Boston Jewish leaders included in Forward 50
By Molly Ritvo
The Jewish Advocate
The Jewish Daily Forward, a weekly newspaper based in New York City, recently released its 2007 “Forward 50” list, an annual compilation of American Jews who have impacted society. This year’s list spotlights several Boston Jewish leaders.
The list, which was published on Nov. 9, features individuals whose influence falls within the areas of politics, ideas and activism, culture, philanthropy, and community, according to J.J. Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the paper. The Forward 50 is compiled by Forward staffers and is based on the stories that have made headlines over the past year.
Of the 50 people named to this year’s list, six were chosen from the Boston Jewish community, including Sheldon Adelson, the Boston-based billionaire, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, Alan Dershowitz, professor at Harvard Law School, Andrew H. Tarsy, ADL regional director, Rabbi Toba Spitzer, president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assembly, and Charles Jacobs, founder of the David Project Center for Jewish Leadership.
“We always have representatives from the Boston Jewish community on the list,” said Goldberg. “The Boston Jewish community is such a creative, vibrant one that is of great national importance.”
The Bostonians named to this year’s list represent a 700 percent increase over 2006, when Nancy K. Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, was the sole local representative.
“Membership in the 50 doesn’t mean the Forward endorses what these individuals do or say,” said Goldberg. “These individuals were chosen because they are doing and saying things that are making a difference in the way American Jews view the world.”
ADL’s Tarsy, for instance, found himself embroiled in controversy this past summer when he publicly dissented from the national office, calling for recognition of the Armenian genocide. Tarsy was fired and later reinstated.
“The news decided that one for us,” Goldberg added.
And Tarsy said he is honored to have been selected.
“It is actually quite humbling,” he said. “As for the other members of the ADL that were included on the list, it shows how relevant our work is.”
ADL National Director Abraham Foxman, another player in this summer’s controversy, is also on the list.
Meanwhile, Spitzer, a West Newton resident, said she was surprised and pleased to be on the list.
According to the Forward, Spitzer made the cut because she “raised the bar for gays and lesbians” and “women in organized religious life.”
Additionally, the paper noted her work for economic justice and her efforts toward Israeli-Palestinian peace.
“It’s especially sweet to share the recognition with a few other compatriots from the Reconstructionist movement,” Spitzer said, referring to Steve Gutow and Ruth Messinger, “as well as with other progressive Jewish rabbis, activists, and funders."
This year’s Forward 50 also includes U.S. Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey, celebrities Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow, who have collaborated on several recent films, fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, singer Regina Spektor, and author Michael Chabon.
“Everyone on the list has embodied the spirit of Jewish action as it is emerging in America, and all of them have left a mark,” said Wayne Hoffman, managing editor of the Forward.
