist painter
Architects
- Dankmar Adler, architect
- Marcel Breuer, architect
- Arnold Brunner, architect
- Gordon Bunshaft, architect
- Peter Eisenman, deconstructionist architect
- Frank Gehry, architect, Pritzker Prize (1989)
- Victor Gruen, father of the shopping mall
- Frank Israel, architect
- Albert Kahn, industrial architect
- Louis I. Kahn, architect
- Morris Lapidus, architect
- Daniel Libeskind, architect
- Richard Meier, architect, Pritzker Prize (1984)
- Robert Moses, urban planner
- Richard Neutra, modernist architect
- Robert A. M. Stern, architect
Photographers
- Diane Arbus, photographer
- Eve Arnold, photojournalist
- Richard Avedon, photographer
- Margaret Bourke-White, photojournalist (half Jewish)
- Robert Capa, war photographer
- Alfred Eisenstaedt, photographer
- Elliott Erwitt, photographer (half Jewish)
- Robert Frank, photographer
- Lee Friedlander, photographer
- Nan Goldin, photographer
- Philippe Halsman, photographer
- André Kertész, photographer
- William Klein, photographer
- Annie Leibovitz, photographer
- Helen Levitt, photographer
- Linda McCartney, photographer
- Lisette Model, photographer (half Jewish)
- Arnold Newman, photographer
- Irving Penn, photographer
- Man Ray, dadaist photographer
- Herb Ritts, photographer
- Joe Rosenthal, war photographer
- Arthur Rothstein, photographer
- David Seymour, photojournalist
- Cindy Sherman, photographer
- Aaron Siskind, photographer
- Alfred Stieglitz, photographer
- Paul Strand, photographer
- Doris Ulmann, photographer
- Weegee, photojournalist
- Garry Winogrand, photographer
Fashion designers
- Gilbert Adrian, Hollywood fashion designer
- Hattie Carnegie, fashion designer
- Kenneth Cole, fashion designer
- Pamela Dennis, fashion designer
- Marc Ecko, fashion designer
- Rudi Gernreich, fashion designer
- Marc Jacobs, fashion designer
- Alexander Julian, fashion designer (half Jewish)
- Donna Karan, fashion designer
- Calvin Klein, fashion designer
- Michael Kors, fashion designer (half Jewish)
- Estée Lauder, cosmeticist
- Ralph Lauren, fashion designer, founder of Polo Ralph Lauren
- Hinda Miller, inventor of the sports bra
- Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer
- Robert Lee Morris, jewelry designer (half Jewish)
- Norman Norell, fashion designer
- Zac Posen, fashion designer
- Charles Revson, cosmetics industrialist (Revlon)
- Ida Rosenthal, founder of Maidenform Brassieres
- Helena Rubinstein, cosmetics industrialist
- Levi Strauss, German-born clothing manufacturer; "father of the Jeans"
- Pauline Trigère, fashion designer
- Diane von Furstenberg, Belgian-born fashion designer
Cartoonists, animators, and comics writers
- Jessica Abel, comic book writer & artist (Artbabe)
- Ralph Bakshi, animator (Fritz the Cat, Lord of the Rings)
- Brian Michael Bendis, comics book writer
- Dave Berg, cartoonist
- Al Capp, cartoonist (Li'l Abner)
- Roz Chast, cartoonist (New Yorker)
- Howard Chaykin, comic book writer
- Daniel Clowes, alternative comics writer (Ghost World)
- Peter David, comics writer & "writer of stuff"
- Will Eisner, comics artist (The Spirit)
- Jules Feiffer, cartoonist
- Bill Finger, comics artist (Batman)
- Dave Fleischer, animator; brother of Max Fleischer
- Max Fleischer, animator (Popeye, Betty Boop); father of director Richard Fleischer
- Fritz Freleng, animator (Looney Tunes)
- William Gaines, comics artist and MAD founder
- Rube Goldberg, cartoonist
- Herblock, cartoonist (three Pulitzer Prizes)
- Al Hirschfeld, caricaturist
- Nicole Hollander, cartoonist (Sylvia)
- Bob Kane, comics artist (Batman)
- Gil Kane, comics artist (Green Lantern)
- Ben Katchor, comics writer (Julius Knipl)
- Jack Kirby, comics artist (Captain America, Hulk)
- Joe Kubert, comics artist
- Harvey Kurtzman, comics artist and MAD editor
- Stan Lee, comics artist (Spiderman, X-Men)
- Martin Nodell, comics artist (Green Lantern)
- Harvey Pekar, comix writer (American Splendor)
- Rachel Pollack, comic book writer (Doom Patrol) see also "Authors"
- Trina Robbins, comix writer
- Julius Schwartz, comic book and magazine editor
- Joe Shuster, comics artist (Superman)
- Jerome Siegel, comics artist (Superman)
- Joe Simon, comics artist (Captain America)
- Art Spiegelman, comix writer (Maus)
- William Steig, cartoonist & children's writer
- Saul Steinberg, cartoonist & illustrator
- David Tischman, comic book writer
- Mort Weisinger, comic book and magazine editor
- Marv Wolfman, comic book writer
Authors
- Kathy Acker, writer
- Forrest J. Ackerman, science fiction author & fan
- Nelson Algren, novelist (son of convert)
- Jonathan Ames, author
- Sholem Asch, Yiddish writer
- Isaac Asimov, science fiction author
- Paul Auster, author
- Peter S. Beagle, novelist
- Saul Bellow, writer, Nobel Prize (1976)
- Robert Bloch, science fiction author
- Harold Bloom, literary critic
- Judy Blume, children's author
- Jane Bowles, writer & playwright
- David Brin, science fiction author
- Michael Chabon, novelist
- Anita Diamant, writer
- E. L. Doctorow, writer
- Harlan Ellison, 'speculative fiction' writer
- Howard Fast, novelist
- Raymond Federman, postmodernist writer
- Edna Ferber, author
- Jonathan Safran Foer, writer
- Betty Friedan, writer
- Kinky Friedman, crime writer & singer/songwriter
- Alan Furst, novelist
- Barry Gifford, poet, novelist, playwright, screenwriter (Jewish father)
- Natalie Goldberg, author & teacher
- William Goldman, novelist & screenwriter
- Noah Gordon, author
- Joe Haldeman, science fiction author
- Daniel Handler, writer
- Joseph Heller, novelist
- Richard Herrnstein, author
- Mark Helprin, novelist
- Erica Jong, author
- Jonathan Kellerman, crime novelist
- Frederick Kohner, author of Gidget
- Cyril M. Kornbluth, science fiction writer
- Jerzy Kosinski, writer
- Jonathan Kozol, writer & educator
- Edward E. Kramer, writer & editor
- Judith Krantz, romance writer
- James Howard Kunstler, novelist and New Urbanist author
- Fran Lebowitz, essayist & humorist
- Julius Lester, children's writer (convert)
- Ira Levin, author
- Norman Mailer, writer
- Bernard Malamud, writer
- James McBride, author (Jewish mother)
- Walter Mosley, murder-mystery novelist (Jewish mother)
- Cynthia Ozick, novelist
- Grace Paley, short story writer & poet
- Dorothy Parker, writer, poet & wit (Jewish father)
- S. J. Perelman, humorist
- Marge Piercy, novelist, poet
- Rachel Pollack, science-fiction author
- Chaim Potok, author & rabbi
- Ayn Rand, writer (atheist)
- H.A. & Margret Rey, children's writers
- Harold Robbins, author
- Philip Roth, novelist
- Louis Sachar, children's writer
- J. D. Salinger, author (Jewish father)
- Budd Schulberg, novelist & screenwriter
- Maurice Sendak, children's author
- Sidney Sheldon, novelist & screenwriter
- Robert Silverberg, science fiction author
- Shel Silverstein, children's writer, poet & musician
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish writer, Nobel Prize (1978)
- Susan Sontag, essayist & novelist
- Danielle Steele, romance novelist (Jewish father)
- Gertrude Stein, writer, poet & playwright
- Joel Stein, columnist
- George Steiner, literary critic
- Jacqueline Susann, novelist
- Studs Terkel, author & oral historian
- Alice B. Toklas, literary figure
- Lionel Trilling, literary critic
- Scott Turow, mystery writer
- Harry Turtledove, science fiction writer
- Leon Uris, novelist
- Chris Van Allsburg, children's writer (converted)
- Irving Wallace, novelist
- Nathanael West, writer
- Elie Wiesel, writer & Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize (1986)
- Herman Wouk, author
- Elizabeth Wurtzel, author
Poets
- Charles Bernstein, poet
- Joseph Brodsky, poet, Nobel Prize (1987)
- Allen Ginsberg, beat poet
- Louise Glück, poet
- Jorie Graham, poet
- Marilyn Hacker, poet
- Anthony Hecht, poet
- Richard Howard, poet, translator
- Chester Kallman, poet, librettist
- Bob Kaufman, beat poet (Jewish father)
- Kenneth Koch, poet
- Maxine Kumin, poet
- Stanley Kunitz, poet
- Emma Lazarus, poet
- Philip Levine, poet
- Howard Nemerov, poet
- George Oppen, Objectivist poet
- Alicia Ostriker, poet
- Carl Rakosi, Objectivist poet
- Charles Reznikoff, Objectivist poet
- Adrienne Rich, poet
- Jerome Rothenberg, poet
- Muriel Rukeyser, poet
- Delmore Schwartz, poet
- Karl Shapiro, poet
- Louis Simpson, poet
- Gerald Stern, poet
- Mark Strand, poet
- Louis Zukofsky, Objectivist poet
Playwrights
- Eve Ensler, playwright (half Jewish)
- Herb Gardner, playwright & cartoonist
- James Goldman, playwright & screenwriter
- Moss Hart, playwright & librettist
- Lillian Hellman, playwright
- George S. Kaufman, playwright
- Sidney Kingsley, playwright
- Arthur Kopit, playwright
- Tony Kushner, playwright
- Arthur Laurents, playwright & librettist
- Jerome Lawrence, playwright
- Craig Lucas, playwright
- David Mamet, playwright
- Donald Margulies, playwright
- Arthur Miller, playwright
- Clifford Odets, playwright
- Elmer Rice, playwright
- Martin Sherman, playwright
- Neil Simon, playwright
- Alfred Uhry, playwright
- Wendy Wasserstein, playwright
Journalists
- Carl Bernstein, Watergate reporter
- Dan Daniel, sports writer
- Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist
- Giselle Fernández, Mexican-born television journalist (Jewish mother)
- Charles Flato, American writer and Soviet agent
- Pauline & Esther Friedman, advice columnists (Dear Abby and Ann Landers)
- Thomas Friedman, columnist
- Bernard Goldberg, journalist & auther
- Jonah Goldberg, commentator (Jewish father, raised Jewish)
- David Halberstam, Vietnam reporter
- Seymour Hersh, My Lai reporter
- Michael Kinsley, journalist & commentator
- Samuel Krafsur, TASS journalist and Soviet agent
- Paul Krassner, satirist
- Charles Krauthammer, columnist
- A. J. Liebling, journalist
- Walter Lippmann, journalist & writer
- Joshua Micah Marshall, political blogger
- Shirley Povich, sports columnist
- William Safire, columnist
- George Seldes, investigative journalist
- Joel Siegel, film critic
- Gloria Steinem, journalist & feminist activist
- I. F. Stone, investigative journalist
- Walter Winchell, gossip columnist
Solo musicians
- Paula Abdul, pop singer, dancer
- Herb Alpert, leader of Tijuana Brass
- Beck, singer/songwriter (Jewish mother)
- Dan Bern, singer/songwriter
- Theodore Bikel, singer/songwriter
- Hal Blaine, session drummer
- Michael Bolton, singer/songwriter
- Shlomo Carlebach, singer
- Vanessa Carlton, singer/songwriter (Jewish mother)
- Eric Carmen, singer/songwriter
- Nick Carter, singer (Jewish father)
- Marc Cohn, singer/songwriter
- Joe Dassin, French-based singer
- Sammy Davis Jr, singer, entertainer (convert)
- Taylor Dayne, dance-pop singer
- Neil Diamond, singer/songwriter
- Ani DiFranco, singer/songwriter (Jewish mother) (unconfirmed)
- King Django, ska artist
- Alix Dobkin, folk singer
- Bob Dylan, singer/songwriter
- Kenny G, pop saxophonist
- Marvin Goldstein, pianist
- Nina Gordon, singer
- Lesley Gore, pop singer
- Eydie Gorme, pop singer
- Josh Groban, pop singer (Jewish father)
- Stefan Grossman, guitarist, educator
- Arlo Guthrie, folk singer (Jewish mother)
- Larry Harlow, salsa musician
- Janis Ian, singer/songwriter
- Billy Joel, singer/songwriter
- Lucy Kaplansky, folk singer
- Carol Kaye, bass player
- Carole King, singer/songwriter
- Lenny Kravitz, rock musician (Jewish father)
- Ben Kweller, singer/songwriter
- Tony Levin, bass player
- Lisa Loeb, singer/songwriter
- Barry Manilow, singer/songwriter
- Bette Midler, singer, actress
- Meredith Monk, vocalist, composer
- Laura Nyro, singer/songwriter (Jewish mother)
- Phil Ochs, protest singer
- Glen Phillips, singer/songwriter
- Phranc, folk singer
- Elvis Presley, rock&roll musician (Jewish great-great-grandmother)
- Lou Reed, singer/songwriter
- Jonathan Richman, proto-punk singer
- Rachael Sage, singer/songwriter
- Neil Sedaka, singer/songwriter
- Lhasa de Sela, singer/songwriter (Jewish mother)
- Dinah Shore, singer, actress
- Carly Simon, singer/songwriter (Jewish father)
- Paul Simon, singer/songwriter
- Jill Sobule, singer/songwriter
- Regina Spektor, singer/songwriter
- Brenda K. Starr, salsa singer (Jewish father)
- Barbra Streisand, singer, actress, director
- Princess Superstar, rapper
- Tiny Tim, singer (Jewish mother)
- Sophie Tucker, singer, entertainer
- Scott Walker, singer/songwriter (unconfirmed)
- Jackie Wilson, soul singer (convert)
- Steve Wynn, singer/songwriter
- Warren Zevon, singer/songwriter
Band musicians
Arranged by band name:
- 3rd Bass - MC Serch
- Adrenalin O.D. - Dave Scott
- Aerosmith - Joey Kramer
- The Angry Samoans - Todd Homer, Gregg Turner, Bill Vockeroth
- Anthrax - Scott Ian, Dan Lilker
- Asleep at the Wheel - Ray Benson, Lucky Oceans
- Backstreet Boys - Nick Carter (Jewish father)
- Bad Religion - Greg Graffin, Brett Gurewitz, Greg Hetson
- The Bangles - Susanna Hoffs
- The Beach Boys - David Marks (half Jewish)
- Beastie Boys - Michael Diamond, Adam Yauch, Adam Horovitz (Horovitz half Jewish)
- The Black Crowes - Chris & Rich Robinson (both half Jewish)
- Blondie - Chris Stein (half Jewish)
- Blood, Sweat & Tears - Al Kooper, Fred Lipsius, Randy Brecker, Jerry Weiss, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby
- Blue Fringe - the whole band
- Blue Öyster Cult - Eric Bloom, Donald Roeser
- Bon Jovi - David Bryan
- The Calling - Alex Band, Aaron Kamin
- Cannibal Corpse - Paul Mazurkiewicz
- The Cars - Elliot Easton
- The Circle Jerks - Keith Clark, Greg Hetson, Lucky Lehrer, Keith Morris (half-Jewish), Zander Schloss
- Counting Crows - Adam Duritz
- Country Joe and the Fish - Joe McDonald, Barry Melton (both half Jewish)
- The Dictators - Andy Shernoff, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Ross Friedman, Scott Kempner
- Death - Chuck Schuldiner
- Disturbed - David Draiman
- Dixie Dregs - Rod Morgenstein
- The Doors - Robbie Krieger
- Dream Syndicate - Steve Wynn
- Dream Theater - Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess
- The E Street Band - Max Weinberg, Roy Bittan
- Elastica - Abby Travis
- Fates Warning - Mark Zonder
- Foo Fighters - Pat Smear (Jewish father)
- Fountains of Wayne - Adam Schlesinger
- The Fugs - Tuli Kupferberg
- Grateful Dead - Mickey Hart
- Guns N' Roses - Steven Adler, Slash (a.k.a. Saul Hudson) (Slash Jewish father)
- Guster - Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner, Brian Rosenworcel
- Heartbreakers - Richard Hell
- The Hooters - Rob Hyman, Eric Bazilian
- Incubus - Mike Einziger
- J. Geils Band - Peter Wolf, Stephen Bladd, Magic Dick, Seth Justman, Danny Klein
- Jane's Addiction - Eric Avery, Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins
- Jefferson Airplane - Marty Balin, Jorma Kaukonen (both half Jewish) Paul Kantner
- KISS - Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick
- The Last - Dave Nazworthy
- Letters to Cleo - Michael Eisenstein
- Linkin Park - Brad Delson, Rob Bourdon
- Liquid Tension Experiment - Mike Portnoy, Jordan Rudess
- Los Lobos - Steve Berlin
- The Mamas & the Papas - Cass Elliot
- Maroon 5 - Adam Levine
- Matchbox Twenty - Brian Yale, Adam Gaynor
- Megadeth - Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Joe Gittleman
- The Modern Lovers - Jonathan Richman
- Moldy Peaches - Adam Green
- Morphine - Mark Sandman
- Mothers of Invention - Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman (Volman half Jewish)
- Mountain - Leslie West (also Canadian Corky Laing)
- New York Dolls - David Johansen (Jewish mother), Arthur Kane, Sylvain Sylvain
- NOFX - Fat Mike, Eric Melvin
- Patti Smith group - Lenny Kaye, Richard Sohl
- Paul Butterfield Blues Band - Mike Bloomfield
- Peter, Paul and Mary - Peter Yarrow
- Phish - Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon
- Porno for Pyros - Perry Farrell, Stephen Perkins
- Quicksilver Messenger Service - David Freiberg
- Rage Against the Machine - Brad Wilk
- The Ramones - Joey Ramone, Tommy Ramone
- The Raspberries - Eric Carmen
- Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Hillel Slovak
- Scissor Sisters - Babydaddy
- The Shangri-Las - Mary Weiss, Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss, Marguerite "Marge" Ganser, Mary Ann Ganser
- Simon and Garfunkel - Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel
- Sleater-Kinney - Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss
- Soul Coughing - Yuval Gabay
- Sparks - Ron Mael, Russell Mael
- Spin Doctors - Chris Barron, Eric Schenkman, Aaron Comess
- Steely Dan - Donald Fagen
- The Strokes - Nick Valensi
- Television - Richard Hell, Tom Verlaine (Verlaine half-Jewish)
- Tenacious D - Jack Black
- Toad the Wet Sprocket - Glen Phillips
- Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Howie Epstein, Sam Lynch
- The Turtles - Howard Kaylan, Mark Volman (Volman half Jewish)
- Twisted Sister - Dee Snider, Jay Jay French (Snider Jewish father)
- The United States of America - Dorothy Moskowitz
- Van Halen - David Lee Roth
- Velvet Underground - Lou Reed
- Veruca Salt - Nina Gordon, Jim Shapiro
- The Voidoids - Richard Hell
- The Wallflowers - Jakob Dylan, Rami Jaffe, Greg Richling
- Was (Not Was) - David Was, Don Was
- The Weavers - Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman
- Ween - Gene Ween
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Brian Chase
- Yo La Tengo - Ira Kaplan
- Youth Brigade - Adam Stern, Mark Stern, Shawn Stern
Jazz musicans
- Joey Baron, jazz drummer
- Jay Beckenstein, Dave Samuels, members of Spyro Gyra
- Bob Berg, jazz saxophonist
- Michael Brecker, jazz saxophonist
- Randy Brecker, jazz trumpeter
- Bob Brozman, blues musician
- Uri Caine, jazz pianist
- Popa Chubby, blues singer
- Peter Cincotti, jazz pianist, singer (Jewish mother)
- Harry Connick, Jr., jazz pianist, singer (Jewish mother, raised Catholic)
- Eddie Daniels, jazz clarinetist
- Bela Fleck, bluegrass musician
- Dave Frishberg, jazz pianist, singer/songwriter
- Stan Getz, jazz saxophonist
- Benny Goodman, jazz clarinetist
- David Grisman, bluegrass musician
- Fred Hersch, jazz pianist
- Lee Konitz, jazz saxophonist
- Steve Lacy, jazz saxophonist
- Mark Levine, jazz pianist, valve trombonist, teacher
- Herbie Mann, jazz flautist
- Shelly Manne, jazz drummer
- Mezz Mezzrow, jazz clarinetist
- Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, members of The Manhattan Transfer
- Joshua Redman, jazz saxophonist (Jewish mother)
- Buddy Rich, jazz drummer (Jewish father)
- Red Rodney, jazz trumpeter
- Raymond Scott, jazz musician & inventor
- Willie "The Lion" Smith, jazz pianist
- Artie Shaw, jazz clarinetist
- Ben Sidran, jazz pianist & producer
- Mel Torme, jazz singer
- John Zorn, jazz saxophonist
Classical
- Larry Adler, harmonica player
- Vladimir Ashkenazy, pianist (Jewish father)
- Joshua Bell, violinist (Jewish mother)
- Leon Botstein, conductor, academic
- Yefim Bronfman, pianist
- Sergiu Comissiona, conductor
- Antal Dorati, conductor
- Mischa Elman, violinist
- Arthur Fiedler, conductor
- Leon Fleisher, pianist
- Richard Goode, pianist
- Gary Graffman, pianist
- Jascha Heifetz, violinist
- Vladimir Horowitz, pianist
- Eugene Istomin, pianist (Jewish mother)
- Byron Janis, pianist
- Otto Klemperer, conductor
- Fritz Kreisler, violinist (Jewish father)
- Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist
- Oscar Levant, pianist
- James Levine, conductor
- George London, baritone
- William Kapell, pianist
- Lorin Maazel, conductor
- Yehudi Menuhin, Lord Menuhin of Stoke d'Abernon; violinist and educator
- Nathan Milstein, violinist
- Pierre Monteux, conductor
- Eugene Ormandy, conductor
- Jan Peerce, tenor
- Murray Perahia, pianist
- Itzhak Perlman, violinist
- André Previn, conductor
- Fritz Reiner, conductor
- Leonard Rose, cellist
- Arthur Rubinstein, pianist
- Peter Serkin, pianist (Jewish father)
- Rudolf Serkin, pianist
- Beverly Sills, soprano
- Leonard Slatkin, conductor
- Janos Starker, cellist
- Isaac Stern, violinist
- George Szell, conductor
- Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
- Rosalyn Tureck, harpsichordist
- Bertram Turetzky, contrabassist
- Bruno Walter, conductor
- Paul Wittgenstein, pianist
- David Zinman, conductor
Classical composers
- David Amram, composer
- Milton Babbitt, composer
- Arthur Berger, composer
- Leonard Bernstein, composer
- Marc Blitzstein, composer
- Ernest Bloch, composer
- Aaron Copland, composer
- Richard Danielpour, composer
- Mario Davidovsky, composer
- David Diamond, composer
- Jacob Druckman, composer
- Morton Feldman, composer
- Lukas Foss, composer
- George Gershwin, composer
- Philip Glass, composer
- Rubin Goldmark, composer
- Louis Moreau Gottschalk, composer (Jewish father)
- Morton Gould, composer
- Aaron Jay Kernis, composer
- Leon Kirchner, composer
- Leo Ornstein, composer
- George Perle, composer
- Shulamit Ran, composer
- Steve Reich, composer
- George Rochberg, composer
- Arnold Schoenberg, composer
- William Schuman, composer
- Ernst Toch, composer
- John Zorn, composer and saxophonist
Entertainment
Producers etc.
- Herb Alpert, co-founder of A&M Records
- Ralph Bass, R&B producer
- Brian Brater & Jarret Meyer, founders of Rawkus Records
- Leonard & Phil Chess, founders of Chess Records
- Hilly Crystal, founder of CBGB's
- Clive Davis, founder of Arista Records
- Richard Foos, founder of Rhino Records
- Alan Freed, DJ & music promoter
- Milt Gabler, founder of Commodore Records
- David Geffen, founder of Geffen Records
- Danny Goldberg, founder of Artemis Records
- Bill Graham, concert promoter
- Norman Granz, founder of Verve Records
- Dave Grusin & Larry Rosen, founders of GRP Records
- Brett Gurewitz, founder of Epitaph Records
- Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records
- Alfred Lion & Frank Wolff, founders of Blue Note Records
- Richard Meltzer, rock critic
- Eddie, Leo & Ira Messner, founders of Aladdin Records
- Irving Mills, producer, manager & writer
- Syd Nathan, founder of King Records
- Mo Ostin, record executive
- Sandy Pearlman, producer, manager & writer
- Hilary Rosen, head of the RIAA
- Rick Rubin, founder of Def Jam
- Art Rupe, founder of Specialty Records
- Mickey Ruskin, founder of Max's Kansas City
- Phil Spector, producer, writer & murder suspect
- Scott Storch, hip hop producer
- Jerry Wexler, partner in Atlantic Records
- Max Yasgur, owner of the Woodstock farm
- John Zorn, founder of Tzadik Records
Songwriters
- Howard Ashman, lyricist
- Burt Bacharach & Hal David, songwriters
- Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich, songwriters
- Alan & Marilyn Bergman, songwriters
- Bert Berns, songwriter
- Sammy Cahn, lyricist
- Leonard Cohen, singer/songwriter
- Linda Creed, songwriter
- Mack David, songwriter; brother of lyricist Hal David
- Buddy De Sylva, lyricist
- Howard Dietz, lyricist
- AL Dubin, lyricist
- Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster, songwriters
- Dorothy Fields, lyricist
- Norman Gimbel, songwriter
- Gerry Goffin & Carole King, songwriters
- Mack Gordon, lyricist
- Howard Greenfield & Neil Sedaka, songwriters
- Yip Harburg lyricist
- Lorenz Hart, lyricist
- Joel Hirschhorn & Al Kasha, songwriters
- Gus Kahn, lyricist
- Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, songwriters
- Alan J. Lerner, lyricist
- Jay Livingston & Ray Evans, songwriters
- Johnny Mandel, songwriter
- Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, songwriters
- Johnny Marks, songwriter
- Abel Meeropol, composer of Strange Fruit
- Bob Merrill, lyricist
- Randy Newman, songwriter, singer
- Mitchell Parish, lyricist
- Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman, songwriters
- Leo Robin, lyricist
- David Rose, pop composer
- Carole Bayer Sager, lyricist
- P.F. Sloan, songwriter, singer
- Billy Steinberg, songwriter
- Jim Steinman, songwriter
- Albert Von Tilzer, songwriter
- Harry von Tilzer, songwriter
- Diane Warren, songwriter
- George David Weiss, songwriter
- Meredith Willson, songwriter
- Jack Yellen, lyricist
Musicals writers
- Richard Adler & Jerry Ross, composer & lyricist
- Milton Ager, composer
- Lynn Ahrens, lyricist
- Harold Arlen, composer
- Burt Bacharach, composer
- Irving Berlin, composer & lyricist
- Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick, composer & lyricist
- Mel Brooks, composer & lyricist
- Jason Robert Brown, composer & lyricist
- Sammy Cahn, lyricist
- Cy Coleman, composer
- Betty Comden & Adolph Green, lyricists
- Gus Edwards, composer
- Sherman Edwards, composer
- Sammy Fain, composer
- Dorothy Fields, composer
- William Finn, composer & lyricist
- Fred Fisher, composer
- Gary William Friedman, composer
- Rudolf Friml, operetta composer
- George & Ira Gershwin, composer & lyricist
- Adam Guettel, composer & lyricist
- Marvin Hamlisch, composer
- Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist (Jewish father)
- Yip Harburg, lyricist
- Lorenz Hart, lyricist
- Jerry Herman, composer & lyricist
- Jerome Kern, composer
- John Kander & Fred Ebb, composer & lyricist
- Burton Lane, composer
- Jonathan Larson, composer & lyricist
- Carolyn Leigh, lyricist
- Mitch Leigh, composer
- Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist
- Frank Loesser, composer & lyricist
- Frederick Loewe, composer (half Jewish)
- Alan Menken & Howard Ashman, composer & lyricist
- Bob Merrill, composer & lyricist
- Joseph Meyer, composer
- Sigmund Romberg, composer
- Mary Rodgers, composer; daughter of Richard Rodgers
- Richard Rodgers, composer
- Harold Rome, composer
- Harry Ruby, composer
- Arthur Schwartz, composer
- Stephen Schwartz, composer & lyricist
- Robert & Richard Sherman, composers &lyricists
- Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist
- Charles Strouse & Lee Adams, composer & lyricist
- Jule Styne, British-born composer
- Harry Tobias, composer
- Kurt Weill, composer
- Frank Wildhorn, composer
- Maury Yeston, composer & lyricist
Film composers
- Elmer Bernstein, film composer
- Danny Elfman, film composer
- Elliot Goldenthal, film composer
- Jerry Goldsmith, film composer
- Dave Grusin, film composer
- Bernard Herrmann, film composer
- James Horner, film composer
- Michael Kamen, film composer
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold, film composer
- Alfred Newman, film composer
- Randy Newman, singer-songwriter and film composer
- Thomas Newman, film composer (Jewish father)
- Alex North, film composer
- David Raksin, film composer
- Leonard Rosenman, film composer
- Marc Shaiman, film composer
- Max Steiner, film composer
- Dimitri Tiomkin, film composer
- Franz Waxman, film composer
- Victor Young, film composer
Film directors
- Jim Abrahams, parody director
- Woody Allen, Oscar-winning director, actor, screenwriter and musician
- Jack Arnold, director
- Darren Aronofsky, director
- Jon Avnet, director
- George Axelrod, director, producer and screenwriter
- Ralph Bakshi, Israeli-born animation film director
- Bob Balaban, director and producer
- Andrew Bergman, director
- Curtis Bernhardt, German-born director and producer
- Peter Bogdanovich, director (Jewish mother)
- John Brahm, German-born director
- James L. Brooks, Oscar-winning director, producer
- Mel Brooks, director, actor and producer (also see Comedians, qv)
- Richard Brooks, director
- William Castle, director
- Shirley Clarke, director
- Ethan & Joel Coen, directors, screenwriters & producers
- Rob Cohen, director, producer
- Ricardo Cortez, director and actor; brother of Stanley Cortez
- David Cronenberg, Canadian-born director
- George Cukor, Oscar-winning director
- Michael Curtiz, Oscar-winning director
- Paul Czinner, Hungarian-born director
- Jules Dassin, director
- Andrew Davis, director
- Cecil B. DeMille, director (Jewish mother, raised Episcopalian)
- Maya Deren, director
- Henri Diamant-Berger, French-born director, producer and screenwriter
- William Dieterle, director
- Stanley Donen, director, choreographer
- Nora Ephron, director
- Richard Fleischer, director; son of animator Max Fleischer
- Carl Foreman, director, producer and screenwriter
- Milos Forman, Oscar-winning director (Jewish father)
- John Frankenheimer, director (Jewish father)
- William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director
- Samuel Fuller, director
- Charles Guggenheim, Oscar-winning documentary director
- Todd Haynes, director (Jewish mother)
- Amy Heckerling, director
- Peter Hyams, director
- Spike Jonze, director (Jewish father)
- Jeremy Paul Kagan, director
- Phil Karlson, director
- Garson Kanin, director, screenwriter and playwright
- Lawrence Kasdan, director
- Philip Kaufman, director, screenwriter
- Irvin Kershner, director
- Zalman King, director
- William Klein, director
- Herbert Kline, documentary director
- Edwin H. Knopf, director, screenwriter and producer
- Harmony Korine, director, screenwriter
- Henry Koster, director
- Stanley Kramer, director
- Stanley Kubrick, director
- John Landis, director
- Fritz Lang, Austrian-born director (Jewish mother, raised Catholic)
- Norman Lear, director, producer and screenwriter
- Michael Lehmann, director
- Mervyn LeRoy, director and producer
- Richard Lester, director
- Henry Levin, director
- Barry Levinson, Oscar-winning director
- Jerry Lewis, director, comic actor and producer
- Joseph H. Lewis, director
- Anatole Litvak, Russian-born director
- Arthur Lubin, director
- Ernst Lubitsch, director
- Sidney Lumet, director
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Oscar-winning director
- Tom Mankiewicz, director and screenwriter; son of Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Daniel Mann, director
- Delbert Mann, director
- Michael Mann, director
- Stuart Margolin, director and actor
- Leslie H. Martinson, director
- Elaine May, director, actress and screenwriter
- Joe May, director
- Paul Mazursky, director, producer and screenwriter
- Albert & David Maysles, documentary filmmakers
- Lothar Mendes, German-born director
- Ernö Metzner, Hungarian-born director and art director
- Nancy Meyers, director, screenwriter
- Lewis Milestone, Oscar-winning director
- Sam Newfield, director
- Paul Newman, director, actor and producer (Jewish father)
- Mike Nichols, Oscar-winning director
- Leonard Nimoy, actor and director
- Marcel Ophüls, director; son of director Max Ophüls
- Gerd Oswald, director; son of producer-director Richard Oswald
- Richard Oswald, German-born director and producer
- Frank Oz, director (Jewish father)
- Alan J. Pakula, Oscar-winning director, producer
- George Pal, Hungarian-born director, producer and special effects expert
- Jake Paltrow, TV director, NYPD Blue (Jewish father, raised Jewish)
- Norman Panama, director, producer and screenwriter
- Iván Passer, Czech-born director
- Arthur Penn, director
- Abraham Polonsky, director
- Sydney Pollack, Oscar-winning director, actor, producer
- Otto Preminger, director
- Sam Raimi, director
- Harold Ramis, director
- Brett Ratner, director
- Frank Reicher, German-born director
- Carl Reiner, director and actor; father of Rob Reiner
- Rob Reiner, director, actor
- Martin Ritt, director
- Jay Roach, director
- Jerome Robbins, Oscar-winning director, choreographer
- Stuart Rosenberg, director
- Herbert Ross, director
- Robert Rossen, director, screenwriter
- Joe Roth, director, producer and executive
- Joseph Ruben, director
- David O. Russell, director, screenwriter (Jewish father)
- Mark Rydell, director, actor and producer
- Boris Sagal, Russian-born director
- Gene Saks, director
- Sidney Salkow, director
- Mark Sandrich, director
- Jerry Schatzberg, director
- Joel Schumacher, director
- Susan Seidelman, director
- David Seltzer, director and screenwriter
- Herman Shumlin, director
- Charles Shyer, director and screenwriter
- George Sidney, director
- Don Siegel, director
- Joan Micklin Silver, director
- Frank Silvera, founder of Theatre of Being (Jewish father)
- Elliot Silverstein, director
- Alexander Singer, director
- Bryan Singer, director
- Robert Siodmak, German-born director
- Todd Solondz, director
- Barry Sonnenfeld, director
- Steven Spielberg, Oscar-winning director, producer
- Josef von Sternberg, Austrian-born director (M; Metropolis)
- Oliver Stone, Oscar-winning director (Jewish father)
- Paul Strand, documentary director
- Barbra Streisand, director, actress and singer
- Joseph Strick, director, producer and screenwriter
- Erich von Stroheim, director, actor
- James Toback, director, screenwriter and producer
- Michael Tolkin, director and screenwriter; son of TV writer Mel Tolkin
- Edgar G. Ulmer, director
- Paul & Chris Weitz, directors
- Billy Wilder, Austrian-born Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and producer
- Irwin Winkler, director
- Robert Wise, director
- Frederick Wiseman, documentary director
- William Wyler, Oscar-winning director
- Boaz Yakin, director
- Robert Zemeckis, director
- Fred Zinnemann, Austrian-born Oscar-winning director
- David Zucker & Jerry Zucker, parody directors, producers
- Edward Zwick, director, producer
- Terry Zwigoff, director
Film Actors/Personalities
- Bud Abbott, actor (Jewish mother)
- Jack Albertson, actor
- Broncho Billy Anderson, first major cowboy movie actor
- Alan Arkin, actor
- Tom Arnold, actor (converted to Judaism; some distant Jewish maternal ancestry)
- Alexis Arquette, David, Patricia & Rosanna Arquette, actors (Jewish mother)
- Mili Avital, Israeli-born actress
- Hank Azaria, actor
- Lauren Bacall, actress
- Barbara Bach, actress, model (Jewish father)
- Carroll Baker, actress (converted to Judaism)
- Bob Balaban, actor
- Martin Balsam, Oscar-winning actor
- Theda Bara, actress, vamp
- Ellen Barkin, actress
- Barbara Barrie, actress
- Gene Barry, actor
- Randall Batinkoff, actor
- Richard Benjamin, actor
- Robby Benson, actor
- Marisa Berenson, actress (Jewish father)
- Peter Berg, actor (Jewish father)
- Elizabeth Berkley, actress
- Corbin Bernsen, actor (Jewish father)
- Craig Bierko, actor (Jewish mother)
- Thora Birch, actress (Jewish paternal grandfather)
- Joey Bishop, actor, member of the Rat Pack
- Jack Black, actor, rock musician
- Karen Black, actress (mother of child actor Hunter Carson)
- Mel Blanc, cartoon voice actor
- Selma Blair, actress
- Richard Boone, actor (Jewish mother)
- Zach Braff, actor
- Michael Brandon, actor
- Matthew Broderick actor (Jewish mother)
- Adam Brody, actor
- Adrien Brody, Oscar-winning actor (Jewish father)
- Albert Brooks, actor, writer, director
- Mel Brooks, actor, writer, director
- Red Buttons, Oscar-winning actor
- Amanda Bynes, actress (Jewish mother)
- James Caan, actor
- Scott Caan, actor, son of James Caan
- Susan Cabot, actress
- Neve Campbell, Canadian-born actress (Sephardic Jewish ancestry on mother's side; identifies as Jewish and Catholic)
- Dyan Cannon, actress (Jewish mother)
- Eddie Cantor, actor
- Kate Capshaw, actress (converted)
- Nick and Aaron Carter, actors & singers (Jewish father; not raised Jewish)
- Seymour Cassel, actor
- Phoebe Cates, actress
- Jeff Chandler, actor
- Josh Charles, actor
- Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian-born actress
- Jill Clayburgh, actress
- Lee J. Cobb, actor
- Didi Conn, actress
- Jennifer Connelly, Oscar-winning actress (Jewish mother)
- Harry Connick, Jr., actor (Jewish mother)
- Hans Conried, actor
- Jackie Cooper, actor (Jewish father)
- Peter Coyote, actor
- Billy Crystal, actor
- Jamie Lee Curtis, Lady Haden-Guest; actress (Jewish father)
- Tony Curtis, actor; father of Jamie Lee Curtis
- Howard Da Silva, actor
- Sammy Davis Jr., all-around entertainer (converted)
- Stephen Dorff, actor (Jewish father)
- Kirk Douglas, Oscar-winning actor
- Melvyn Douglas, Oscar-winning actor (Jewish father)
- Michael Douglas, actor (Jewish father)
- Robert Downey, Jr., actor (Jewish paternal grandfather; identifies as "half Jewish")
- Fran Drescher, comic actress
- Richard Dreyfuss, Oscar-winning actor
- David Duchovny, actor (Jewish father)
- Herb Edelman, film and TV actor
- Hallie Kate Eisenberg, actress
- Jesse Eisenberg, actor
- Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., actor (Jewish father)
- Peter Falk, actor
- Jon Favreau, actor, director (Jewish mother)
- Corey Feldman, actor
- Marty Feldman, comic actor
- Carrie Fisher, actress (Jewish father)
- Harrison Ford, actor (Jewish mother)
- Ben Foster, U.S. actor
- James Franco, actor (Jewish mother)
- Paul Frees, cartoon voice actor
- Zsa Zsa Gabor and Eva Gabor, Hungarian-born actresses (Jewish mother; father's family potentially of converted Jewish descent)
- John Garfield, actor
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, actress
- Gina Gershon, actress
- Jami Gertz, actress
- Jack Gilford, actor
- Scott Glenn, actor (convert to Judaism)
- Paulette Goddard, actress (Jewish father)
- Adam Goldberg, actor (Jewish father; raised Jewish)
- Jeff Goldblum, actor
- Leo Gorcey, actor ("Dead End Kids")
- Keith Gordon, actor
- Elliott Gould, actor
- Harold Gould, actor
- Lee Grant, Oscar-winning actress
- Jennifer Grey, actress
- Joel Grey, Oscar-winning actor
- Charles Grodin, actor
- Christopher Guest, Lord Haden-Guest, 5th Baron of Saling; actor (Jewish mother)
- Steve Guttenberg, actor
- Maggie & Jake Gyllenhaal, actors (Jewish mother)
- Corey Haim, Canadian-born former child actor
- Billy Halop, actor ("Bowery Boys"); brother of Florence Halop
- Nina Hartley, porn actress (Jewish mother)
- Goldie Hawn, Oscar-winning actress (Jewish mother, raised & identifies)
- Dan Hedaya, actor
- Barbara Hershey, actress (Jewish father)
- Judd Hirsch, Oscar nominee
- Dustin Hoffman, Oscar-winning actor
- Judy Holliday, Oscar-winning actress
- John Houseman, Oscar-winning actor (Jewish father)
- Kate Hudson, actress (Jewish maternal grandmother; raised Jewish)
- Helen Hunt, Oscar-winning actress (Jewish paternal grandmother)
- Tab Hunter, actor (Jewish father)
- Amy Irving, US actress (Jewish father)
- Sam Jaffe, movie and TV actor
- David Janssen, actor (Jewish father)
- Ron Jeremy, erotic actor
- Scarlett Johansson, actress (Jewish mother)
- Al Jolson, singer, actor, early sound film star
- Madeline Kahn, actress
- Carol Kane, actress
- James Karen, actor
- Chris Kattan, actor (Jewish father)
- Omri Katz, Israeli-born actor
- Lainie Kazan, actress, singer
- Danny Kaye, actor
- Harvey Keitel, movie actor
- Tawny Kitaen, actress (Jewish father; raised Jewish)
- Kevin Kline, actor (Jewish father; raised Catholic)
- Jack Klugman, actor
- Yaphet Kotto, actor
- Martin Kove, actor
- Lisa Kudrow, actress
- Shia LaBeouf, actor (Jewish mother; raised Jewish)
- Bert Lahr, actor
- Ricki Lake, actress
- Hedy Lamarr, Austrian-born actress
- Martin Landau, Oscar-winning movie actor
- Robert Lansing, U.S. actor (convert to Judaism)
- Jack Larson, actor (Jewish mother)
- Louise Lasser, actress
- Piper Laurie, actress
- Linda Lavin, actress
- Marc Lawrence, actor
- Michele Lee, actress, singer
- Ron Leibman, actor; formerly married to Linda Lavin
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, actress
- Donovan Leitch, actor (Jewish mother)
- Michael Lembeck, actor
- Michael Lerner, actor
- Ted Levine, actor
- Eugene Levy, Canadian-born actor
- Hal Linden, actor, singer
- Alex D. Linz, child actor
- Jonathan Lipnicki, child actor
- Herbert Lom, Czech-born actor
- Peter Lorre, German-born actor
- Jon Lovitz, German-born actor
- Paul Lukas, Oscar-winning actor
- Natasha Lyonne, actress
- Ali MacGraw, actress (Jewish mother)
- Gabriel Macht, actor
- Howie Mandel, Canadian born actor
- Tony Martin, actor & singer
- Marx Brothers, comic actors
- Marlee Matlin, Oscar-winning actress
- Walter Matthau, Oscar-winning actor
- Debi Mazar, actress (Jewish father)
- Monet Mazur, actress (Jewish father)
- Elaine May, actress, writer
- Debra Messing, actress
- Dina Meyer, actress
- Bette Midler, actress, singer
- Sylvia Miles, actress
- Larry Miller, actor & comedian
- Marilyn Monroe, actress (convert to Judaism)
- Rick Moranis, Canadian-born actor and comedian
- Vic Morrow, actor; father of actress Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Zero Mostel, actor
- Paul Muni, Oscar-winning actor
- Judd Nelson, actor, member of the "Brat Pack"
- Tim Blake Nelson, actor & director
- Bebe Neuwirth, actress
- Paul Newman, actor (Jewish father)
- Olivia Newton-John, actress, singer (Jewish maternal grandfather)
- Leonard Nimoy, actor
- Lilli Palmer, German-born movie actress
- Gwyneth Paltrow, actress (Jewish father); identifies as Jewish
- Eleanor Parker, actress (convert to Judaism)
- Sarah Jessica Parker, actress (Jewish mother)
- Estelle Parsons, actress
- Mandy Patinkin, actor, singer
- David Paymer, actor
- Amanda Peet, actress (Jewish mother, identifies)
- Sean Penn, actor (Jewish father)
- Rhea Perlman, actress
- Ron Perlman, actor
- Joaquin, (late) River & Summer Phoenix, actors (Jewish mother)
- Molly Picon, actress (Yiddish-speaking)
- Rebecca Pidgeon, actress (convert to Judaism)
- Jeremy Piven, actor
- Suzanne Pleshette, actress
- Kevin Pollak, actor
- Natalie Portman, actress
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., actor (Jewish grandfather)
- Mae Questel, cartoon voice actress
- Gilda Radner, original cast member of Saturday Night Live
- Luise Rainer, Oscar-winning actress (born in either Düsseldorf or Vienna)
- Harold Ramis, actor & director
- Tony Randall, comedic actor (born Leonard Rosenberg)
- John Randolph, all-media actor
- Michael Rapaport, TV and movie actor
- Nikki Reed, actress (Jewish father)
- Paul Reiser, U.S. actor
- Tommy Rettig, child actor (Jewish father)
- Simon Rex, actor & model (Jewish mother)
- Peter Riegert, actor & comedian
- Ritz Brothers, comedians
- Doris Roberts, actress
- Tanya Roberts, actress (Jewish mother)
- Edward G. Robinson, actor
- Mimi Rogers, actress (Jewish father)
- Michael Rosenbaum, actor
- Emmy Rossum, actress
- Paul Rudd, actor
- Winona Ryder, actress (Jewish father; identifies as Jewish)
- Daryl Sabara, child actor
- Adam Sandler, actor, comedian
- Fred Savage, actor
- Rob Schneider, actor, comedian (Jewish father)
- Liev Schreiber, actor (Jewish mother)
- Jason Schwartzman, actor (Jewish father)
- David Schwimmer, actor
- Steven Seagal, actor (Jewish father; Seagal later became Buddhist)
- George Segal, actor
- Peter Sellers, actor (Jewish mother)
- Jane Seymour, British-born actress (Jewish father)
- William Shatner, actor
- Norma Shearer, Oscar-winning actress (convert to Judaism)
- Ally Sheedy, actress (Jewish mother)
- Pauly Shore, actor & comedian
- Sylvia Sidney, legendary star of the 1930s/1940s
- Ron Silver, actor, activist
- Jonathan Silverman, actor
- Alicia Silverstone, actress
- Lori Singer, actress, sister of Marc Singer
- Marc Singer, actor
- Ione Skye, actress (Jewish mother)
- Helen Slater, actress
- Leelee Sobieski, U.S. actress (Jewish maternal grandfather; raised partially Jewish)
- Tori Spelling, actress; daughter of Aaron Spelling
- Daniel Stern, actor
- Fisher Stevens, U.S. actor (Jewish father)
- Ben Stiller, comedic actor
- Jerry Stiller, comedic actor
- Jill St. John, actress
- Susan Strasberg, actress
- Peter Strauss, actor
- Barbra Streisand, Oscar-winning actress, singer, director
- Dame Elizabeth Taylor, Oscar-winning actress (converted)
- Renee Taylor, actress
- George Tobias, actor
- Topol, actor
- Michelle Trachtenberg, actress (Jewish father)
- Michael Vartan French-born US actor (Jewish mother)
- Erich Von Stroheim, German-born actor
- Eli Wallach, actor
- Sam Wanamaker, actor
- Lesley Ann Warren, actress
- Mae West, actress (Jewish mother)
- Jack Weston, actor
- Cornel Wilde, actor
- Gene Wilder, actor
- Mara Wilson, actress (Jewish mother; raised Jewish)
- Debra Winger, actress
- Henry Winkler, actor
- Mare Winningham, actress (convert to Judaism, reported to be quite devout)
- Alex Winter, actor
- Shelley Winters, Oscar-winning actress
- Scott Wolf, actor
- Evan Rachel Wood, actress
- Noah Wyle, actor (Jewish father; raised Jewish)
- Ed Wynn, actor, father of Keenan Wynn
- Keenan Wynn, actor, son of Ed Wynn (Jewish father; raised Catholic)
- Harris Yulin, actor
- Efrem Zimbalist Jr., actor; father of Stephanie Zimbalist
Television Actors/Actresses
- 20/20 - Barbara Walters, John Stossel, Connie Chung (Chung convert to Judaism)
- 24 - Jonathan Ahdout, Sara Gilbert, Mia Kirshner
- 3rd Rock From The Sun - Joseph Gordon-Levitt
- The Addams Family - Carolyn Jones (convert to Judaism)
- ALF - Anne Meara (convert to Judaism)
- Alias - Victor Garber, Amy Irving, Greg Grunberg, Ron Rifkin, Joey Slotnick, Michael Vartan, Kevin Weisman
- Alice - Linda Lavin
- Arrested Development - Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, David Cross
- Babylon 5 - Mira Furlan, Stephen Furst, Melissa Gilbert, Walter Koenig, Stephen Macht, Robin Sachs
- Barney Miller - Hal Linden, Barbara Barrie, Steve Landesberg, Abe Vigoda
- Battlestar Galactica - Lorne Greene
- Baywatch - Jason Brooks, David Charvet, Yasmine Bleeth, Nicole Eggert (Bleeth & Eggert Jewish father)
- The Ben Stiller Show - Ben Stiller, David Cross
- Beverly Hills 90210 - Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Tori Spelling
- Bewitched - Mabel Albertson, George Tobias
- The Bob Newhart Show - Suzanne Pleshette
- The Bold And The Beautiful - Sean Kanan
- Bonanza - Lorne Greene, Michael Landon (Landon Jewish father)
- Boy Meets World - Ben Savage
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seth Green, Alyson Hannigan (Jewish mother), Juliet Landau, Amber Benson, Michelle Trachtenberg (Benson & Trachtenberg - Jewish father)
- The Carol Burnett Show - Harvey Korman, Dinah Shore
- Charlie's Angels - Tanya Roberts, Jaclyn Smith (Roberts Jewish mother, Smith Jewish father)
- Cheers - Rhea Perlman, Bebe Neuwirth
- Chicago Hope - Mandy Patinkin, Adam Arkin, Peter Berg, Barbara Hershey (Berg & Hershey Jewish father)
- Chico and the Man - Jack Albertson, Freddie Prinze (Prinze Jewish father)
- Columbo - Peter Falk
- The Cosby Show - Lisa Bonet (Jewish mother)
- The Critic (animated series) - Jon Lovitz
- Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Richard Lewis
- Days of Our Lives - Sean Kanan, Jason Brooks
- Dear John - Judd Hirsch, Ben Savage
- The Dick van Dyke Show - Morey Amsterdam, Carl Reiner, Jerry Paris (also, Mary Tyler Moore had a Jewish paternal grandfather)
- Dukes of Hazzard - Sorrell Booke
- Dynasty - Joan Collins (Jewish father)
- Even Stevens - Shia LaBeouf (Jewish mother), Donna Pescow
- Empty Nest - Dinah Manoff, Estelle Getty
- ER - Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies (Margulies' mother converted to Catholicism, raised Margulies Catholic)
- Everybody Loves Raymond - Doris Roberts, Brad Garrett, Monica Horan (Horan Jewish father)
- The Facts of Life - Charlotte Rae, Mindy Cohn
- Family Guy (animated series) - Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green
- Friends - Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer
- Full House - Bob Saget, Scott Weinger, Marla Sokoloff
- Futurama - Katey Sagal (Jewish father)
- General Hospital - Stuart Damon, Steve Bond
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show - George Burns
- Get Smart - Don Adams (Jewish father; raised Catholic), Bernie Kopell
- Gilligan's Island - Tina Louise, Natalie Schafer
- Gimme a Break! - Nell Carter (convert to Judaism), Lara Jill Miller, Jonathan Silerman, Paul Sand (Jewish father)
- The Goldbergs - Gertrude Berg, Philip Loeb
- The Golden Girls - Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty
- The Goon Show - Peter Sellers
- Growing Pains - Jeremy Miller
- Happy Days - Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley, Anson Williams, Don Most
- Homicide: Life on the Street - Yaphet Kotto, Richard Belzer
- Hogan's Heroes - Leon Askin, Werner Klemperer, Howard Caine, John Banner & Robert Clary
- The Howard Stern Show & The Howard Stern Radio Show - Howard Stern
- Joey - Paulo Constanzo (Jewish mother)
- Judge Judy - Judge Judy Sheindlin
- Just Shoot Me! - George Segal
- King of Queens - Jerry Stiller, Leah Remini (Jewish mother)
- Knots Landing - Michele Lee, Claudia Lonow
- L.A. Law - Michael Tucker, Alan Rachins, Corbin Bernsen (Jewish father)
- Late Night with David Letterman - Paul Shaffer
- The Larry Sanders Show - Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor
- Law & Order - Steven Hill, Jerry Orbach (Orbach Jewish father)
- Let's Make a Deal - Monty Hall
- Life As We Know It - Jon Foster, Kelly Osbourne (Jewish maternal grandfather)
- Little House on the Prairie - Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon (Jewish father; raised Jewish)
- Live with Regis and Kelly - Michael Gelman
- Lizzie McGuire - Adam Lamberg
- Lost In Space - Jonathan Harris
- Lou Grant - Ed Asner, Mason Adams
- The Love Boat - Bernie Kopell
- The L Word - Mia Kirshner, Erin Daniels
- Mad About You - Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt (Jewish paternal grandmother), Richard Kind
- Malcolm In The Middle - Justin Berfield, Kenneth Mars
- Married with Children - Katey Sagal (Jewish father)
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show - Ed Asner, Mary Tyler Moore (Jewish paternal grandfather)
- Maude - Bea Arthur, Bill Macy
- Mission Impossible - Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Steven Hill
- The Mod Squad - Peggy Lipton
- The Munsters - Al Lewis
- My Two Dads - Paul Reiser, Florence Stanley
- The Nanny - Fran Drescher, Renee Taylor, Rachel Chagall
- Night Court - Selma Diamond, Florence Halop
- Northern Exposure - Rob Morrow
- numb3rs - Judd Hirsch, Rob Morrow, David Krumholtz
- The O.C. - Adam Brody (Minor character: Linda Lavin)
- The Odd Couple - Jack Klugman, Tony Randall
- One Day at a Time - Bonnie Franklin
- Party of Five - Scott Wolf, Neve Campbell (Campbell identifies as Catholic and Jewish)
- Passions - Galen Gering, Linsday Korman (both Jewish father)
- The People's Court - Judge Gerald Sheindlin
- Phil Of The Future - Ricky Ullman
- The Phil Silvers Show - Phil Silvers
- The Practice - Camryn Manheim, Marla Sokoloff
- The Pretender - Michael T. Weiss
- Punky Brewster - Soleil Moon Frye (Jewish mother; raised Jewish)
- Rhoda - David Groh, Julie Kavner, Harold Gould
- Roseanne - Roseanne Barr, Sandra Bernhard, Sara Gilbert, Tom Arnold (convert to Judaism), Michael Fishman , Estelle Parsons, Shelley Winters, John Randolph
- Roswell - Shiri Appleby
- St. Elsewhere - Howie Mandel, Stephen Furst, Florence Halop
- Santa Barbara - Steve Bond, Nancy Lee Grahn (Jewish mother)
- Saturday Night Live (original cast) - Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner
- Saved by the Bell - Dustin Diamond, Elizabeth Berkley
- Scrubs - Zach Braff
- Seinfeld - Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Jewish paternal grandfather), Jerry Stiller, Estelle Harris
- Sex and the City - Sarah Jessica Parker (Jewish mother) (Minor character: Evan Handler)
- The Simpsons (animated series) - Hank Azaria, Julie Kavner, Harry Shearer
- Sixty Minutes (original) - Mike Wallace, Morley Safer
- Smallville - Michael Rosenbaum
- South Park - Matt Stone (Jewish mother), Mary Kay Bergman, Eliza Schneider
- The Sopranos - Jamie-Lynn DiScala
- Space: 1999 - Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Joan Collins (Jewish father)
- Spin City - Richard Kind
- Starsky and Hutch - Paul Michael Glaser
- Star Trek - William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig
- Star Trek: The Next Generation - Brent Spiner
- Star Trek: Deep Space 9 - Armin Shimerman
- Sunset Beach - Sean Kanan, Randy Spelling, Bernie Kopell
- Taxi - Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Andy Kaufman
- That '70s Show - Mila Kunis, Tanya Roberts, Laura Prepon (Roberts Jewish mother, Prepon Jewish father)
- thirtysomething - Ken Olin, Melanie Mayron
- Three's Company - Norman Fell, Richard Kline
- Today Show (NBC) - Matt Lauer, Katie Couric (Lauer Jewish father, Couric Jewish mother)
- Welcome Back, Kotter - Gabe Kaplan, Marcia Strassman
- The West Wing - Richard Schiff, Joshua Malina
- What I Like About You - Amanda Bynes, Simon Rex (Bynes & Rex Jewish mother), Leslie Grossman
- Who's the Boss? - Judith Light
- The Wild Wild West - Ross Martin, Robert Conrad (Jewish mother)
- Will & Grace - Debra Messing, Shelley Morrison (Minor characters: Sydney Pollack, Lesley Ann Warren)
- Wings - Steven Weber, Rebecca Schull
- The Wonder Years - Fred Savage, Josh Saviano, Jason Hervey, Ben Stein, Lindsay Sloane, Dustin Diamond, Daniel Stern
- The X-Files - David Duchovny (Jewish father)
- Your Show of Shows - Sid Caesar, Howard Morris
- Zoey 101 - Sean Flynn-Amir
TV and radio presenters
- Dan Abrams, MSNBC anchor
- Marv Albert, sportscaster
- Mel Allen, radio sportscaster
- Chuck Barris, presenter of Dating Game, Gong Show
- Wolf Blitzer, CNN reporter
- Kitty Carlisle, panelist on To Tell the Truth, arts advocate
- Connie Chung, news anchor (converted)
- Liz Claman, host of CNBC Morning Call
- Howard Cosell, sportscaster
- Katie Couric, presenter of The Today Show (Jewish mother)
- Don Francisco, presenter of Sabado Gigante
- Allen Funt, presenter of Candid Camera
- Ira Glass, presenter of This American Life
- Amy Goodman, presenter of Democracy Now
- Daryn Kagan, host of CNN Live Today
- Larry King, CNN reporter, host of Larry King Live
- Ted Koppel, presenter of Nightline
- Ricki Lake, presenter of Ricki
- Bill Maher, ex-presenter of Politically Incorrect (Jewish mother, raised Catholic)
- Al Michaels, sportscaster
- Maury Povich, talk-show host
- Geraldo Rivera, news reporter (Jewish mother)
- Laura Schlessinger, radio talk-show host of Dr. Laura
- Daniel Schorr, tv reporter
- Dinah Shore, television host, singer
- Herb Stempel, quiz show contestant
- Bill Stern, radio sportscaster
- Howard Stern, radio shock jock
- Jon Stewart, comedian, presenter of The Daily Show
- Mike Wallace, correspondent for 60 Minutes
- Barbara Walters, presenter of Today Show, 20/20
Producers and creators
- Irwin Allen, producer & director
- George Axelrod, screenwriter
- David Benioff, screenwriter
- Steven Bochco, creator of LA Law, Murder One
- Jerry Bruckheimer, producer
- Seymore Butts, adult film producer & director
- Paddy Chayefsky, screenwriter
- Norman Corwin, radio writer, producer
- David Crane, screenwriter, producer, co-creator of Friends
- Robert Evans, producer, studio executive
- Leonard Goldberg, producer
- Akiva Goldsman, Oscar-winning screenwriter, producer
- Carl Gottlieb, screenwriter
- Ben Hecht, screenwriter
- Lawrence Kasdan, screenwriter
- Marta Kauffman, producer, screenwriter, co-creator of Friends
- Charlie Kaufman, screenwriter
- David Kohan, executive producer of Will & Grace, Good Morning Miami, Twins, Four Kings, screenwriter of The Wonder Years
- Ernest Lehman, screenwriter
- Max Mutchnick, executive producer of Will & Grace, Good Morning Miami, Twins, Four Kings, screenwriter of The Wonder Years
- Marc Platt, producer
- Sydney Pollack, Oscar-winning director
- Carl Reiner, comedian, creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show
- Leon Schlesinger, producer
- Josh Schwartz, screenwriter, creator of The OC
- Sherwood Schwartz, creator of Gilligan's Island, Brady Bunch
- Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone
- Joel Silver, producer and co-inventor of Ultimate Frisbee
- Aaron Sorkin, creator of West Wing
- Aaron Spelling, producer, Starsky & Hutch, Charlie's Angels, Beverly Hills, 90210, Vega$, Family, Dynasty, Melrose Place, Charmed, 7th Heaven, Summerland
- Darren Star, creator of Beverly Hills 90210, Melrose Place, Sex and the City
- Matt Stone, creator of South Park (Jewish mother)
Comedians
- Bud Abbott, half of Abbott & Costello (Jewish mother)
- Woody Allen, comedian, director, actor
- Dave Attell, comedian
- Roseanne Barr, comedian
- Jack Benny, entertainer
- Milton Berle, entertainer, actor
- Shelley Berman, comedian
- Sandra Bernhard, comedian
- Lewis Black, comedian
- Victor Borge, comedian, pianist
- Fanny Brice, entertainer
- Albert Brooks, comedian, actor
- Mel Brooks, comedian
- Lenny Bruce, comedian
- George Burns, entertainer, actor
- Eddie Cantor, entertainer, actor
- Sid Caesar, actor, writer
- Andrew Dice Clay, comedian
- David Cross, comedian, actor
- Rodney Dangerfield, comedian
- Larry Fine, the Three Stooges
- Al Franken, comedian, activist
- Elon Gold, comedian, actor
- Gilbert Gottfried, comedian, actor
- Charles Grodin, comedian, actor
- Buddy Hackett, comedian
- Moe, Shemp & Curly Howard, the Three Stooges
- Andy Kaufman, comedian, actor
- Danny Kaye, entertainer, actor
- Alan King, comedian
- Robert Klein, comedian
- Tom Lehrer, satirist, musician
- Jerry Lewis, comedian, actor
- Richard Lewis, comedian
- Jackie Mason, comedian
- Lorne Michaels, creator of Saturday Night Live
- Freddie Prinze, comedian, actor (Jewish father)
- Gilda Radner, comic actress
- Don Rickles, comedian, actor
- Joan Rivers, comedienne
- Rita Rudner, comedian
- Robert Schimmel, comedian
- Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, actor
- Allan Sherman, satirist, musician
- Pauly Shore, comedian
- Sarah Silverman, comic
- Jon Stewart, comic, TV host
- Rich Vos, Comic
- Henny Youngman, comedian
Theatre
- Stella Adler, acting teacher & actress
- Julian Beck & Judith Malina, founders of Living Theatre
- Sarah Bernhardt, legendary French thespian (Jewish mother)
- Joseph Chaikin & Peter Feldman, founders of Open Theatre
- Anna Held, stage performer
- Judy Kaye, actress & singer
- Larry Kert, actor & singer
- Judy Kuhn, actress & singer
- James Lapine, director & librettist
- Lucille Lortel, Off-Broadway producer, Lucille Lortel Theatre named after her
- Sanford Meisner, founder of Neighbourhood Playhouse
- Idina Menzel, actress, singer and songwriter
- David Merrick, producer & director
- Zero Mostel, actor
- Alla Nazimova, actress
- Bebe Neuwirth, actress
- Joseph Papp a.k.a Joe Papp, founded the non-profit NYC Public Theater
- Mandy Patinkin, actor & singer
- Harold Prince, director
- Tony Randall, actor, founder of National Actors Theatre
- Max Reinhardt, director
- Lee Strasberg & Harold Clurman, co-founders of Group Theatre
- Julie Taymor, director
Magicians
- David Blaine, stunt performer (Jewish single mother)
- David Copperfield, illusionist
- Horace Goldin, illusionist
- Harry Houdini, escape artist
- Max Maven, mentalist
- Ricky Jay, card tricks
- Shari Lewis, ventriloquist
- Raymond Teller, half of Penn and Teller (Jewish father)
Dance
- Michael Bennett, choreographer (Jewish mother)
- Eliot Feld, dancer & choreographer
- Ron Field, director & choreographer
- Anna Halprin, dancer, choreographer & teacher
- Michael Kidd, choreographer
- Lincoln Kirstein, dance impressario
- Liz Lerman, choreographer & activist
- Arthur Murray, dance instructor
- Jerome Robbins, director & choreographer
- Anna Sokolow, dancer & choreographer
Academics
Philosophers
- Mortimer Adler, philosopher
- Paul Benacerraf, philosopher
- Max Black, analytic philosopher
- Ned Block, philosopher of mind
- George Boolos, logician
- Stanley Cavell, philosopher
- Morris Raphael Cohen, philosopher
- Arthur Danto, philosophy of aesthetics
- Hubert Dreyfus, critic of cognitivism
- Ronald Dworkin, legal philosopher
- Herbert Feigl, philosopher of science
- Solomon Feferman, logician
- Stanley Fish, literary theorist
- Jerry Fodor, philosopher of mind
- Philipp Frank, logical positivist
- Nelson Goodman, new riddle of induction
- Sidney Hook, philosopher
- Hans Jonas, philosopher
- Walter Kaufmann, philosopher
- Saul Kripke, logician
- Thomas Kuhn, philosopher of science
- Ruth Barcan Marcus, logician
- Ernest Nagel, philosopher of science
- Thomas Nagel, philosophy of mind
- Robert Nozick, libertarianism
- Martha Nussbaum, ethics (converted)
- Hilary Putnam, functionalism
- Ayn Rand, objectivism
- Michael Sandel, communitarianism
- Leo Strauss, political philosopher
- Judith Jarvis Thomson, moral philosopher
Social and Political Scientists
- Theodor Adorno, sociologist & philosopher (Jewish father)
- Hannah Arendt, political theorist
- Daniel Bell, sociologist
- Reinhard Bendix, sociologist
- Sanford Berman, radical librarian
- Peter Blau, sociologist
- Franz Boas, cultural anthropologist
- Kate Bornstein, gender theorist
- Judith Butler, queer theorist
- Lewis A. Coser, sociologist
- Amitai Etzioni, sociologist
- Norman Finkelstein, political theorist
- Mark Granovetter, sociologist
- Marvin Harris, anthropologist
- Melville J. Herskovits, anthropologist
- Lenore Jacobson, experimental sociologist
- Evelyn Fox Keller, science & gender theorist
- Irving Kristol, neoconservative
- Paul Lazarsfeld, sociologist
- Seymour Martin Lipset, political sociologist
- Robert Lowie, anthropologist
- Herbert Marcuse, sociologist, New Left figurehead
- Robert King Merton, sociologist
- Ashley Montagu, anthropologist
- Paul Radin, anthropologist
- David Riesman, sociologist
- Robert Rosenthal, experimental sociologist
- Marshall Sahlins, anthropologist
- David Schneider, cultural anthropologist
- Alfred Schütz, sociologist & philosopher
- Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, queer theorist
- Louis Wirth, sociologist
- Eric Wolf, anthropologist
- Milford H. Wolpoff, physical anthropologist
Linguists
- Leonard Bloomfield, linguist
- Noam Chomsky, linguist and political philosopher
- Joshua Fishman, sociolinguist
- Joseph Greenberg, language classification
- Morris Halle, linguist
- Zellig Harris, structural linguist
- Ray Jackendoff, linguist
- Roman Jakobson, Prague School of linguistics
- Jay Jasanoff, historical linguist
- William Labov, sociolinguist
- George Lakoff, sociolinguist
- Fred Lukoff, linguist
- Edward Sapir, anthropologist-linguist
- Morris Swadesh, linguist
- Deborah Tannen, sociolinguist
- Michael Thomas, language teacher
- Max and Uriel Weinreich, linguists
Psychologists
- Solomon Asch, Gestalt psychologist
- Aaron Beck, cognitive behavior theory
- Bruno Bettelheim, child psychologist
- Susan Block, sex therapist
- Jerome Bruner, cognitive learning theorist
- Paul Ekman, facial expressions
- Erik Erikson, developmental psychologist (Jewish mother)
- Leon Festinger, Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
- Erich Fromm, psychologist & humanistic philosopher
- Carol Gilligan, psychologist & ethicist
- Gail Gornick, psychotherapist, Teen Line coordinator 1
- Didi Hirsch, founder of Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center 1
- Irving Janis, social psychologist
- Jerome Kagan, child psychologist
- Daniel Kahneman, prospect theory, Nobel Prize (2002)
- Lawrence Kohlberg, developmental psychologist
- Marilyn Kroplick, psychiatrist
- Elizabeth Loftus, memory psychologist
- Abraham Maslow, humanistic psychologist
- Stanley Milgram, small world and Milgram experiments
- Walter Mischel, experimental psychologist
- Hugo Munsterberg, industrial psychologist
- Ulric Neisser, cognitive psychologist (Jewish father)
- Anatol Rapoport, mathematical psychologist
- Fritz Perls, Gestalt therapy
- Steven Pinker, psychologist & writer
- Theodor Reik, psychoanalyst
- David Rosenhan, Rosenhan experiment
- Julian Rotter, social psychologist
- Stanley Schachter, social psychologist
- Martin Seligman, Positive psychologist
- Herbert Simon, cognitive psychologist, Nobel Prize (1978)
- Robert Sternberg, intelligence & creativity
- David Wechsler, intelligence testing
- George Weinberg, coiner of the word "homophobia"
- Joseph Wolpe, psychiatrist
Economists
- George Akerlof, economist, Nobel Prize (2001)
- Kenneth Arrow, Arrow's impossibility theorem, Clark Medal (1957), Nobel Prize (1972)
- Gary Becker, economist, Clark Medal (1967), Nobel Prize (1992)
- Martin S. Feldstein, economist, Clark Medal (1977)
- Franklin M. Fisher, economist, Clark Medal (1973)
- Robert Fogel, new economic history, Nobel Prize (1993)
- Milton Friedman, monetarist economist, Clark Medal (1951), Nobel Prize (1976)
- Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve
- Zvi Griliches, econometrist, Clark Medal (1965)
- Sanford J. Grossman, economics of information, Clark Medal (1987)
- John Harsanyi, game theorist, Nobel Prize (1994)
- Jerry A. Hausman, econometrist, Clark Medal (1985)
- Robert Heilbroner, leftist economist
- Israel Kirzner, Austrian School economist
- Lawrence Klein, econometric models, Clark Medal (1959), Nobel Prize (1980)
- David M. Kreps, economist, Clark Medal (1989)
- Paul Krugman, economist & journalist, Clark Medal (1991)
- Simon Kuznets, econometrics, Nobel Prize (1971)
- Wassily Leontief, Input-Output method, Nobel Prize (1973) (Jewish mother)
- Steven Levitt, economist, Clark Medal (2003)
- Harry Markowitz, economist, Nobel Prize (1990)
- Robert Merton, Black-Scholes equation, Nobel Prize (1997) (Jewish father)
- Merton Miller, economist, Nobel Prize (1990)
- Ludwig von Mises, Austrian School economist
- Franco Modigliani, economist, Nobel Prize (1985)
- Oskar Morgenstern, game theorist
- Marc Leon Nerlove, economist, Clark Medal (1969)
- Matthew Rabin, economist, Clark Medal (2001)
- Murray Rothbard, Austrian School economist
- Jeffrey Sachs, economic shock therapy
- Paul Samuelson, economic analysis, Clark Medal (1947), Nobel Prize (1970)
- Andrei Shleifer, economist, Clark Medal (1999)
- Myron Scholes, Black-Scholes equation, Nobel Prize (1997)
- Robert Solow, economic growth, Clark Medal (1961), Nobel Prize (1987)
- Joseph Stiglitz, economist & author, Clark Medal (1979), Nobel Prize (2001)
- Lawrence Summers, economist, Clark Medal (1993)
- Jacob Viner, economist
Historians
- Herbert Aptheker, Marxist historian
- Bernard Bailyn, historian
- Daniel Boorstin, historian
- Alan Brinkley, historian (half Jewish)
- Norman Cantor, medieval historian
- Ariel Durant, The Story of Civilization
- Eric Foner, historian
- Peter Gay, historian
- Oscar Handlin, historian
- Raul Hilberg, holocaust historian
- Richard Hofstadter, historian (Jewish father)
- Gerda Lerner, feminist historian
- Bernard Lewis, historian of Islam
- Deborah Lipstadt, Holocaust historian
- Erwin Panofsky, art historian
- Meyer Schapiro, art historian
- Barbara Tuchman, historian
- Howard Zinn, leftist historian
Physicists
- Ralph Alpher, background radiation
- Hans Bethe, nuclear physicist, Nobel Prize (1967) (Jewish mother)
- Felix Bloch, nuclear physicist, Nobel Prize (1952)
- David Bohm, quantum physicist, philosopher of science
- Leon Cooper, BCS theory, Nobel Prize (1972)
- Martin Deutsch, positronium
- Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize (1921)
- Richard Feynman, quantum physicist, Nobel Prize (1965)
- David Finkelstein, physicist
- James Franck, physicist, Nobel Prize (1925)
- Edward Fredkin, digital physicist
- Herbert Friedman, solar X-rays
- Jerome Friedman, physicist, Nobel Prize (1990)
- Murray Gell-Mann, quarks, Nobel Prize (1969)
- Sheldon Glashow, physicist, Nobel Prize (1979)
- Donald A. Glaser, bubble chamber, Nobel Prize (1960)
- Thomas Gold, cosmologist (Jewish father)
- Daniel S. Goldin, NASA administrator
- Samuel Goudsmit, electron spin
- David Gross, string theorist, Nobel Prize (2004)
- Alan Guth, cosmic inflation
- Robert Hofstadter, physicist, Nobel Prize (1961)
- Theodore von Kármán, aeronautical engineer
- Daniel Kleppner, atomic research
- Leon M. Lederman, physicist, Nobel Prize (1988)
- David Morris Lee, superfluidity, Nobel Prize (1996)
- Fritz London, quantum chemistry
- Theodore Maiman, first operable laser
- Ben Roy Mottelson, physicist, Nobel Prize (1975)
- Albert Michelson, speed of light, Nobel Prize (1907)
- Robert Oppenheimer, nuclear physicist
- Douglas D. Osheroff, superfluidity, Nobel Prize (1996)
- Abraham Pais, historian of science
- Wolfgang Pauli, nuclear physicist, Nobel Prize (1945) (Jewish father, half-Jewish mother)
- Arno Allan Penzias, background radiation, Nobel Prize (1978)
- Martin Lewis Perl, physicist, Nobel Prize (1995)
- H. David Politzer, physicist, Nobel Prize (2004)
- Isidor Isaac Rabi, physicist, Nobel Prize (1944)
- Simon Ramo, physicist, engineer
- Frederick Reines, neutrino experiment, Nobel Prize (1995)
- Burton Richter, physicist, Nobel Prize (1976)
- Carl Sagan, astronomer & science popularizer
- Arthur Schawlow, laser spectroscopy, Nobel Prize (1981) (Jewish father)
- John Schwarz, string theorist
- Melvin Schwartz, physicist, Nobel Prize (1988)
- Emilio G. Segrè, anti-proton, Nobel Prize (1959)
- Julian Schwinger, quantum physicist, Nobel Prize (1965)
- Lee Smolin, loop quantum gravity
- Alan Sokal, Sokal affair
- Jack Steinberger, physicist, Nobel Prize (1988)
- Otto Stern, physicist, Nobel Prize (1943)
- Andrew Strominger, string theory
- Leonard Susskind, string theory (Jewish father)
- Leo Szilard, nuclear physicist
- Edward Teller, nuclear physicist
- Immanuel Velikovsky, controversial writer on cosmology
- Steven Weinberg, electroweak force, Nobel Prize (1979)
- Stephen Wiesner, quantum cryptography
- Victor Weisskopf, physicist
- Eugene Wigner, quantum physicist, Nobel Prize (1963)
- George Zweig, quarks
Chemists
- Christian B. Anfinsen, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1972) (converted)
- Sidney Altman, chemist, Nobel Prize (1989)
- Paul Berg, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1980)
- R. Stephen Berry, physical chemist
- Herbert C. Brown, chemist, Nobel Prize (1979)
- Melvin Calvin, calvin cycle, Nobel Prize (1961)
- Erwin Chargaff, DNA pioneer
- Morris Cohen, metallurgist
- Camille & Henry Dreyfus, cellulose acetate, founders of Celanese
- Kasimir Fajans, isotopes, identified protactinium
- Walter Gilbert, DNA sequencing, Nobel Prize (1980)
- Henry Gilman, organometallic chemist
- Moses Gomberg, free radicals
- Norman Hackerman, chemist
- Herbert A. Hauptman, chemist, Nobel Prize (1985)
- Alan J Heeger, chemist, Nobel Prize (2000)
- Roald Hoffmann, chemist & writer, Nobel Prize (1981)
- Martin Kamen, Carbon 14
- Martin Karplus, theoretical chemist
- Walter Kohn, physicist, Nobel Prize (1998)
- Izaak Kolthoff, analytical chemist
- Phoebus Levene, nucleic acid pioneer
- Rudolph A. Marcus, chemist, Nobel Prize (1992)
- Jacob A. Marinsky, discovered promethium
- Herman Mark, polymers (half Jewish)
- George Olah, chemist, Nobel Prize (1994)
- Irwin Rose, biologist, Nobel Prize (2004)
- William Stein, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1972)
Biologists and physicians
- Richard Axel, olfactory system, Nobel Prize (2004)
- Julius Axelrod, neurotransmitters, Nobel Prize (1970)
- David Baltimore, reverse transcriptase, Nobel Prize (1975)
- Baruj Benacerraf, immunologist, Nobel Prize (1980)
- Konrad Bloch, cholesterol, Nobel Prize (1959)
- Samuel Blum, excimer laser surgery
- Baruch Blumberg, hepatitis B vaccine, Nobel Prize (1976)
- Michael S. Brown, molecular geneticist, Nobel Prize (1985)
- Stanley Cohen, neurologist, Nobel Prize (1986)
- Stanley N. Cohen, genetic engineering
- Gerty Cori, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1947)
- Jared Diamond, evolutionary biologist & biogeographer
- Carl Djerassi, contraceptive pill
- Gerald Edelman, biologist, Nobel Prize (1972)
- Gertrude Elion, drug development, Nobel Prize (1988)
- Joseph Erlanger, physiologist, Nobel Prize (1945)
- Edmond H. Fischer, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1992) (Jewish father)
- Judah Folkman, cancer angiogenesis
- Casimir Funk, vitamins
- Robert F. Furchgott, pharmacologist, Nobel Prize (1998)
- Herbert Gasser, physiologist, Nobel Prize (1945) (Jewish father)
- Alfred G. Gilman, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1994)
- Avram Goldstein, opiate receptors
- Joseph L. Goldstein, molecular geneticist, Nobel Prize (1985)
- Michael Gottlieb, Joel Weisman, early identifiers of AIDS
- Paul Greengard, neuroscientist, Nobel Prize (1990)
- Stephen Jay Gould, evolutionary biologist & writer
- Michael Heidelberger, immunochemist
- H. Robert Horvitz, biologist, Nobel Prize (2002)
- Jerome Horwitz, AZT
- Eric R. Kandel, neuroscientist, Nobel Prize (2000)
- Charles Kelman, cataract surgery
- Carl Koller, local anesthesia
- Arthur Kornberg, DNA replication, Nobel Prize (1959)
- Eric Lander, Human Genome Project
- Joshua & Esther Lederberg, molecular biologists, Nobel Prize (1958)
- Rita Levi-Montalcini, neurologist, Nobel Prize (1986)
- Jay Levy, AIDS researcher
- Richard Lewontin, evolutionary biologist
- Fritz Lipmann, coenzyme A, Nobel Prize (1953)
- Otto Loewi, acetylcholine, Nobel Prize (1936)
- Salvador Luria, bacterial evolution, Nobel Prize (1969)
- Lynn Margulis, Gaia theory
- Matthew Messelson, DNA replication
- Otto Meyerhof, glycolysis, Nobel Prize (1922)
- Stanley Miller, Miller-Urey experiment
- Irving Millman, viral hepatitis vaccine
- Hermann Muller, geneticist, Nobel Prize (1946) (Jewish mother)
- Daniel Nathans, microbiologist, Nobel Prize (1978)
- Marshall Nirenberg, genetic code, Nobel Prize (1968)
- Gregory Pincus, contraceptive pill
- Stanley Prusiner, neurologist, Nobel Prize (1997)
- Martin Rodbell, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1994)
- Albert Sabin, oral polio vaccine
- Jonas Salk, polio vaccine
- Andrew V. Schally, endocrinologist, Nobel Prize (1977)
- Albert Schatz, streptomycin
- Béla Schick, diphtheria test
- Rudolf Schoenheimer, radioactive tracers
- Alexander Shulgin, pharmacologist, populariser of ecstasy
- Solomon H. Snyder, opiate receptors
- Adolphus Solomons, co-founder of the American Red Cross
- Leo Sternbach, valium
- Howard Temin, reverse transcriptase, Nobel Prize (1975)
- Max Tishler, synthetic vitamins
- Harold Varmus, virologist, Nobel Prize (1989)
- George Wald, retina pigmentation, Nobel Prize (1967)
- Selman Waksman, streptomycin, Nobel Prize (1952)
- Charles Weissmann, interferon cloning
- Rosalyn Yalow, medical physicist, Nobel Prize (1977)
- Charles Yanofsky, geneticist
Mathematicians
- Kenneth Appel, four-color problem
- Richard Bellman, dynamic programming (Jewish mother, half Jewish father)
- Salomon Bochner, harmonic analysis
- Raoul Bott, geometry (half Jewish)
- Richard Brauer, modular representation theory
- Eugenio Calabi, differential geometry
- Paul Cohen, set theorist, Fields Medal (1966)
- Richard Courant, algebraic topology
- George Dantzig, simplex algorithm
- Martin Davis, mathematician
- Persi Diaconis, statistician
- Jesse Douglas, mathematician, Fields Medal (1936)
- Samuel Eilenberg, category theorist
- Noam Elkies, mathematician
- Charles Fefferman, mathematician, Fields Medal (1978)
- Mitchell Feigenbaum, chaos theorist
- William Feller, probability theory
- Michael Freedman, mathematician, Fields Medal (1986) (Jewish father)
- Solomon Golomb, polyominoes
- Paul Halmos, mathematician
- Mark Kac, mathematician
- Edward Kasner, mathematician
- Martin Kruskal, mathematician
- Peter Lax, mathematician, Abel Prize (2005)
- Solomon Lefschetz, algebraic topology
- Norman Levinson, mathematician
- Barry Mazur, mathematician
- Louis Mordell, number theorist
- George Pólya, mathematician (Jewish father)
- Emil Post, logician
- Herbert Robbins, statistician
- Abraham Robinson, nonstandard analysis
- Isadore Singer, mathematician, Abel Prize (2004)
- Richard P. Stanley, mathematician
- Elias Stein, mathematician
- Stanislaw Ulam, mathematician
- André Weil, mathematician
- Edward Witten, M-theory, Fields Medal (1990)
- Oscar Zariski, algebraic geometry
Computer scientists
- Hal Abelson, artificial intelligence
- Norman Abramson, ALOHAnet
- Len Adleman, RSA cryptography, DNA computing, Turing Award (2002)
- Paul Baran, packet switching
- Dan Bernstein, cryptologist (unconfirmed)
- Manuel Blum, computational complexity, Turing Award (1995)
- Gregory Chaitin, algorithmic information theory
- Peter Elias, information theory
- Robert Fano, information theory
- Edward Feigenbaum, artificial intelligence, Turing Award (1994)
- William F. Friedman, cryptologist
- Eugene Garfield, library & information scientist
- David Gelernter, parallel computation, Unabomber victim
- Adele Goldberg, Smalltalk design team
- Herman & Adele Goldstine, developers of ENIAC
- Shafi Goldwasser, cryptographer
- Martin Hellman, public key cryptography
- Douglas Hofstadter, academic & author (half Jewish)
- Bob Kahn, TCP/IP
- Richard Karp, computational complexity, Turing Award (1985)
- John Kemeny, BASIC
- Leonard Kleinrock, packet switching
- Joseph Kruskal, Kruskal's algorithm
- Solomon Kullback, cryptographer
- Raymond Kurzweil, OCR, speech recognition
- Leslie Lamport, LaTeX
- Jaron Lanier, virtual reality
- Leonid Levin, computational complexity
- Marvin Minsky, artificial intelligence, neural nets, Turing Award (1969)
- John von Neumann, computer scientist, mathematician & economist
- David Parnas, software engineering
- Seymour Papert, LOGO
- Judea Pearl, Bayesian networks
- Ken Perlin, fractal noise
- Alan J. Perlis, compilers, Turing Award (1966)
- Lawrence Rabiner, digital signal processing
- Frank Rosenblatt, perceptrons
- Azriel Rosenfeld, image analysis
- Jean E. Sammet, language design
- Bruce Schneier, cryptographer
- Herbert Simon, cognitive & computer scientist, Turing Award (1975)
- Abraham Sinkov, cryptanalyst
- Daniel Sleator, splay trees (Jewish mother)
- Gustave Solomon, error correction
- Ray Solomonoff, algorithmic information theory
- Richard Stallman, GNU, FSF
- Gerald Jay Sussman, Scheme
- Jeffrey D. Ullman, compilers
- Leslie Valiant, parallel computing
- Andrew Viterbi, Viterbi algorithm
- Peter J. Weinberger, awk
- Joseph Weizenbaum, ELIZA, artificial intelligence critic
- Avi Wigderson, randomized algorithms
- Norbert Wiener, cybernetics
- Terry Winograd, SHRDLU
- Jacob Wolfowitz, information theory
- Lotfi Zadeh, fuzzy logic (Jewish mother)
Engineers
- Daniel Drucker, structial engineer, stress analysis
- Joseph Gerber, phottoplotter phottocatter
- Charles Ginsburg, video tape machine
- Daniel Goldin, NASA Administrator 1992-2001 9th
- Henry Goldmark, engineer designer of Panama Channel locks
- Peter Goldmark, color television system
- Theodore von Karman, father of supersonic flight
- Donald Katz, chemical engineering
- Raymond Kurzweil, Reading Machine
- George Low, NASA Deputy Administrator 1969-76
- Jakob Mimon, thermodinamics heat transfer
- Raymond Mindlin, applied mechanics
- Nathan Newmark, Civil Engineering
- Jacob Rabinow,inventor CDC = V Pr scanning and sorting machines
- Simon Ramo, co founder of TRW
- Ben Rich, aeronautical engineer co developer of F17a Stealth Fighter
- Robert Rines, invention of sonogram sonar
- Jerome Sackman, Civil Engineering (unconfirmed)
- Abe Silverstein, Director of NASA 1961-69
- Peter Swerling, radar theoretican
- Abel Wolman, enviromental engineering
Inventors
- Robert Adler, remote control
- Zora Arkus-Duntov, father of the Corvette
- Ralph Baer, games console
- Emile Berliner, gramophone
- Richard Frenkiel & Joel Engel cellular technology pioneers
- Joseph Friedman, flexistraw
- Charles Ginsburg, video recorder
- Leopold Godowsky, Jr. & Leopold Mannes, Kodachrome
- Sylvan Goldman, shopping cart
- Peter Goldmark, LP record, color television
- Bernard Gordon, inventor
- Gordon Gould, laser
- Al Gross, pager, walkie-talkie (unconfirmed)
- Dean Kamen, inventor (unconfirmed)
- Edwin H. Land, polaroid
- Julius Lilienfeld, pre-transistor
- Stanford Ovshinsky, inventor
- Ron Popeil, inventor
- Jacob Rabinow, inventor
- Harold Rosen, geosynchronous satellite
- Raymond Scott sequencer, portable synthesizer
Recepients of National Medal of Science
- Bruce Ames biochemist NMS98
- Daniel Arnon biochemist plant physiologist NMS73
- Howard Bachrach biochemist NMS83
- John Bahcall President of American Astronomical Society NMS98
- David Baltimore retroviruses NMS99
- Gary Becker NMS000
- Baruj Benacerraf transplant immunalogy NMS90
- Manson Benedict nuclear chemical engineering NMS75
- Seymour Benzer biophysicist genetics NMS82
- Paul Berg NMS83
- Richard Bernstein, chemist NMS89
- Hans Bethe, solar energy from thermonuclear reaction NMS75
- Konrad Bloch, biochemist NMS88
- Raoul Bott, Figures incoding design of the semi-simple Lie groups NMS87
- Richard Brauer, model representation theory NMS70
- John Brauman, NMS002
- Gregory Breit, NMS67
- Ronald Breslow, NMS91
- Bernard Brodie, biochemical pharmocology Tylenol NMS68
- Felix Browder, President of AMS 99-01 nolinear functional analysis NMS99
- Herbert Brown, NMS69
- Michael Brown, NMS88
- Solomon Buchsbaum, AT&T Bell LAB = v pr plasma physics NMS86
- John Cahn, material science NMS98
- Melvin Calvin, photosynthesis NMS89
- Erwin Chargaff, NMS74
- Marvin Cohen, Nanomix=co f 1958 leader of nanotechnology NMS001
- Paul Cohen, NMS67
- Morris Cohen, metallurgist NMS76
- Stanley H Cohen, gene splicing genetic engineering NMS86
- Stanley N Cohen, Genentech=co f insulin NMS88
- Mildred Cohn, biochemist NMS82
- Ronald Coifman, FMA&F = co f with Rokhlin Vladimir 1989 NMS99
- George Dantzig, invented linear programming simpex method NMS75
- Norman Davidson, biochemist discovery of DNA and nuclear bomb NMS96
- Jared Diamond, evolutionary biologist biogeographer NMS99
- Carl Djerassi, organic chemist oral contraceptive NMS73
- Mildred Dresselhaus, NMS90
- Daniel Drucker, structural engineer stress analysis NMS88
- Harry Eagle, cell biology NMS87
- Thomas Eisner, evolutionary biology NMS94
- Gertrude Elion, zovirax NMS91
- Walter Elsasser, NMS87
- William Feller, probability theory NMS69
- Herman Feshbach, Pr. of the Academy of Arts and Science NMS86
- Richard Feynman, physicist NMS79
- Michael Freedman, poincare conjecture NMS87
- Herbert Friedman, solar x-rays NMS68
- Milton Friedman, NMS88
- Richard Garwin, NMS002
- Salome Gluecksohn-Waelsch, co founder of developmental genetics NMS93
- Maurice Goldhaber, NMS83
- Peter Goldmark, color television system NMS76
- Peter Goldreich, astrophysicist NMS95
- Joseph Goldstein, NMS88
- Herman Goldstine, developer of ENIAC NMS83
- Samuel Goudsmit, NMS76
- Norman Hackerman, model of transistor NMS93
- Viktor Hamburger, biologist NMS89
- Philip Handler, biochemicist President of NAS 1969-1981 NMS81
- Michael Heidelberger, immunochemistry NMS67
- Joseph Hirschfelder, NMS75
- Ralph Hirschmann, NMS000
- Roald Hoffmann, electronic structures NMS83
- Robert Hofstadter, NMS86
- Leonid Hurwicz, NMS90
- Elvin Kabat, founder of immunochemistry NMS91
- Leo Kadanoff, NMS99
- Eric Kandel, NMS88
- Samuel Karlin, NMS89
- Theodore von Karman, NMS62
- Richard Karp, computer scientist NMS96
- Robert Kates, geography NMS91
- Donald Katz, chemical engineering NMS82
- Joseph Keller, NMS88
- Walter Kohn, NMS88
- Rudolf Kompfner, inventor of traveling wave tube NMS74
- Arthur Kornberg, NMS79
- Daniel Koshland, Jr, Director of Lasker Foundation NMS90
- Martin Kruskal, NMS93
- Edwin Land, Polaroid camera NMS67
- Helmut Landsberg, father of modern climatology meteriologist NMS83
- Peter Lax, NMS86
- Philip Leder, Letter nominating of the genetic code NMS89
- Joshua Lederberg, NMS89
- Leon Lederman, NMS65
- Solomon Lefschetz, mathematician topology NMS64
- Rita Levi-Montalchini, NMS87
- Hans Liepmann, Aueronautical Engineer NMS86
- Fritz Lipmann, NMS66
- George Low, NASA Deputy Administrator 1969-76 NMS83
- Salvador Luria, NMS91
- Rudolph Marcus, NMS89
- Lynn Margulis, microbiologist NMS99
- Herman Mark, father of polymer science NMS79
- Paul Marks, cancer researcher NMS91
- John McCarthy, Lisp "artifical intelligence -invented" NMS90
- Robert Merton, NMS94
- Raymond Mindlin, NMS79
- Walter Munk, NMS83
- David Nathan, Harvard Medical School NMS90
- Daniel Nathans, first genetic map of DNA NMS93
- Elisabeth Neufeld, molecular biologist NMS94
- Nathan Newmark, NMS68
- Marshall Nirenberg, breaking of genetic code NMS64
- Louis Nirenberg, NMS95
- Jeremiah Ostriker, astrophysicist NMS000
- Wolfgang Panofsky, particle physics NMS69
- John Prausnitz, NMS003
- Frank Press, geophysicist President of NAS NMS94
- Efraim Racker, NMS76
- Simon Ramo, TRW = co f NMS79
- Frederick Reines, NMS83
- Stuart Rice, physical chemist NMS99
- Alexander Rich, NMS95
- Marshall Rosenbluth, NMS97
- John Ross, physical chemist NMS99
- Bruno Rossi, space physics NMS83
- Vera Rubin, astrophysicist Durk Universe NMS93
- [[Eli Ruckenstein ]], chemist NMS98
- Albert Sabin, live virus vaccine for polio immunologist NMS70
- Paul Samuelson, NMS96
- Arthur Schawlow, co inventor of laser NMS91
- Martin Schwarzschild, astronomer NMS97
- Julian Schwinger, NMS64
- Herbert Simon, father of AI NMS86
- Isadore Singer, NMS83
- Maxine Singer, DNA chip NMS92
- Solomon Snyder, neuroscientist endorphins NMS003
- Susan Solomon, ozon chemist NMS99
- Robert Solow, NMS99
- Gabor Somorjai, father of modern surface chemistry NMS001
- Elias Stein, NMS001
- Jack Steinberger, NMS88
- Gilbert Stork, organic chemistry RS99 NMS82
- Edward Teller, Father of hydroghen bomb NMS82
- [[Howard Martin Temin ]], retroviruses NMS92
- [[Max Tishler]], poultry desease antibiotic sythesizing of B2 NMS87
- Harold Varmus, NMS001
- Steven Weinberg, electroweak force NMS91
- Robert Weinberg, molecular biologist 1st oncogen NMS97
- Paul Weiss, biologist NMS79
- Victor Weisskopf, director of CERN NMS79
- Frank Westheimer, NMS86
- Norbert Wiener, founder of cybernetics NMS63
- [[Eugene Wigner ]], Founder of Nuclear Engineering NMS68
- Saul Winstein, NMS70
- Evelyn Witkin, NMS002
- Edward Witten, NMS002
- Abel Wolman, enviromental engineering NMS74
- Rosalyn Yalow, biochemist NMS88
- Charles Yanofsky, geneticist NMS003
- Richard Zare, Lazer chemistry NMS83
- Oscar Zariski, NMS65
Recepients of National Medal of Technology
- Stanley N Cohen, invention of gin splicing NMT89
- Carl Djerassi, developer of hormone-based insect control NMT91
- Yoel Engel, Father of cellular phone NMT94
- Richard Frenkiel, Father of cellular phone NMT94
- Joseph Gerber, inventor and promoter of manufactering automated systems NMT94
- Bernard Gordon, father to high-sped analog-to-digital conversion NAE NMT86
- Irwin Jacobs, Innovation and leadership in the field of digital wireless Communications NMT94
- Amos Joel, long-distance call phones NMT93
- Robert Kahn, invisioned the network that became the Internet NMT97
- Dean Kamen, medical inventor DEKA NMT000 (unconfirmed)
- Charles Kelman, cataract surgery Lask04 NMT92
- Raymond Kurzweil, pioneer of artifical intelligence NMT99
- Irving Lachman, automative catalic converter NMT003 (unconfirmed)
- Edwin Land, instant photography NMT88
- Ralph Landau, innovative materials and chemical processes NMT85
- George Levitt, Du Pont Corp NMT93 (uncomfirmed)
- Ronald Lewis, automative catalic converter NMT003 (unconfirmed)
- Hans Liepmann, outstanding research contribution to the field of fluid mechanics NMT93
- David Pall, filter for transfusions NMT90
- Sydney Pestka, biotechnology NMT001 (unconfirmed)
- Peter Rose, semiconductor manufactering Krytek Corporation NMT96
- Harold Rosen, communication sattelite technology NMT85
- Alejandro Zaffaroni, NMT95 (uncomfirmed)
Recepients of National Medal of Arts
- Maurice Abravanel, music director, conductor NMA91
- Walter,Leonore Annenberg, art patrons NMA93
- Saul Bellow, writer NMA88
- Aaron Copland composer, lyricist NMA86
- Kirk Douglas, actor, producer NMA001
- Alfred Eisenstaedt, "father of photojournalism" NMA89
- Zelda Fichandler, theater director founder of Arena Stage NMA97 (unconfirmed)
- J. W. Fisher arts patron NAE NMA87 (unconfirmed)
- Frank Gehry, architect NMA98
- Lawrence Halprin, landscape architect NMA002
- Armond Hammer, arts patron NMA87
- Al Hirschfeld, artist, illustrator NMA002
- Vladimir Horowitz, pianist NMA89
- Lincoln Kirstein, arts patron dance impresario NMA85
- Seymour Knox, arts patron NMA86 (unconfirmed)
- Norman Lear, producer writer director advocate NMA99
- Sydney Lewis, arts patron NMA87
- Bella Lewitzky, dancer choreographer teacher NMA96
- Harvey Lichtenstein, arts administrator chairman of Brooklyn Academy of Music NMA99 (unconfirmed)
- Roy Lichtenstein, painter, sculptor NMA95
- Lewis Manilow, arts patron NMA000
- Arthur Miller, playright NMA93
- Itzhak Perlman, violinist NMA000
- Jerome Robbins, dancer,choreographer NMA88
- Philip Roth, writer NMA98
- George Segal, sculptor NMA99
- Maurice Sendak, writer illustrator designer NMA96
- Beverly Sills, opera singer, director NMA90
- Ronald Slatkin, conductor NMA003
- Stephen Sondheim, composer, lyricist NMA96
- Isaak Stern, violinist NMA91
- Barbara Streisand, entertainer, filmmaker NMA000
- Billy Wilder, movie director, writer, producer NMA93
- Pinchas Zukerman, violinist NMA83
Recepients of Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Arnold Aronson, civil rights advocate PMF98
- Irving Berlin, PMF
- Edgar Bronfman, PMF99
- Wesley Clark Supreme allied commander of NATO PMF000 (Jewish father; not raised Jewish)
- Aaron Copland, composer PMF
- Kirk Douglas, actor PMF81
- Peter Drucker, management expert Washington PMF002
- Evelyn Dubrow, labour leader NAE PMF99
- Ariel Durant, historian PMF
- Zachary Fisher, AAAS PMF98
- Milton Fridman, PMF99
- Samuel Goldwyn, PMF
- Katarine Graham, newspaper publisher PMF002
- Max Kampelman, arms-control expert PMF99
- Danny Kaye, PMF
- Henry Kissinger, PMF
- Mathilde Krim, Founder and Head of Am.Found. For Aids Research PMF000
- Irving Kristol, neoconservative movement = co f PMF002
- Edwin Land, PMF63
- Eugene Lang, PMF96
- Estee Lauder, PMF004
- Herbert Lehmann, Governor Senator PMF
- Sol Linowitz, PMF98
- George Low, Rensselaer Politechnic Institute = Pr 1976 PMF
- John fon Neumann, PMF56
- Norman Podhoretz, author, critic journalist PMF004
- Simon Ramo, PMF
- Hyman Rickover, PMF
- Anna Rosenberg, Assistant Secretary of Defense PMF002
- Abe Abe Rosenthal, NY Times editor and columnist PMF002
- Jonas Salk, PMF
- Anatoly Scharansky, PMF89
- Albert Shanker, educator PMF98
- Isaac Stern, PMF92
- Helene Taussig, President of American Heart Association 1966 PMF
- Edward Teller, physicist PMF003
- Lew Wasserman, PMF95
- Elie Wiesel, writer PMF86
- Simon Wiesenthal, PMF000
Politics
Presidential candidates
- Katharine Dukakis, wife of presidential candidate
- Barry Goldwater, presidential candidate (raised Episcopalian, father was born Jewish)
- Janet Jagan, president of Guyana (1997-99)
- John Kerry, presidential candidate (Jewish paternal grandparents)
- Joseph Lieberman, vice-presidential candidate
Cabinet members and senior administration officials
- Judah Benjamin, confederate secretary of war (1861) & state (1862-64)
- Oscar Straus, secretary of commerce & labor (1906-09)
- Henry Morgenthau, Jr., secretary of the treasury (1934-45)
- Pierre Salinger, white house press secretary (1961-64) (Jewish father)
- James Schlesinger, CIA Director 1973 Secretary of Defense (1973-75) (Converted to Christianity)
- Henry Kissinger, national security advisor (1969-75), secretary of state (1973-77)
- W. Michael Blumenthal, secretary of the treasury (1977-79)
- Harold Brown, secretary of defense (1977-81)
- Robert Reich, secretary of labor (1993-97)
- John M. Deutch, CIA director (1995-96)
- Robert Rubin, secretary of the treasury (1995-99)
- Madeline Albright, secretary of state (1997-01) (raised Episcopalian)
- Sandy Berger, national security advisor (1997-01)
- William Cohen, secretary of defense (1997-01) (Jewish father)
- Larry Summers, secretary of the treasury (1999-01)
- Ari Fleischer, white house press secretary (2001-03)
- Michael Chertoff, homeland security secretary (2005-)
Senators
- David Levy Yulee, senator (D-FL: 1845-51, 1855-61)
- Judah Benjamin, senator (Whig-LA: 1853-61)
- Benjamin F. Jonas, senator (D-LA: 1879-85)
- Joseph Simon, senator (R-OR: 1898-03)
- Isidor Rayner, senator (D-MD: 1905-12)
- Simon Guggenheim, senator (R-CO: 1907-13)
- Herbert Lehman, senator (D-NY: 1949-57)
- Richard L. Neuberger, senator (D-OR: 1955-60)
- Jacob Javits, senator (R-NY: 1957-81)
- Ernest Gruening, senator (D-AK: 1959-69)
- Abraham Ribicoff, senator (D-CT: 1963-81)
- Howard Metzenbaum, senator (D-OH: 1974, 1976-95)
- Richard Stone, senator (D-FL: 1975-80)
- Edward Zorinsky, senator (D-NE: 1976-87)
- John Kerry,senator, (raised as Roman Catholic)
- Rudy Boschwitz, senator (R-MN: 1978-91)
- Carl Levin, senator (D-MI: 1979-)
- Warren Rudman, senator (R-NH: 1980-93)
- Arlen Specter, senator (R-PA: 1981-)
- Frank Lautenberg, senator (D-NJ: 1982-01, 2003-)
- Jacob Hecht, senator (R-NV: 1983-89)
- Herb Kohl, senator (D-WI: 1989-)
- Joseph Lieberman, senator (D-CT: 1989-)
- Paul Wellstone, senator (D-MN: 1991-02)
- Dianne Feinstein, senator (D-CA: 1992-)
- Barbara Boxer, senator (D-CA: 1992-)
- Russ Feingold, senator (D-WI: 1993-)
- Ron Wyden, senator (D-OR: 1996-)
- Charles Schumer, senator (D-NY: 1999-)
- Norm Coleman, senator (R-MN: 2003-)
Representatives
Prominent representatives only – for a full list see jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
- Francis Salvador, first jewish member of a colonial legislature.
- Lewis Charles Levin, first Jewish representative (Amer-PA: 1845-51)
- Victor L. Berger, socialist (Soc-WI: 1911-13, 1919, 1923-29)
- Florence P. Kahn, first Jewish woman representative (R-CA: 1925-37)
- Allard K. Lowenstein, civil rights activist (D-NY: 1968-1970)
- Bella Abzug, feminist leader & gay rights activist (D-NY: 1971-77)
- Henry Waxman, liberal leader (D-CA: 1975-)
- Tom Lantos, holocaust survivor (D-CA: 1981-)
- Barney Frank, liberal, openly gay politician (D-MA: 1981-)
- Bernie Sanders, independent (Ind-VT: 1991-)
- Jerrold Nadler, WTC district congressman during 9/11 (D-NY: 1992-)
Governors
- Moses Alexander, governor of Idaho (D-ID: 1915-19)
- Simon Bamberger, governor of Utah (D-UT: 1917-21)
- Arthur Seligman, governor of New Mexico (D-NM: 1931-33)
- Julius L. Meier, governor of Oregon (Ind-OR: 1931-35)
- Henry Horner, governor of Illinois (D-IL: 1933-40)
- Herbert H. Lehman, governor of New York (D-NY: 1933-42)
- Ernest Gruening, territorial governor of Alaska (D-AK: 1939-53)
- Abraham Ribicoff, governor of Connecticut (D-CT: 1955-61)
- Samuel H. Shapiro, governor of Illinois (D-IL: 1968-69)
- Frank Licht, governor of Rhode Island (D-RI: 1969-73)
- Marvin Mandel, governor of Maryland (D-MD: 1969-77)
- Milton Shapp, governor of Pennsylvania (D-PA: 1971-79)
- Madeleine M. Kunin, governor of Vermont (D-VT: 1985-91)
- Neil Goldschmidt, governor of Oregon (D-OR: 1987-91)
- Bruce Sundlun, governor of Rhode Island (D-RI: 1991-95)
- Linda Lingle, governor of Hawaii (R-HI: 2002-)
- Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania (D-PA: 2002-)
Mayors
Prominent mayors/major cities only.
- Cincinnati: Bill Gradison (1971), Jerry Springer (1977-78)
- Las Vegas: Oscar Goodman (1999-)
- Louisville: Jerry E. Abramson (1985-98, 2002-)
- New York: Fiorello LaGuardia (1934-45; Jewish mother), Abe Beame (1974-77), Ed Koch (1978-89), Michael Bloomberg (2002-)
- Philadelphia: Edward Rendell (1992–2000)
- Portland, Oregon: Vera Katz (1992-2004)
- San Francisco: Adolph Sutro (1894-96), Dianne Feinstein (1976–88)
- Seattle: Bailey Gatzert (1875-76)
Economists
- Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve (since 1987)
- Eugene Meyer, chairman of the Federal Reserve (1930-1933), president of the World Bank (1946)
- James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank (1995-2005)
- Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank (since 2005)
Legal System
Supreme Court
- Louis Brandeis, supreme court justice (1916-39)
- Benjamin N. Cardozo, supreme court justice (1932-38)
- Felix Frankfurter, supreme court justice (1939-62)
- Arthur Goldberg, supreme court justice (1962-65)
- Abe Fortas, supreme court justice (1965-69)
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supreme court justice (1993-)
- Stephen Breyer, supreme court justice (1994-)
Legal Advocates
- Gloria Allred, feminist lawyer
- Marcia Clark, lawyer
- Roy Cohn, McCarthyist lawyer
- Alan Dershowitz, lawyer
- William Kunstler, civil rights lawyer
- Samuel Leibowitz, lawyer, defender of the Scottsboro Boys
- Edward Levi, US attorney general (1975-77)
- Peter Neufeld, Innocence Project
- Barry Scheck, Innocence Project
- Robert Shapiro, lawyer
- Eliot Spitzer, New York attorney general
Military
- Julius O. Adler, brigadier general
- Jeremy Michael Boorda, admiral, Chief of Naval Operations
- Wesley Kane Clark, general, NATO supreme allied commander (Jewish father, raised Baptist, converted to Catholicism)
- William F. Friedman, army cryptologist
- Leopold Karpeles, sergeant, Congressional Medal of Honor
- Uriah P. Levy, commodore, abolished flogging
- Ben Moreel, admiral, founder of the Seabees
- Ben Rich, co-inventor of the stealth fighter
- Hyman Rickover, admiral, father of the nuclear navy
- Maurice Rose, general, killed in action
- Edward S. Salomon, brigadier general
- Haym Salomon, financer of the War of Independence
- Francis Salvador, "Paul Revere of the South"
- Joseph Seligman, unionist civil war financer
- Sophie Staroff, The Abraham Lincoln Brigade, fighting Franco's fascism
- Milton Wolff, head of The Abraham Lincoln Brigade, fighting Franco's fascism
Activists
Social leaders
- Saul Alinsky, social organizer
- Daniel De Leon, socialist leader
- David Dubinsky, labor leader
- Emma Goldman, anarchist leader
- Samuel Gompers, labor leader
- Sidney Hillman, labor leader
- Abbie Hoffman, social activist, Yippie
- Jackie Presser, labor leader, racketeer
- Jerry Rubin, social activist, Yippie
Political and civil rights activists
- Michael Albert, co-founder of Z Magazine
- Leslie Cagan, founder of UPJ
- Ben Cohen, founder of TrueMajority
- Jeff Cohen, founder of FAIR
- Daniel Ellsberg, leaked the Pentagon Papers (Jewish parents)
- Felix Frankfurter, helped found the ACLU
- Mitch Kapor, co-founder of EFF
- William Kunstler, civil rights lawyer
- Aryeh Neier, head of HRW, ACLU, OSI
- Eli Pariser, campaigns director of MoveOn.org
- Bruce Perens, open source advocate, co-founder of SPI
- Marcus Raskin, co-founder of IPS
- Kenneth Roth, head of HRW
- George Soros, founder of OSI
- Richard Stallman, founder of FSF
- Nadine Strossen, head of ACLU (father half Jewish holocaust survivor)
Anti-racism (non-Arab)
- Abraham Foxman, head of the ADL
- Kivie Kaplan, head of the NAACP
- Winona LaDuke, Native American acitivst & environmentalist (Jewish mother)
- Stanley Levison, advisor of Martin Luther King
- Abel Meeropol, composer of Strange Fruit
- Michael Schwerner & Andrew Goodman, CORE activists, KKK victims
- Joel & Arthur Spingarn, early NAACP leaders
- Helen Suzman, South African anti-apartheid activist
- Simon Wiesenthal, Nazi-hunter
- Tim Wise, anti-racism activist
Feminism and gay rights
- Bella Abzug, feminist politician
- Gloria Allred, feminist lawyer
- Andrea Dworkin, feminist writer
- Susan Faludi, feminist writer
- Leslie Feinberg, transgender activist & author
- Betty Friedan, co-founder & first president of NOW
- Arnie Kantrowitz, co-founder of GLAAD
- Harvey Milk, murdered gay rights activist & openly-gay politician
- Robin Morgan, editor of Ms. Magazine
- Ernestine Rose, feminist
- Gloria Steinem, founder of Ms. Magazine (Jewish father)
- Rebecca Walker, feminist writer (Jewish father)
- Naomi Wolf, feminist writer
- Evan Wolfson, gay marriage activist
Health and environment
- Judi Bari, environmentalist (Jewish mother)
- Bernard Lown, co-founder of IPPNW, Nobel Peace Prize (1985)
- Ed Rosenthal, canabbis activist
- Elizabeth Glaser, founder of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
- Rose Kushner, breast cancer activist
- Mathilde Krim, founder of amFAR (converted)
- Larry Kramer, co-founder of GMHC
- Henry Spira, animal rights activist
- Irving & Dorothy Stowe, co-founders of Greenpeace
Controversial
Criminals
- Lori Berenson, activist convicted of terrorism in Peru
- David Berkowitz, serial killer (adopted by Jewish parents, converted to Christianity)
- Samuel Byck, failed assassin of Richard Nixon
- Heidi Fleiss, Hollywood madam
- Frank Collin, neo-nazi
- Dylan Klebold, Columbine massacre (Jewish maternal grandfather, raised Lutheran)
- Meyer Lansky, gangster
- Jean Lafitte, pirate ('part-Jewish')
- Leopold and Loeb, murderers
- Kevin Mitnick, hacker
- Sara Jane Moore, failed assassin of Gerald Ford
- Jonathan Pollard, jailed spy
- Ethel & Julius Rosenberg, executed spies
- Arnold Rothstein, gangster
- Jack Ruby, killer of Lee Harvey Oswald
- Dutch Schultz, gangster
- Bugsy Siegel, gangster, 'father of Las Vegas'
- Adam Worth, Victorian thief, model for Moriarty
Other
- Alan Berg, murdered radio host
- Nick Berg, beheaded entrepreneur
- Josephine Earp, wife of Wyatt Earp
- Leo Frank, lynching victim
- Jeremy Glick (1), September 11 victim (UA flight 93)
- Jeremy Glick (2), activist & son of September 11 victim (WTC)
- Ronald Goldman, murdered friend of Nicole Brown Simpson
- Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan
- Jonathan Levin, teacher son of executive Gerald Levin; tortured and killed by a student
- Chandra Levy, disappeared intern
- Monica Lewinsky, sex scandal intern
- Joshua A. Norton, eccentric & self-proclaimed emperor
- Daniel Pearl, beheaded journalist
- Judith Resnik, Space Shuttle Challenger victim
- Mickey Schwerner & Andrew Goodman, KKK victims
- William James Sidis, child prodigy
- Nancy Spungen, murdered girlfriend of Sid Vicious