Jewish American

A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent or religion who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation.

Jewish contributions to the United States

Popular culture

:See also: List of Jewish American writers, List of Jewish American artists, List of Jewish American musicians, and List of Jewish American show business figures

Related Topics:
List of Jewish American writers - List of Jewish American artists - List of Jewish American musicians - List of Jewish American show business figures

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Many individual Jews have made significant and diverse contributions to American popular culture. Probably the most famous examples are the early Hollywood moguls such as Samuel Goldwyn, Louis B. Mayer, William Fox, Jesse L. Lasky, Carl Laemmle, Marcus Loew, Adolph Zukor, and the original Warner Brothers and the characteristically Jewish humor of the Marx Brothers, Milton Berle, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, and Gilda Radner, but the legacy also includes songwriters as diverse as Irving Berlin, Burt Bacharach, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Lou Reed, and Paul Simon and writers as diverse as J.D. Salinger, Joseph Heller, E.L. Doctorow, Lillian Hellman, Allen Ginsberg, Isaac Asimov, and Harlan Ellison in addition to the authors listed above.

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Samuel Goldwyn - Louis B. Mayer - William Fox - Jesse L. Lasky - Carl Laemmle - Marcus Loew - Adolph Zukor - Warner Brothers - Marx Brothers - Milton Berle - Woody Allen - Joan Rivers - Gilda Radner - Irving Berlin - Burt Bacharach - Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller - Lou Reed - Paul Simon - J.D. Salinger - Joseph Heller - E.L. Doctorow - Lillian Hellman - Allen Ginsberg - Isaac Asimov - Harlan Ellison

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Government and military

Since 1845, 25 Jews have served in the Senate, and seven have served in the Supreme Court. Sixteen American Jews have won the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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The Manhattan Project, America's World War II effort to develop the atomic bomb, included the contributions of American Jewish physicists, many of whom were refugees from Hitler's Germany or from anti-semitic persecution in other European nations: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Richard P. Feynman, Wolfgang Pauli, Leo Szilard, John von Neumann, Isidor I. Rabi, Edward Teller, Eugene Wigner, Otto Frisch, Samuel Goudsmit, Jerome Karle, Stanislaw Ulam, Robert Serber, Louis Slotin, George Kistiakowsky, Walter Zinn, Robert Marshak, Felix Bloch, Emilio G. Segrè, James Franck, Harold C. Urey, Sir Joseph Rotblat, Joseph Joffe, Eugene Rabinowitch, Hy Goldsmith, Samuel Cohen, Victor F. Weisskopf, David Bohm, and Sir Rudolph Peierls. Hans Bethe and Niels Bohr both had Jewish mothers.

Related Topics:
Manhattan Project - Atomic bomb - Anti-semitic - J. Robert Oppenheimer - Richard P. Feynman - Wolfgang Pauli - Leo Szilard - John von Neumann - Isidor I. Rabi - Edward Teller - Eugene Wigner - Otto Frisch - Samuel Goudsmit - Jerome Karle - Stanislaw Ulam - Robert Serber - Louis Slotin - George Kistiakowsky - Walter Zinn - Robert Marshak - Felix Bloch - Emilio G. Segrè - James Franck - Harold C. Urey - Sir Joseph Rotblat - Joseph Joffe - Eugene Rabinowitch - Hy Goldsmith - Samuel Cohen - Victor F. Weisskopf - David Bohm - Rudolph Peierls - Hans Bethe - Niels Bohr

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Science and academia

See also: List of Jewish American scientists, List of Jewish American academics

Related Topics:
List of Jewish American scientists - List of Jewish American academics

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Jews have traditionally been drawn to academia (see Secular Jewish culture for some of the causes), and have made major contributions in science and the humanities. Of American Nobel Prize winners, 37% were Jewish Americans (19 x their % of the population), as are 71% of the John Bates Clark Medal winners (35 x their % of the population).

Related Topics:
Secular Jewish culture - John Bates Clark Medal

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