The results are in! The first eighteen distinguished Jewish Americans to be featured in the Museum’s Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame have been chosen.
The Gallery will include Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein, Louis Brandeis, Albert Einstein, Mordecai Kaplan, Sandy Koufax, Estée Lauder, Emma Lazarus, Isaac Leeser, Golda Meir, Jonas Salk, Rose Schneiderman, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Henrietta Szold, and Isaac Mayer Wise.
During the summer of 2009, the public voted on the eighteen to be included in the Only in America® Gallery/Hall of Fame from a list of 218 possible candidates. More than 209,000 votes were cast from 56 countries on the Museum’s Only in America website. The Museum selected for inclusion in the Gallery the person who received the most votes in each category. In addition to the public’s recommendations, the Museum’s historians and curators worked to ensure that the group reflected Jews’ 350 years of history in the United States, the important achievements of American Jewish women, and the diverse fields in which Jews have been involved.
The exhibit will be located on the first floor of the Museum’s new home.
I agree that it is sad that the Rebbe is being placed alongside such people as if chas v’shalom their efforts are equivalent…HOWEVER….I agree with Derlebt’s comment: “Better that he shouldn’t be, and instead the masses will think that Zalman Schechter was the most influential religious leader in America?” And in addition, remember when Elie Weisel said the Rebbe didn’t need the Congressional Medal of Honor, but maybe we do…Maybe we in Lubavitch also don’t need this “honor” but American Jewry, many of whom are assimilated, need this “honor” if it means that they will look at and think about… Read more »
a true shanda and charpa that a holy tzaddick is shown next to un-tzniusdiker women, and men who are KREINK to wear a yarmulkah! – and this…is a “kiddush lubavitch!?”
Did ANY of the holy rabbeiyim ever compete for “Mr. Russia” or did ANY of the holy rebbitzens ever run for “Miss Russia”!? What’s next….? Time magazine, The Nobel Prize, Newsday? Is a holy tzaddick going to R”L end up on the front cover of the “National Enquirer”?!?
Surely one can not compare THE REBBE to anyone!
This is JUST and BUT one more way we can bring THE REBBE to people.
This is OBVIOUSLY not about the Rebbe’s “Greatness” which of ocurse here is unneccesary, but rather exposure of the Rebbe and What he taught and stood for to many more Yidden
The whole hall of fame was build to glorify the greatness of the Rebbe. The Aibershter created a whole material world to glorify his name.
This is not about inferiority complex or superiority complex. It is not about OUR opinion about the Rebbe or to say that Rebbe belongs with these poeple. It is about the fact that millions of people will learn about the Rebbe and ipso facto, learn about Yiddishkeit and Moshiach. Like the Rebbe says: use my name if it helps (bring people to Yiddishkeit) I think this is a great moment. This means that the Rebbe is accepted as a Nossi not only amongst the frum yidden of the world, but also by the secular world. The Rebbe never wanted to… Read more »
Do you have more information about the poll in 1936?
After being released from prison the Alter Rebbe wrote that it was a miracle even in the eyes of the ministers, The Rebbe spoke about this many times during farbrangens of 19 Kisleiv and asked: who cares that some anti Semitic Russian sees the greatness of the Alter Rebbe? the Rebbe said that this is the point that g-dliness penetrated the world even to the point view of a non-Jewish minster. I think that this might gives us the Rebbe’s opinion in this debate, that even though in truth it does not add any greatness to the Rebbe to be… Read more »
this reminds me of the results of a poll in 1936 to decide the worlds 6 leading jews. the frieriker rebbe was one of them , and the rest of them were louis brandies, albert einstien, chaim wizenman…..
Alot of congressional gold winners are also shvantzyoren. But the rebbe got it for his positive impact on humanity. Also, it’s a Jewish hall of fame. Some of those figures are famous for bad , and some of them are famous for the good influence they had on yiddishkeit like the Rebbe.
What a real disgrace to true yiddishkeit our rebbas in gan eden or on this universe don’t belong in places such as these
it minimizes their greatness. A git gebentched year.
another milestone in hafotzas hamayonos and recognition of what is true and great!
he dosnt live anywhere near crown heights, or in the USA for that matter.
the Rebbe does not belong between all those that trashed yidishkeit in the US.
He rebuilt it
This is such a bkl b/c the rebbe i so great and so deserves it!!!
Im proud to call myself a Lubavitcher! 🙂
Ksiva Vchatima Tova
How many more Jews are going to learn about the Rebbe? The negative comments are always from ignorant people who don’t know that there exists life out of Crown Heights.
doesnt belong there, the rebbe is bichlal not in that type of category, and its only because of an infeority complex of niheye kechol hagoyim, that some of us insist that the Rebbe get in, and by doing that it is actually a disservice to the Rebbe and lubavitch biclal.
shono toivo umesuko
Better that he shouldn’t be, and instead the masses will think that Zalman Schechter was the most influential religious leader in America?
we derlebt that the Rebbe is together with “these greats”
wow is to us