Contributions that changed everything
From groundbreaking scientific discoveries to life-saving innovations that touch every life on Earth.
New profiles this week
New profiles, added by hand
The directory grows continuously. Each profile below was researched and sourced before publication — nothing is added from memory.
Last update: 18 October 2026
Week of 12 October 202660
- Aleeza Ben ShalomArts & LiteratureAleeza Ben Shalom was born and raised in Philadelphia in a relatively secular Jewish household, went to summer camps and on tours of Israel as a teenager, and became president of Hillel during her college years.
- Alexander SorosCivil Rights & Human RightsAlexander Soros was born in New York City on 27 October 1985, the elder son of the financier and philanthropist George Soros and of Susan Weber, and grew up in Katonah, north of the city.
- Amichai ChikliHeroes of IsraelAmichai Chikli was born in Jerusalem on 12 September 1981, the son of the artist Camille Chikli and of Eitan Chikli, who was born in Tunisia, grew up in France, made aliyah at nineteen and was ordained a Conservative rabbi at the Schechter seminary in Jerusalem.
- Amir AviviHeroes of IsraelAmir Avivi was born in Jerusalem on 16 April 1969, the eldest of three brothers, and spent much of his childhood abroad with his father, Pinchas Avivi, a diplomat who served as Israel's ambassador to Colombia, Chile and Turkey.
- Amir PeretzHeroes of IsraelAmir Peretz was born Armand Peretz in Boujad, Morocco, on 9 March 1952, into a Sephardic Jewish family; his father was the head of the town's Jewish community.
- André AzoulayPhilosophy & Social SciencesAndré Azoulay was born in Essaouira, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, on 17 April 1941, into a Moroccan Sephardic Jewish family, and went to Paris to study economics, journalism and international relations.
- Ari LammHistorical & Religious FiguresAri Lamm is the grandson and student of Rabbi Norman Lamm, the longtime president of Yeshiva University, and studied there himself, graduating summa cum laude in history and Jewish studies.
- Arik KaufmanIsrael & Modern InnovationArik Kaufman grew up in Israel, where, he recalls, he ate plant-based food as a child; he graduated from Reichman University and worked for many years as a lawyer on mergers, acquisitions and licensing agreements.
- Asaf KochanHeroes of IsraelAsaf Kochan was born in Israel on 25 June 1971, grew up on Kibbutz Tzora and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in November 1990.
- Audrey AzoulayPhilosophy & Social SciencesAudrey Azoulay was born in France on 4 August 1972 into a Moroccan Jewish family from Essaouira, the daughter of André Azoulay, adviser to the kings of Morocco, and of the writer Katia Brami.
- Aviv WolffIsrael & Modern InnovationAviv Wolff's grandfather was a dairy farmer and much of his family grew up in Israel's agricultural north; he himself spent eight years as an officer in a special forces unit of the Israeli army.
- Benny GantzHeroes of IsraelBenjamin Gantz, known as Benny, was born on 9 June 1959 in Kfar Ahim, a cooperative village in southern Israel that his parents helped to found.
- Bezalel SmotrichHeroes of IsraelBezalel Smotrich was born on 27 February 1980 in Haspin, a religious community in the Golan Heights, and grew up in Beit El; his father was an Orthodox rabbi.
- Boaz LevyTechnology & EngineeringBoaz Levy was born in 1961 and began his career in the Israel Air Force as a guided weapons expert; he studied at the Technion in Haifa, taking a bachelor's degree in aeronautical and space engineering and a master's in systems engineering.
- Daniel ChamovitzScience & MedicineDaniel Chamovitz was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 18 April 1963 and grew up in nearby Aliquippa, where he graduated from Hopewell High School in 1981.
- Danny DanonHeroes of IsraelDanny Danon was born in Ramat Gan on 8 May 1971 to Joseph and Yoheved Danon, attended Blich High School and grew up in the Betar youth movement.
- David BarneaHeroes of IsraelDavid Barnea, known as Dadi, was born in Ashkelon on 29 March 1965 and grew up in Rishon LeZion, in what his brother has described as a secular family.
- David Friedman (ambassador)Philosophy & Social SciencesDavid Melech Friedman was born on 8 August 1958 and grew up in North Woodmere, New York, the son of Addi Friedman, an English teacher, and of Rabbi Morris Friedman of Temple Hillel, a Conservative synagogue, who also headed the New York Board of Rabbis.
- Doron AlmogHeroes of IsraelDoron Almog, born Doron Avrotzky, was born in Rishon LeZion on 18 May 1951, the eldest of four children, and attended the military boarding school at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa.
- Doug EmhoffCivil Rights & Human RightsDouglas Craig Emhoff was born in Brooklyn on 13 October 1964 to Jewish parents, Michael Emhoff, a shoe designer, and Barbara Emhoff, and grew up in Matawan and Old Bridge, New Jersey.
- Doug SesermanCivil Rights & Human RightsDoug Seserman grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he graduated from Cherry Creek High School in 1981, in a Conservative Jewish family that kept a kosher home and in whose congregation he had his bar mitzvah.
- Eitan NeishlosCivil Rights & Human RightsEitan Neishlos was born in Israel and trained as a corporate lawyer, then spent more than twenty years working and investing in payments, financial technology and financial inclusion in South Africa, Australia and Israel.
- Ephraim MirvisHistorical & Religious FiguresEphraim Yitzchak Mirvis was born in Johannesburg on 7 September 1956 into a rabbinical family, the son of Rabbi Lionel Mirvis and of Freida Mirvis, and went to Herzlia High School in Cape Town from 1968 to 1973.
- Eric FingerhutCivil Rights & Human RightsEric David Fingerhut was born in University Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, on 6 May 1959, the son of Samuel Fingerhut, who sold insurance, and of Alice Fingerhut, for thirty years the receptionist of the Cleveland Jewish News.
- Esther HayutHeroes of IsraelEsther Hayut, born Esther Avni, was born on 16 October 1953 in the Shubaki transit camp near Herzliya, the daughter of Holocaust survivors: her father had survived Auschwitz and her mother the Transnistria ghetto.
- Evan GershkovichArts & LiteratureEvan Gershkovich was born on 26 October 1991 to Ella and Mikhail Gershkovich, Jewish emigrants from the Soviet Union who had reached the United States in 1979, and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, speaking Russian at home.
- Eyal NavehCivil Rights & Human RightsEyal Naveh was born in Haifa on 26 January 1976, grew up in Yavne and served as a combat soldier and commander in Sayeret Matkal, the General Staff reconnaissance unit, where he was still doing reserve duty in 2024.
- Eynat GuezEconomics & BusinessEynat Guez was born in France, the second of three children, and was four years old when her family made aliyah and settled in Netanya.
- Gali Baharav-MiaraHeroes of IsraelGali Baharav-Miara was born on 18 September 1959 and grew up in Givatayim, the daughter of the painter Shulamit Baharav and of Emanuel Baharav, who fought with the Palmach in the War of Independence.
- Gidi MarkCivil Rights & Human RightsGidi Mark was born on 19 February 1956 at Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael and grew up in Rekhasim, then a town of new immigrants near Haifa, where as a boy he volunteered to help newcomers settle in.
- Gili Regev-YochayScience & MedicineGili Regev-Yochay was born in Berkeley, California, in 1964, while her father was completing a doctorate in economics, and her family moved to Ramat Aviv in Israel when she was two.
- Herzi HaleviHeroes of IsraelHerzl Halevi, known as Herzi, was born in Jerusalem on 17 December 1967 into an observant family, and was named after an uncle, a paratrooper killed in the Six-Day War a few months before his birth.
- Ifat Ovadia-LuskiCivil Rights & Human RightsIfat Ovadia-Luski was born in Bat Yam on 3 June 1976 and spent much of her childhood in the Ben Shemen forest; she studied at the ORT Ramat Yosef high school and served in the Education Corps in Jerusalem.
- Inbar Shashua Bar-NirCivil Rights & Human RightsInbar Shashua Bar-Nir is the daughter of the computer scientist Amnon Shashua, co-founder of Mobileye and winner of the Israel Prize in 2023, and of the social entrepreneur Anat Ramaty Shashua.
- Jake TapperArts & LiteratureJacob Paul Tapper was born in New York City on 12 March 1969 and grew up in the Queen Village neighbourhood of Philadelphia, the son of Theodore Tapper, a paediatrician from Chicago, and of Helen Tapper, a psychiatric nurse at the city's veterans' hospital.
- Josef SchusterCivil Rights & Human RightsJosef Schuster was born in Haifa on 20 March 1954, the son of David Schuster, a Jewish merchant from Lower Franconia, where the family had lived since at least the sixteenth century, and of Anita Grünpeter, from Upper Silesia.
- Marie van der ZylCivil Rights & Human RightsMarie Sarah Kaye was born in the London Borough of Redbridge in November 1965, the daughter of Barry Kaye, who worked in tailoring, and of Szusanne Kaye, a beautician, and grew up in South Woodford, where she went to the local comprehensive school.
- Mark WilfCivil Rights & Human RightsMark Wilf was born in 1962 into a Jewish family, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, Holocaust survivors from occupied Poland who had settled in Hillside, New Jersey, in the early 1950s.
- Matan AdelsonSportsMatan Adelson was born in Los Angeles in 1999, the youngest son of the casino entrepreneur Sheldon Adelson and of the Israeli-American physician and philanthropist Miriam Adelson, and spent most of his childhood in Las Vegas.
- Merav BahatTechnology & EngineeringMerav Bahat was born in Beersheba, where she grew up in a religious home, played football and basketball with the neighbourhood boys and went to a high school for girls only.
- Michal Braverman-BlumenstykTechnology & EngineeringMichal Braverman-Blumenstyk built her career in the Israeli technology industry after serving in the Israeli army, which, she has said, made later business decisions easier.
- Michal SchwartzScience & MedicineMichal Schwartz was born in Tel Aviv on 1 January 1950 and first came to the Weizmann Institute of Science at eleven, with a club for young science enthusiasts.
- Nir BarkatHeroes of IsraelNir Barkat was born in Jerusalem on 19 October 1959 and grew up there, the son of Zalman Barkat, a physics professor at the Hebrew University, and of a folk-dance teacher; his grandparents had come to the country from Poland and Russia.
- Nitsana Darshan-LeitnerCivil Rights & Human RightsNitsana Darshan-Leitner was born in Petah Tikva into a Jewish family from a small village outside Shiraz, in Iran, whose whole Jewish community had emigrated to Israel at around the time the state was founded.
- Ofer YannayEconomics & BusinessOfer Yannay was born in 1975 and grew up in Yavne, the second of eight children of Mordechai, born in Tunisia, and Toni, from a family of Libyan immigrants, who had both come to Israel in the 1950s.
- Ofir SoferHeroes of IsraelOfir Sofer was born in Alma, in the Galilee, on 1 August 1975, into a family of Tunisian Jewish descent; his grandfather had come to Israel from Libya, and he says he feels deeply attached to the region where he was born.
- Ori GoshenTechnology & EngineeringOri Goshen grew up in Kfar Saba, the youngest in a family of electrical engineers, and got his first computer in 1990, at the age of four.
- Polina StepenskyScience & MedicinePolina Stepensky was born in 1967 in Vinnytsia, in Soviet Ukraine, the only child of her parents, and began medical school there at the age of nineteen.
- Ranan HartmanPhilosophy & Social SciencesRanan Hartman was born in Montreal in 1969, the youngest child of Barbara Hartman and of Rabbi David Hartman, the philosopher of Judaism who founded the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and the family settled in Jerusalem in 1971.
- Rhoda SmolowCivil Rights & Human RightsRhoda Smolow grew up in Westchester County, New York, where her father, a lawyer, was involved in every aspect of the family's small synagogue, and where her parents and grandparents supported the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Jewish federations.
- Russell RobinsonCivil Rights & Human RightsRussell Robinson grew up in El Paso, Texas, a city of three hundred thousand people with about fifteen hundred Jews, where, as he recalls, “you had to work to be a Jew” and Israel was what held the community together.
- Sam GrundwergCivil Rights & Human RightsSam Grundwerg was born on 12 February 1973 in Miami Beach, Florida, a third-generation American raised in an Orthodox Jewish family that the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles described as fervently Zionist.
- Shikma BresslerScience & MedicineShikma Bressler was born in Haifa on 10 July 1980, the second of four children of a physician mother and of a father who worked at Elbit Systems, and grew up on Kibbutz Gvat and in Timrat.
- Simcha RothmanHeroes of IsraelSimcha Rothman was born in Bnei Brak on 13 August 1980 into a family whose forebears had made aliyah from Cleveland, Ohio, more than a century earlier.
- Sivan YaariIsrael & Modern InnovationSivan Yaari was born in Israel in 1978 to parents with roots in North Africa, moved with her family to France at the age of twelve, and came back to Israel to do her military service.
- Stacy SchustermanCivil Rights & Human RightsStacy Helen Schusterman was born around 1963, the daughter of the oilman Charles Schusterman, founder of Samson Resources, and of Lynn Schusterman, with whom he started the family foundation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1987.
- Steven ShulmanCivil Rights & Human RightsSteven Shulman came up through BBYO, the Jewish youth movement, in Eastern Canada, where he was a member of Raome AZA, served as regional Aleph Godol of the Lake Ontario Region and won the AZA's Max Baer International Oratory Contest in 1982.
- Sylvan AdamsCivil Rights & Human RightsSylvan Adams was born in Quebec City on 1 November 1958, the son of Marcel Adams, born Abramovich, a Holocaust survivor from Romania who became one of Canada's great real estate developers.
- William DaroffCivil Rights & Human RightsWilliam Daroff was born in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1968, the son of the neurologist Robert Daroff, and moved with his family to the Cleveland area in 1980, when his father became chairman of neurology at Case Western Reserve University.
- Yaakov HagoelCivil Rights & Human RightsYaakov Hagoel was born in Tel Aviv on 19 February 1971 and, before his military service, volunteered for a year in the southern town of Ofakim.
The last 60 profiles published — hover to pause the list
Browse the whole directoryThe Hebrew calendar
What day is it, in the oldest calendar still in daily use?
Jewish festivals seem to move every year against the Gregorian calendar. They do not: they are fixed in a different calendar, one that follows both the moon and the sun.
Gregorian date
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Hebrew date
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Why it differs, and how
- The months follow the moon. A lunar month lasts about 29½ days, so Hebrew months alternate between 29 and 30 days, and each one begins near the new moon.
- But the year has to follow the sun, because the festivals are tied to the seasons — Passover must fall in spring, Sukkot at the autumn harvest.
- Twelve lunar months make roughly 354 days, eleven short of the solar year. Left uncorrected, Passover would drift backwards through the seasons, as festivals do in a purely lunar calendar.
More on the mechanics
- The fix is a thirteenth month, Adar I, inserted seven times in every nineteen years — the Metonic cycle. Those are the leap years, which is why in some years Purim falls in Adar II.
- A Hebrew day begins at sunset, not at midnight. A festival therefore starts the evening before the civil date shown here.
- Years are counted from the traditional date of creation, which is why the current year is in the 5000s while the Gregorian year is in the 2000s.
Upcoming festivals
Each festival begins at sunset on the evening before the date shown.
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ThankJews.com documents and celebrates the verified contributions of the Jewish people and Israel that have shaped science, medicine, technology, culture and modern society. Our goal is simple: to help the world recognize, appreciate and learn from these extraordinary achievements — every fact sourced and dated.
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Despite representing only 0.2% of the world population, Jewish people have won:
22% of Nobel Prizes41% in Economics26% in Medicine25% in Physics