Top 10 Jewish-American Political Firsts

1. Joseph Lieberman: Senator from Connecticut and first Jewish-American on the Presidential ballot (as Vice President) of any major political party (2000 election).
2. Francis Salvador: First Jewish-American elected to a General Assembly in the colonies (1775). Also the first Jewish-American to be killed in the Revolutionary War.
3. David Levy Yulee: First Jewish-American Senator (Florida – 1845).
4. Judah Benjamin: First Jewish-American to be offered a Supreme Court appointment (he declined to be nominated in 1853 and 1854). First Jewish-American appointee to a Cabinet position (Cabinet of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy from 1861-1865).
5. Eric Cantor: First Jewish-American majority leader of the House of Representatives (2011).
6. Lewis Levin: First Jewish-American congressman. In office from 1845-1851.
7. Florence Kahn: First Jewish-American woman to serve in Congress (California – 1925).
8. David Emanuel: First Jewish-American Governor (Georgia – 1801).
9. Henry Kissinger: First Jewish-American Secretary of State (1973).
10. Diane Feinstein: First Jewish-American Female Senator (California - 1992).

Top 10 Jewish Nobel Peace Prize Winners

1. Menachem Begin: 1978 winner for signing a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.
2. Shimon Peres: 1994 winner with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for the Oslo Peace Accords.
3. Yitzhak Rabin: 1994 winner with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat for the Oslo Peace Accords.
4. Tobias Asser: 1911 winner for forming the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Co-won with Alfred Fried.
5. Alfred Fried: 1911 winner. Co-founded the German Peace Society in 1892.
6. Rene Cassin: 1968 winner for his work on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
7. Henry Kissinger: 1973 winner for his work of U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam.
8. Elie Wiesel: 1986 winner for his work on speaking out against racism and oppression.
9. Joseph Rotblat: 1995 winner for his work pertaining to nuclear disarmament.
10. UNICEF: There are really only nine Jewish Nobel Peace Prize winners, but UNICEF won the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize for being an international aid organization, and Ludwik Rajchman, a Jew, was one of the founders of UNICEF.

Top 10 Jewish Activists

1. Theodore Herzl: Instrumental in the Zionist movement. Called the father of the State of Israel. Samuel Gompers: Labor union leader. Founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL). 
2. Simon Wiesenthal: Dedicated his life to finding fugitive Nazis. 
3. Betty Friedan: One of the leaders of the Women’s Movement in the 1960s. Wrote The Feminine Mystique. 
4. Emma Goldman: Renowned anarchist, playing a prominent role in anarchist philosophy the U.S. and Europe. Assassinator of President McKinley said he was inspired to do so after an Emma Goldman speech. 
5. Meir Kahane: Founder of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), an extreme Jewish nationalistic movement. 
6. Joel Spingarn: Civil rights activist and was first chairman of the board of the NAACP. 
7. Abe Foxman: Director of the Anti-Defamation league. 
8. Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin: Political activists who were founders of the Youth International Party (the Yippies). They were symbol of youth rebellion in the 1960s and 70s. 
9. Solomon Etting: Fought to have Maryland remove its ban on non-Christians holding office. 

* Honorable Mention: Rose Schneiderman

The Top 10 Holiest Sites and Cities in Judaism

1. Holy of Holies: While not existing in its original form today, it was the inner sanctuary of the Temple, where the high priest entered on Yom Kippur and the Ark of the Covenant was kept. 
2. Western Wall: Today, the last standing remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Jews pray at this wall every day since it is the closest place to the original Temple. 
3. Jerusalem: The city of the First and Second Temple, the holiest of the four holy cities. 
4. Hebron: The second holiest city in Judaism. 
5. Safed (Tzfat): Another holy city in Judaism. Center of Jewish mysticism (Kaballah). 
6. Tiberius: The last of the holy cities in Judaism. The Jerusalem Talmud was compiled here and this city was the home of the Masoretes. 
7. Cave of the Patriarchs: In Hebron, the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah. 
8. Tomb of the Matriarchs: Burial location in Tiberius of several biblical women including Zipporah (wife of Moses), and Elishiva (wife of Aaron). 
9. Joseph’s Tomb: Near Nablus, the site of Joseph’s burial. 
10. Mount of Olives Cemetery: On the eastern end of Jerusalem, this cemetery has about 150,000 graves. Considered the most sacred burial ground in Judaism.

Learn about the Jewish holy sites in this book.

The Top 10 Enemies of the Jewish People

1. Hitler: Leader of the Nazis who oversaw the murder of six million Jews. 
2. Pharaoh: Some believe the Pharaoh in the book of Exodus to be Ramses II. He oversaw the enslavement of the Hebrews in Egypt, only releasing them after the Ten Plagues. 
3. Haman: Vizier of the Persian empire who tried to kill all the Jews under the rule of King Ahasuerus (the story of Purim). 
4. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella: Started the Spanish Inquisition in 1480 CE leading to the torture, killing, and expulsion of Jews from Spain. 
5. Czar Alexander III: As Emperor of Russia, he launched attacks on Jews with pogroms. 
6. Antiochus IV Epiphanes: Ransacked Jerusalem and killed 40,000 Jews in three days. He is the leader that the Macabees revolted against (the Hanukkah story). 
7. Sadaam Hussein: Launched unprovoked Scud missiles into Israel during the first Gulf War. 
8. Nebuchadnezzar II: He conquered Jerusalem and sent the Jews into exile in Babylonia after the destruction of the Second Temple. 
9. Herod the Great: Considered a madman (and technically Jewish), who murdered his own family and several rabbis. 
10. Nero: Sent in soldiers to restore order in Jerusalem in 66 CE, which led to the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem and eventually the destruction of the Second Temple.

Click the book cover above to link to this very popular book on the reason for antisemitism.

The Top 10 Righteous Gentiles

1. Raoul Wallenberg: Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews during the Holocaust by issuing Swedish passports. 
2. Oscar Schindler: German industrialist who saved 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. 
3. Carl Lutz: Swiss vice-counsel in Budapest credited with saving over 62,000 people during the Holocaust by issuing Swiss passports. 
4. Dimitar Peshev: Bulgarian Deputy Speaker who prevented the deportation of Bulgaria’s 48,000 Jews. 
5. Jose Castellanos Contreras: Salvadoran diplomat who helped save 40,000 Jews by providing them with fake Salvadoran nationality papers. 
6. Aristides de Sousa Mendes: Saved 12,000 Jews by defying orders and issuing Portuguese visas free of charge. 
7. Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz: Warned the Jews in Denmark about the pending Nazi plan to deport them, which led to 6,000 Jews quickly escaping to Sweden. 
8. Ho Feng-Shan: Chinese diplomat in Vienna who saved over 1,000 Jews. Known as “China’s Schindler.” 
9. Irena Sendler: Saved about 2,500 children by smuggling them out of the Warsaw Ghetto. 
10. Chiune Sempo Sugihara: Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews by issuing visas for Jews to go to Japan.

* A "Righteous Gentile" is a term used to describe a non-Jewish person who has gone out of his or her way, to save the lives of Jewish people, usually risking his or her own life in the process.

Schindler's List was an Academy Award winning Best Picture.  It is probably the most famous story of a Righteous Gentile.  Click the image above to get the DVD/Blu-Ray

The Top 10 Worst Years for the Jewish People

1. 1939-1944 CE: Six million Jews are killed in the Holocaust, about 80% of European Jewry. 
2. 422 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/586 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. First Temple destroyed. 
3. 70 CE: Romans destroy the Second Temple and about two million Jews are killed. 
4. 1429 BCE: The Hebrews are enslaved in Egypt. 
5. 555 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/722 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): Northern Kingdom of Israel is conquered by the Assyrians. The “Ten Tribes” are exiled and lost. 
6. 1480-1492 CE: Spanish Inquisition begins in 1480, leading to the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. 
7. 1348 CE: The Black Death begins in Europe and leads Europeans to massacre Jews due to their belief that the cause of the Black Death is the Jews. 
8. 796 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/930 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): The United Kingdom of Israel splits into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judea 
9. 1144 CE: Jews are first accused of using blood from Christian babies for use in Jewish rituals (blood libel). Leads to widespread massacres. 
10. 1648-1667 CE: The Chmielnicki Massacre and its aftermath killed about 100,000 Polish and Ukrainian Jews.

Click above to get one of the most popular books on Jewish history.

The Top 10 Passover Songs

1. Mah Nishtana: Why is this night different from all other nights? That’s what this song asks.
2. Dayenu: It would have been enough for G-d to have done just a little for Jewish people, we praise G-d for doing a lot more. 
3. Echad Mi Yodeah: Explains the Jewish significance of the numbers one through thirteen. Fun to try all in one breath! 
4. Chad Gadya: Describes the “food chain” from a goat, all the way up to G-d. 
5. Adir Hu: Expresses hope that G-d will build the Temple in Jerusalem again. 
6. Eliyahu haNavi: See if you can spot the prophet Eliyahu coming in for a glass of wine that you set out for him. 
7. Avadim Hayinu: We were once slaves to Pharaoh, now we are free! 
8. Vehi Sheamda: Every generation our enemies try to destroy us, but G-d saves us from their hands. 
9. Leshana Habaah: Next year in Jerusalem! 
10. Ha Lachma Anya: Let all who are hungry come share in our Passover meal. 

* Honorable Mention: Kadesh Urchatz (singing the order of the Passover seder), Al Achat, Mimitzraim Ge’altanu, The Frog Song, Let My People Go, Miriam’s Song, The Ballad of the Four Sons

The Top 10 Best Years for the Jewish People

1. 1312 BCE: The Jews are freed from slavery in Egypt. The 10 Commandments and the Torah are given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. 
2. 1743 BCE: G-d makes a covenant with Abraham, the father of the Jewish people. 
3. 1272 BCE: The Jews conquer the promised land after wandering in the desert for 40 years. 
4. 1948 CE: The modern state of Israel is established. 
5. 3760 BCE: Adam and Eve are created in this year. 
6. 825 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/968 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): King Solomon completes construction of the First Temple. 
7. 350 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/516 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): The Second Temple is completed under Darius I of Persia. 
8. 500 CE: The Talmud (oral Torah), was finalized, forming how Judaism is practiced today. 
9. 167 BCE: The Macabees revolt and win against a much larger Seleucid army and rededicate the Temple. This then leads to the miracle of Hanukkah. 
10. 356 BCE (Traditional Jewish Date)/425 BCE (Modern Scholarship Date): The Jews are saved by Queen Esther in Persia. 

* Dating events in Jewish history is sometimes tricky. Both the traditional Jewish dates and the modern scholarship dates are included for events where there is disagreement.  Want to know more about Jewish history? Click the book cover below!