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March 28, 2007

America's Top 50 . . . Rabbis

Can your rabbi do this?

Americans love lists, and this is one I haven't seen before. The Newsweek article explains the methodology behind this list:

Last fall, Sony Pictures CEO and Chairman Michael Lynton got together with his good friends and fellow power brokers Gary Ginsberg, of Newscorp., and Jay Sanderson, of JTN Productions and started working on a list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America. They had a scoring system: Are the rabbis known nationally/internationally? (20 points.) Do they have a media presence? (10 points.) Are they leaders within their communities? (10 points.) Are they considered leaders in Judaism or their movements? (10 points.) Size of their constituency? (10 points.) Do they have political/social influence? (20 points.) Have they made an impact on Judaism in their career? (10 points.) Have they made a "greater" impact? (10 points.)

Some of the names would cross over to influential American Jews in general, but I like the idea of focusing on this specific slice of the Jewish community. Except for Michael Lerner, but that's my opinion.

Let's raise a glass of Schapiro's extra-heavy kosher for Pesach malaga to the bottom of the line-up, and you can look for the rest:

46. Stephen Pearce (Reform) Pearce is the leader of San Francisco’s largest congregation with 2,700 families.

47. Harold Loss (Reform)
Loss is the leader of the largest synagogue in the Midwest (Detroit, 3,200 families).

48. Toba Spitzer (Reconstructionist)
Spitzer became the first openly lesbian rabbi to head a national Rabbinic Association in March 2007.

49. Michael Paley (Conservative)
Paley is the scholar in residence and director of the Jewish Resource Center of the UJA-Federation of New York
.
50. Mordecai Finley (Reform)
Finley is the founder and Co-CEO of Ohr HaTorah, an innovative and progressive synagogue.

[ Judith says: It's a pretty good list except for putting the Kabbalah Center snake-oil salesman at #4. I'm not sure he's really a rabbi, and I know what he teaches is not kabbalah. ]

Van | 03/28/07 at 07:25 AM | Categories: Doing Jewish

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Comments

Jack | March 28, 2007 11:26 AM

Attila (Pillage Idiot) | March 28, 2007 12:49 PM

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