The Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest population of Jews in the world. Within these territories the Jewish community flourished and developed many of modern Judaism's most distinctive theological and cultural traditions.

Jews have been present in contemporary Armenia and Georgia since the Babylonian captivity. Records exist from the 4th century showing that there were Armenian cities possessing Jewish populations ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 along with substantial Jewish settlements in the Crimea.

The presence of Jews in the territories corresponding to modern Belarus, Ukraine, and the European part of Russia can be traced back to the 7th-14th centuries CE.

Under the influence of the Caucasian Jewish communities Bulan, the Khagan Bek of the Khazars, and the ruling classes of Khazaria (located in what is now Ukraine, southern Russia and Kazakhstan), adopted Judaism at some point in the mid-to-late 8th or early 9th centuries. Documentary evidence as to the presence of Jews in Muscovite Russia is first found in the chronicles of 1471.

The following is a list of Jews born in the territory of the former Russian Empire or its successor the Soviet Union. It is geographically defined, so it also includes people born before the places were included in the Russian Empire / Soviet Union, or after the dissolution of the Russian Empire in 1918-1922 and the Soviet Union in 1991, even if the people never were Russian subject or Soviet Citizen.

• History of the Jews in Russia
• Jewish Surnames in the Russian Empire

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Names in "Bold" are Geni profiles. Names in "Light Blue" are Wikipedia links awaiting a volunteer to build transfer as a Geni profile to the World Tree.

List of Russian Jews

Religious Figures

Rabbis

1. • Aharon of Karlin (II)
2. • Joseph Chayyim ben Isaac Selig Caro
3. • Naphtali Cohen
4. • Yisrael ben Eliezer (The Baal Shem Tov) הבעש"ט, Rabbi, founder of Hasidic Judaism
5. • Shlomo Ganzfried
6. • Aharon Gurevich
7. • Yitzhak Isaac Halevy Rabinowitz Rabbi founder Agudath Israel
8. • Chaim Mordechai Aizik Hodakov
9. • Yitzchok Isaac Krasilschikov
10. • Berel Lazar
11. • Joseph Lookstein , Geni
12. • Meir Leibush Weiser - Malbim
13. • Shmarya Yehuda Leib Medalia
14. • Shmuel Leib Medalia
15. • Zalman Moishe HaYitzchaki
16. • Hillel Paritcher
17. • Eliezer Zusia Portugal
18. • Baruch Poupko
19. • Yitzchak Yaacov Reines
20. • Zvi Yosef Resnick
21. • Mnachem Risikoff
22. • Mörderhai Scheiner
23. • Isaac Schneersohn
24. • Schneour Zalman Schneersohn
25. • Aryeh Leib Schochet
26. • Shneur Zalman of Liadi שניאור זלמן מליאדי Founder and First Admor of CHABAD
27. • Dovber Schneuri, The Mitteker Rebbe דב-בער שניאורי, האדמו"ר האמצעי Second Admor
28. • Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Hatzemach Tzedek מנחם מנדל שניאורסון, הצמח צדק, Third Admor
29. • Shmuel Schneerson, MaHaRash - שמואל שניאורסון, מהר"ש Fourth Admor
30. • Shalom Dovber Schneersohn, RaShab - שלום דב-בער שניאורסון, רשא"ב Fifth Admor
31. • Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, Rayatz - יוסף יצחק שניאורסון, רייא"ץ Sixth Admor
32. • Ahron Soloveichik
33. • Moshe Soloveichik
34. • Chaim Soloveitchik חיים סולובייצ'יק
35. • Dov Sudak, Rabbi of Krijopol before the war
36. • Menachem Nachum Twersky, 1st Chernobyler
37. • Yehuda Leib Tsirelson
38. • Shlomo Yosef Zevin

Source

Religious Scholars and Educators (not Rabbis or mostly known not as Rabbis)

1. • Eliyahu Ben Shlomo Zalman, The "Gaon of Vilna" (1720-1797), Talmudic scholar and mathematician
2. • Chaim of Volozhin (1749-1821), Talmudic educator

Scientists

Natural scientists

1. • Anatole Abragam, physicist
2. • Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, physicist, Nobel Prize (2003)
3. • Zhores Alferov, physicist, Nobel Prize (2000)
4. • Lev Artsimovich, physicist
5. • Nikolai Bernstein (1896-1966), physiologist
6. • Gersh Budker, nuclear physicist
7. • Ilya Frank, physicist, Nobel Prize (1958)
8. • Yakov Frenkel, physicist
9. • Vitaly Ginzburg, physicist, Nobel Prize (2003)
10. • Vladimir Gribov, physicist
11. • Waldemar Haffkine, biologist, vaccine against colera and plague
12. • Boris Hessen, physicist
13. • Abram Ioffe (1880-1960), physicist
14. • Vladimir Keilis-Borok, physicist
15. • Yuli Khariton, physicist
16. • Lev Landau, physicist, Nobel Prize (1962)
17. • Veniamin Levich, electrochemist
18. • Alexander Vilenkin, cosmologist
19. • Selman Waksman, biochemist, Nobel Prize (1952)
20. • Yakov Zel'dovich (1914-1987), physicist
21. • Anatoliy Kravets, microbiologist, Head of the Laboratory of Genetics of Microorganisms (KRIEID) (his notability is extremely questionable: cannot find him in Google )

Mathematicians

1. • Georgy Adelson-Velsky, mathematician
2. • Vladimir Arnold (1937-2010), mathematician
3. • Grigory Barenblatt, mathematical mechanics (fluids and solid)
4. • Joseph Bernstein, mathematician
5. • Sergey Bernstein (1880-1968), mathematician
6. • Alexander Brudno, mathematician
7. • Chudnovsky brothers, amateur mathematicians
8. • Vladimir Drinfeld, mathematician, Fields Medal (1990)
9. • Eugene Dynkin, mathematician
10. • Paul Sophus Epstein, mathematician
11. • Israel Gelfand, mathematician,
12. • Alexander Gelfond, mathematician
13. • Mikhail Gromov (b 1943), mathematician, Abel Prize (2009)
14. • Semyon Aranovich Gershgorin, mathematician
15. • Victor Kac, mathematician
16. • Veniamin Kagan (1869-1953), mathematician
17. • David Kazhdan, mathematician
18. • Leonid Kantorovich (1912-1986), mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize (1975)
19. • Aleksandr Khinchin, mathematician
20. • Mark Krasnoselsky, mathematician
21. • Mark Krein, mathematician,
22. • Alexander Kronrod, mathematician
23. • Yevgeniy Landis, mathematician
24. • Solomon Lefschetz, mathematician
25. • Vladimir Levenshtein, mathematician
26. • Leonid Levin, mathematician, computational complexity theory
27. • Jacob Levitzki, Ukrainian-Israeli mathematician
28. • Grigory Margulis, mathematician, Fields Medal (1978), Wolf Prize (2005)
29. • David Milman, mathematician
30. • Hermann Minkowski, mathematician
31. • Mark Naimark, mathematician
32. • Grigori Perelman, mathematician
33. • Anatol Rapoport (1911-2007), mathematical biologist, mathematical psychologist, game theorist
34. • Vladimir Rokhlin Sr., mathematician, professor of Leningrad University
35. • Vladimir Rokhlin Jr., applied mathematician, professor of Yale University
36. • Jakob Rosanes, mathematician
37. • Lev Schnirelmann, mathematician
38. • Zvi Hermann Schapira, mathematician
39. • Moses Schönfinkel, logician
40. • Samuil Shatunovsky, mathematician
41. • Yakov Sinai, mathematician, Abel Prize (2014)
42. • Pavel Urysohn, mathematician
43. • Boris Weisfeiler, mathematician
44. • Victor Zalgaller, mathematician
45. • Oscar Zariski, mathematician
46. • Efim Zelmanov, mathematician, Fields Medal (1994)

Economists

1. • Alexander Gerschenkron, economic historian
2. • Naum Krasner, economist
3. • Leonid Hurwicz, economist, Nobel Prize (2007)
4. • Leonid Kantorovich (1912-1986), mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize (1975)
5. • Simon Kuznets, economist, Nobel Prize (1971)
6. • Jacob Marschak, economist
7. • Alexander Nove, economist

Social Scientists, other than Economists, Legal Scholars, or Religious Scholars

1. • Urie Bronfenbrenner, developmental psychologist
2. • Solomon Buber, Hebraist
3. • Ariel Durant, historian,
4. • Boris Eichenbaum, historian
5. • Mikhail Epstein, literary theorist
6. • Moshe Feldenkrais, inventor of the Feldenkrais method
7. • Jean Gottmann, geographer
8. • Lazar Gulkowitsch, Jewish Studies scholar
9. • Abraham Harkavy, historian
10. • Zellig Harris, linguist
11. • Roman Jakobson, Russian/American linguist
12. • Yuri Lotman, prominent linguist and historian of culture
13. • Seymour Lubetzky, cataloging theorist
14. • Alexander Luria, neuropsychologist
15. • Jacob Rabinow, inventor
16. • Ayn Rand, philosopher
17. • Dietmar Rosenthal, linguist
18. • Leonid Roshal, pediatrician, negotiator
19. • Isaak Russman, historian
20. • Max Seligsohn, Orientalist
21. • Lev Shestov, philosopher

Art and Culture figures

Writers and poets

1. • Grigory Adamov, writer
2. • M. Ageyev, novelist
3. • David Aizman, writer and playwright
4. • Vasily Aksyonov, writer (Jewish mother)
5. • Sholom Aleichem, Yiddish-language writer
6. • Isaac Asimov, science fiction writer
7. • Isaac Babel, writer
8. • Eduard Bagritsky, poet
9. • Grigory Baklanov, novelist
10. • Agniya Barto, novelist
11. • Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, Hebrew-language writer
12. • Isaac Dov Berkowitz, writer
13. • Chaim Nachman Bialik, poet
14. • Rachel Bluwstein, poet
15. • Yosef Haim Brenner, Hebrew-language writer
16. • Osip Brik, author
17. • Joseph Brodsky, Russian-language poet, Nobel Prize (1987)
18. • Sasha Cherny, poet
19. • Vladimir Galperin, journalist and writer, literature professor
20. • Aleksandr Gelman, playwright
21. • Yuli Daniel, writer
22. • Michael Dorfman, journalist and esseyst
23. • David Edelstadt, Yiddish-language anarchist poet
24. • Ilya Ehrenburg, writer
25. • Natan Eidelman, writer
26. • Alter Esselin, poet, carpenter
27. • Alexander Galich, playwright poet
28. • Asher Hirsch Ginsberg (Ahad Ha'Am), Hebrew-language writer
29. • Lydia Ginzburg, writer
30. • Yevgenia Ginzburg, writer
31. • Jacob Gordin, American playwright
32. • Leon Gordon, writer
33. • Grigori Gorin, playwright and writer
34. • Vasily Grossman, writer
35. • Igor Guberman, writer
36. • Peretz Hirshbein, playwright
37. • Ilya Faynzilberg (Ilf), writer
38. • Vera Inber, poet
39. • Lev Kassil, writer
40. • Veniamin Kaverin, writer (Jewish father)
41. • Arkady Khait, satirist and playwright (ru:Хайт, Аркадий Иосифович)
42. • A.M. Klein, poet
43. • Pavel Kogan, poet
44. • Lev Kopelev, author and dissident
45. • Arkady Kotz, poet
46. • Lazar Lagin, writer
47. • Vladimir Lantsberg, writer
48. • H. Leivick, dramatist
49. • Benedikt Livshits, writer
50. • Nadezhda Mandelstam, writer
51. • Osip Mandelstam, poet
52. • Samuil Marshak, poet
53. • Yunna Morits, poet
54. • Semen Nadson, poet (Jewish father)
55. • Yeremey Parnov, writer
56. • Boris Pasternak, writer, Nobel Prize (1958)
57. • Yakov Perelman, writer
58. • Elizaveta Polonskaya, translator, poet
59. • Vladimir Posner, writer
60. • David Pinski, writer
61. • Lev Razgon, writer, gulag inmate for 17 years
62. • Yevgeny Rein, poet
63. • Ayn Rand, writer (born Alisa Rosenbaum)
64. • Anatoli Rybakov, writer
65. • David Samoylov, poet
66. • Genrikh Sapgir, poet
67. • Natalya Sats, playwright (Jewish father)
68. • Mendele Mocher Sforim, founder of modern Yiddish and modern Hebrew literature
69. • Viktor Shklovsky, writer and critic (Jewish father)
70. • Ilia Shtemler, writer
71. • Gary Shteyngart (Steinhart), writer
72. • Yulian Semyonov, writer
73. • Boris Slutsky, war-time poet
74. • Mikhail Slonimsky, writer (Jewish father)
75. • Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, science fiction writers (Jewish father)
76. • Mikhail Svetlov, poet
77. • Shaul Tchernichovsky, poet and translator
78. • Yuri Tynyanov, writer
79. • Mikhail Zhvanetsky, writer and comedian
80. • Efim Bershin, poet, essayist, novelist (Born Efim Berenshtein)

Musicians

1. • Joseph Achron, composer
2. • Lera Auerbach, composer/pianist
3. • Vladimir Ashkenazi, pianist (Jewish father)
4. • Yefim Bronfman, pianist
5. • Simon Barere, pianist
6. • Rudolf Barshai, conductor
7. • Dimitri Bashkirow, pianist
8. • Yuri Bashmet, violist
9. • Irving Berlin composer and lyricist
10. • Lazar Berman, pianist
11. • Matvei Blanter, composer, Katyusha
12. • Felix Blumenfeld, pianist
13. • Shura Cherkassky, pianist
14. • Bella Davidovich, pianist
15. • Issay Dobrowen, pianist and composer
16. • Isaak Dunayevsky, composer
17. • Mischa Elman, violinist
18. • Mark Ermler, conductor
19. • Anthony Fedorov, singer, American Idol finalist
20. • Samuil Feinberg, composer
21. • Vladimir Feltsman, pianist
22. • Veniamin Fleishman, composer
23. • Yakov Flier, pianist
24. • Grigory Frid, songwriter
25. • Artur Friedheim, composer
26. • Kirill Gerstein, pianist
27. • Josef Gingold (1909–1995) violinist
28. • Grigory Ginsburg, pianist
29. • Emil Gilels, pianist
30. • Grigory Ginzburg, conductor
31. • Michail-Ivanovič-Glinka , composer (Author of famous "Jewish Song", but there is no data that he had Jewish ancestors, and given who were his parents, it is extremely questionable).
32. • Mark Gorenstein, conductor
33. • Riva Gorohovskaya, pianist
34. • Maria Grinberg, pianist
35. • Natalia Gutman, cellist
36. • Jascha Heifetz, violinist
37. • Mordechai Hershman, chazzan
38. • Jascha Horenstein, conductor
39. • Vladimir Horowitz, pianist
40. • Oleg Kagan, violinist
41. • Ilya Kaler, violinist
42. • Tina Karol, singer
43. • Boris Khaykin, conductor
44. • Evgeny Kissin, pianist
45. • Alexander Knaifel, composer
46. • Leonid Kogan, violinist
47. • Mikhail Kopelman, violinist
48. • Yakov Kreizberg, conductor
49. • Josef Lhévinne, pianist
50. • Alexander Lokshin, composer (Jewish father)
51. • Arthur Lourié, composer
52. • Oleg Maisenberg, pianist
53. • Samuel Maykapar, composer/pianist
54. • Nathan Milstein, violinist
55. • Shlomo Mintz, violinist
56. • Boris Moiseev, dancer, showmaker
57. • Benno Moiseiwitsch, pianist
58. • David Oistrakh, violinist
59. • Igor Oistrakh, violinist (Jewish father)
60. • Leo Ornstein, composer
61. • Gregor Piatigorsky, cellist
62. • Pokrass brothers, composers
63. • Alexander Rosenbaum, singer/songwriter
64. • Anton Rubinstein, pianist/composer
65. • Nikolai Rubinstein, pianist/composer
66. • Samuil Samosud, conductor
67. • Alfred Schnittke, composer (Jewish father)
68. • Joseph Schillinger, composer, music theorist, and composition teacher
69. • Daniil Shafran, cellist
70. • Leo Sirota, pianist
71. • Regina Spektor, singer-songwriter and pianist
72. • Isaac Stern, violinist
73. • Mark Taimanov, pianist. Also an outstanding chess grandmaster. (According to Wikipedia, had a Jewish paternal grandfather).
74. • Sophie Tucker, singer
75. • Efrem Zimbalist, Russian-born American violinist
76. • Maxim Vengerov, prominent violinist
77. • Alexander Veprik, composer
78. • Maria Yudina, pianist
79. • Yakov Zak, pianist
80. • Mikhael Rauchverger, pianist and composer
81. • Aleksey Igudesman, violinist

Fine artists

1. • Eugene Abeshaus, painter
2. • Meer Akselrod, painter
3. • Benish Mininberg, painter
4. • Nathan Altman, painter and stage designer from Vinnytsia
5. • Boris Anisfeld, painter, theatre
6. • Boris Aronson, painter & designer
7. • Mordechai Avniel, painter
8. • Léon Bakst, painter & costume designer
9. • Abraham Berline, painter
10. • Eugène Berman, painter
11. • Leonid Berman, painter
12. • Mikhail Bernshtein, painter
13. • Isaak Brodskiy, painter
14. • Marc Chagall, painter from Vitebsk
15. • Bella Chagall, the wife of Marc Chagall
16. • Joseph Chaikov, sculptor
17. • Ilya Chashnik, painter
18. • Nudie Cohn, fashion designer
19. • Sonia Delaunay, painter
20. • Boris Efimov, cartoonist
21. • Robert Falk, painter
22. • Naum Gabo, sculptor
23. • Michail Grobman, painter
24. • Boris Iofan, architect
25. • Roman Abelevich Kachanov, animator
26. • Ilya Kabakov, conceptual artist (Jewish father)
27. • Yevgeny Khaldei, photographer
28. • Michel Kikoine, painter
29. • Komar and Melamid, art-duo
30. • Jacob Kramer, painter
31. • Pinchus Kremegne, painter
32. • Morris Lapidus, architect
33. • Felix Lembersky painter
34. • Isaac Levitan, painter
35. • Jacques Lipchitz, sculptor from Druskininkai
36. • El Lissitzky designer
37. • Abram Manevich, painter
38. • Louise Nevelson, sculptor
39. • Ernst Neizvestny, sculptor
40. • Solomon Nikritin, painter
41. • Yuri Norstein, animator
42. • Jules Olitski, painter
43. • Leonid Pasternak, painter
44. • Antoine Pevsner, sculptor
45. • Semion Rotnitsky, painter
46. • Issachar Rybak, painter from Yelizavetgrad
47. • David Shterenberg, painter from Zhitomir
48. • Chaim Soutine, painter from Minsk
49. • Raphael Soyer, American painter
50. • Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-born American animation director
51. • Joseph Tepper, painter
52. • Israel Tsvaygenbaum, Russian-American artist
53. • Lazar Yazgur, painter
54. • Valentin Yudashkin, fashion designer
55. • Ossip Zadkine, sculptor (Jewish father)
56. • Saveliy Moiseyevich Zeydenberg, painter

Performing artists

1. • Jacob Adler, actor
2. • Milana Aleksandrovna Vayntrub
3. • Michael Aronov
4. • Elina Bystritskaya, actress
5. • Alexander Alov, actor
6. • Lev Arnshtam, film director
7. • Leonid Bronevoy, actor
8. • Grigori Chukhrai, film director and screenwriter,[126] father of Pavel Chukhrai
9. • Pavel Chukhrai, film director and screenwriter, son of Grigori Chukhrai
10. • Maya Deren, filmmaker
11. • Mark Donskoi, film director
12. • Fridrikh Ermler, film director, actor, and screenwriter
13. • Aleksandr Faintsimmer, cinematographer
14. • Valentin Gaft, actor
15. • Zinovy Gerdt, actor
16. • Aleksei German, cinematographer
17. • Moisei Ginzburg, architect
18. • Vitaliy Ginzburg, director
19. • Alexander Goldstein, director
20. • Abraham Goldfaden (1840–1908), playwright and theatre director
21. • Yuli Gusman, director
22. • Alexander Gutman, director
23. • Aleksei Kapler, film artist
24. • Roman Karmen, documentary filmmaker
25. • Roman Kartsev, actor
26. • Boris Kaufman, cinematographer
27. • Mikhail Kaufman, cinematographer
28. • Gennady Khazanov, comedian
29. • Iosif Kheifits, film director
30. • Yefim Kopelyan, actor
31. • Mikhail Kozakov, actor
32. • Grigori Kozintsev, theater and film director
33. • Mila Kunis, television actress
34. • Anatole Litvak, director
35. • Solomon Mikhoels, actor & director
36. • Lew Milinder, actor
37. • Alexander Mitta, film director
38. • Alla Nazimova, actress
39. • Vladimir Naumov, director
40. • Maya Plisetskaya, ballerina
41. • Iosif Prut, playwright
42. • Yuli Raizman, film director and screenwriter
43. • Elena Ralph, model
44. • Faina Ranevskaya, actress
45. • Arkady Raikin, comedian
46. • Mikhail Romm, film director, scriptwriter, and educator (Jewish father)
47. • Abram Room, film director
48. • Grigori Roshal, film director and screenwriter
49. • Hanna Rovina, actress
50. • Ida Rubinstein, dancer
51. • Alexander Schirwindt, actor, director and screenwriter
52. • Mikhail Schweitzer, screenwriter
53. • Yefim Shifrin, comedian
54. • Viktor Shenderovich, humorist
55. • Esfir Shub, editor, director, and writer of documentary films
56. • Yakov Smirnoff, American comedian
57. • Lee Strasberg, acting teacher
58. • Leonid Trauberg, film director, scriptwriter, and educator
59. • Dziga Vertov, documentary film director and film theoretician
60. • Anton Yelchin, Russian-born American film/television actor
61. • Sergei Yursky, actor
62. • Sergei Yutkevich, film director and screenwriter
63. • Mark Zakharov, theater and film director and playwright

Others Art and Culture figures

1. • Michael Dorfman, Russian-Israeli essayist and human rights activist

Politicians

Pre-Revolution Politicians and Revolutionaries

1. • Osip Aptekman, revolutionary
2. • Pavel Axelrod, Menshevik, Marxist revolutionary
3. • Yevno Azef, government agent / provocateur and revolutionary
4. • Dmitri Bogrov, assassin of Russian reformist Prime Minister Stolypin
5. • Fedor Dan, revolutionary
6. • Leo Deutsch, revolutionary
7. • Gesya Gelfman, revolutionary
8. • Grigory Gershuni, revolutionary
9. • Grigory Goldenberg, revolutionary
10. • Julius Martov, Menshevik leader
11. • Mark Natanson, revolutionary
12. • Alexander Parvus, revolutionary
13. • Pinhas Rutenberg, Zionist, Social revolutionary
14. • Israel and Manya Shochat, founders of the Hashomer movement

Soviet Politicians

1. • Georgy Arbatov, Soviet politician, academic & political advisor
2. • Adolph Joffe, Bolshevik diplomat
3. • Lazar Kaganovich, Soviet politician
4. • Lev Kamenev, Bolshevik leader (Jewish father)
5. • Olga Kameneva, Russian Bolshevik revolutionary and a Soviet politician (sister of Leon Trotsky)
6. • Maxim Litvinov, Soviet ambassador and Minister of Foreign Affairs
7. • Karl Radek, Soviet politician
8. • Grigory Sokolnikov, Bolshevik politician
9. • Yakov Sverdlov, Bolshevik leader, the first head of state of the Russian SFSR
10. • Leon Trotsky, Bolshevik politician, the founder of the Red Army
11. • Moisei Uritsky, Soviet politician and communist revolutionary, head of secret police in Petrograd, assassinated.
12. • V. Volodarsky, Soviet politician and communist revolutionary, editor of Bolshevik journal and censor, assassinated
13. • Genrikh Yagoda, head of Secret Police in the Stalin era (1934–1936)
14. • Grigory Zinoviev, Soviet politician

Post-Soviet Politicians

1. • Anatoly Chubais, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, now Chairman of UES
2. • Mikhail Fradkov, Russian Prime Minister
3. • Boris Nemtsov, Russian Deputy Prime Minister
4. • Vladimir Zhirinovsky - a Russian politician, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), Vice-Chairman of the State Duma, and a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe."

Israeli politicians

1. • Menachem Begin מנחם בגין, Israel 6th Prime Minister (1977–1983), Nobel Peace Prize (1978)
2. • Yitzhak Ben-Zvi יצחק בן-צבי, second President of Israel (1952–63)
3. • Shmuel Dayan שמואל דיין, Zionist activist, Israeli politician
4. • Levi Eshkol לוי אשכול, Israel 3rd Prime Minister (1963–69)
5. • Ephraim Katzir אפרים קציר, fourth President of Israel (1973–78)
6. • Avigdor Lieberman, Israeli Government Minister (2001–02; 2003–04; 2006–08; 2009–12; 2013– )
7. • Golda Meir גולדה מאיר, Israel 4th Prime Minister (1969–74)
8. • Shimon Peres שמעון פרס, Ninth President of Israel (2007–2014}; Israel 8th Prime Minister (1984–86; 1995–96), Nobel Peace Prize (1994)
9. • Pinhas Rutenberg, Zionist, Social revolutionary
10. • Yitzhak Shamir יצחק שמיר, Israel 7th Prime Minister (1983–84; 1986–92)
11. • Natan Sharansky, Israeli politician
12. • Moshe Sharett משה שרת, Israel 2nd Prime Minister (1954–55)
13. • Zalman Shazar זלמן שז"ר, third President of Israel (1963–73)
14. • Israel and Manya Shochat, founders of the Hashomer movement
15. • Chaim Weizmann חיים ויצמן, first President of Israel (1949–52)

Politicians and Revolutionaries, other countries

1. • Raya Dunayevskaya, founder of Marxist humanism in the U.S.
2. • David Dubinsky, American labor leader
3. • Theodore Rothstein, Russian-British communist

Military persons: Solders, Officers, Generals...

Russian, Soviet, post-Soviet Military Persons

1. • Tuvie Bielski, Belarusian partisan
2. • Yakov Blumkin, Soviet spy
3. • Ivan Chernyakhovsky, Soviet Front Commander, WWII
4. • David Dragunsky, Soviet tank brigade commander, WWII
5. • Moshe Gildenman, known as Dyadya ("Uncle") Misha, partisan commander[57]
6. • Walter Krivitsky, Soviet spy
7. • Semyon Krivoshein, Soviet mechanized corps commander, WWII
8. • Rodion Malinovsky, Soviet front commander, WWII, Minister of Defence[ (Jewish origin is disputed)
9. • Iona Yakir, Red Army commander and one of the world's major military reformers between World War I and World War II
10. • Mikhail Pavlotsky, lieutenant colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union

Israeli military persons

1. • General Yaakov Dori רב-אלוף יעקב דורי, the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (1948–1949)
2. • Ze'ev Jabotinsky זאב ז'בוטינסקי, founder of British Jewish Legion
3. • General Chaim Laskov רב-אלוף חיים לסקוב, the fifth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1958–1961)
4. • Yitzhak Sadeh יצחק שדה, Palmach commander and one of the IDF founders.
5. • Joseph Trumpeldor יוסף טרומפלדור, founder of British Jewish Legion and early pioneer-settler in Israel (born in Pyatigorsk)
6. • General Tzvi Tzur, the sixth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1961–1964)

Military Persons of other Countries

1. • Sidney Reilly,(Born Shlomo Rosenblum) a Ukrainian-born adventurer and Secret Intelligence Service agent

Business Persons and Famous Managers

Pre-revolution Business Persons

Soviet Time Famous Managers

Post-Soviet Business Persons

1. • Roman Abramovich, businessman, owner of Chelsea F.C., Russia
2. • Pyotr Aven, businessman, banking, Russia
3. • Mikhail Fridman, businessman, banking and telecommunications, Russia
4. • Vladimir Gusinsky, exile, former media tycoon
5. • Boris Khait, businessman, banking and insurance, in 1990-th vice-president of the Russian Jewish Congress
6. • Alexander Mashkevich, businessman, mining, Kazakhstan
7. • Leonid Nevzlin, exile, former top manager and businessman
8. • Grigory Surkis, businessman, Ukraine, former chairman of the Football (Soccer) Federation of Ukraine

Emigrant Business Persons

1. • Leon Bagrit, pioneer of automation
2. • Bernhard Baron, cigarette maker and philanthropist
3. • Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google
4. • Zino Davidoff, cigar / tobacco merchant
5. • Bernard Delfont, impresario
6. • Arcadi Gaydamak, owner of Portsmouth F.C., AJ Auxerre, and Bnei Sakhnin F.C.
7. • Leslie Grade, executive (should be removed because he was not born in Russia)
8. • Lew Grade, impresario, Chairman of ATV from 1962
9. • Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal
10. • Morris Markin, founder of Checker Cab
11. • Michael Marks, co-founder of Marks & Spencer
12. • Louis B. Mayer, co-founder MGM
13. • Ida Rosenthal, founder of Maidenform Brassieres
14. • David Sarnoff, head of RCA

Sport Persons

Intellectual Sports

Chess

1. • Lev Alburt
2. • Yuri Averbakh
3. • Alexander Beliavsky
4. • Ossip Bernstein
5. • Benjamin Blumenfeld
6. • Isaac Boleslavsky
7. • Mikhail Botvinnik, World Champion
8. • David Bronstein, World Championship challenger
9. • Maxim Dlugy
10. • Iossif Dorfman
11. • Mark Dvoretsky
12. • Louis Eisenberg
13. • Yakov Estrin
14. • Alexander Evensohn
15. • Salo Flohr
16. • Semen Furman
17. • Boris Gelfand
18. • Efim Geller
19. • Eduard Gufeld
20. • Boris Gulko
21. • Dmitry Gurevich
22. • Ilya Gurevich
23. • Mikhail Gurevich
24. • Nicolai Jasnogrodsky
25. • Gregory Kaidanov
26. • Ilya Kan
27. • Garry Kasparov, World Champion
28. • Alexander Khalifman, FIDE World Champion
29. • Alexander Konstantinopolsky
30. • Viktor Korchnoi, World Championship challenger
31. • Ljuba Kristol
32. • Alla Kushnir, Women's World Championship challenger
33. • Anatoly Lein
34. • Konstantin Lerner
35. • Grigory Yakovlevich Levenfish
36. • Irina Levitina
37. • Vladimir Liberzon
38. • Andor Lilienthal
39. • Moishe Lowtzky
40. • Vladimir Malaniuk
41. • Sam Palatnik
42. • Ernest Pogosyants
43. • Iosif Pogrebyssky
44. • Lev Polugaevsky
45. • Lev Psakhis
46. • Abram Rabinovich
47. • Ilya Rabinovich
48. • Leonid Shamkovich
49. • Ilya Smirin
50. • Gennadi Sosonko
51. • Leonid Stein
52. • Peter Svidler
53. • Mark Taimanov. Also an outstanding pianist. (According to Wikipedia, had a Jewish paternal grandfather).
54. • Boris Verlinsky
55. • Yakov Vilner
56. • Leonid Yudasin

Physical Sports

Boxing

1. • Yuri Foreman, Belarusian-born Israeli US middleweight and World Boxing Association champion super welterweight
2. • Louis Kaplan ("Kid Kaplan"), Russian-born US, world champion featherweight, Hall of Fame
3. • Shamil Sabirov, Russia, Olympic champion light flyweight

Canoeing

1. • Leonid Geishtor, USSR (Belarus), sprint canoer, Olympic champion (Canadian pairs 1,000-meter)
2. • Michael Kolganov, Soviet (Uzbek)-born Israeli, sprint canoer, world champion, Olympic bronze (K-1 500-meter)
3. • Naum Prokupets, Moldovan-born Soviet, sprint canoer, Olympic bronze (C-2 1,000-meter), gold (C-2 10,000-meter) at ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

Fencing

1. • Vadim Gutzeit, Ukraine (saber), Olympic champion
2. • Grigory Kriss, Soviet (épée), Olympic champion, 2x silver
3. • Maria Mazina, Russia (épée), Olympic champion, bronze
4. • Mark Midler, Soviet (foil), 2x Olympic champion
5. • Mark Rakita, Soviet (saber), 2x Olympic champion, 2x silver
6. • Yakov Rylsky, Soviet (saber), Olympic champion
7. • Sergey Sharikov, Russia (saber), 2x Olympic champion, silver, bronze
8. • David Tyshler, Soviet (saber), Olympic bronze
9. • Eduard Vinokurov, Russia (saber), 2x Olympic champion, silver
10. • Iosif Vitebskiy, Soviet (épée), Olympic silver, 10x national championIrina Slutskaya

Figure Scating

1. • Ilya Averbukh, Russia, ice dancer, Olympic silver
2. • Oksana Baiul, Ukraine, figure skater, Olympic gold, world champion
3. • Alexei Beletski, Ukrainian-born Israeli, ice dancer, Olympian
4. • Sasha Cohen, figure skater (U.S. National Champion and silver medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics)
5. • Aleksandr Gorelik, Soviet, pair skater, Olympic silver, World Championship 2x silver, bronze
6. • Natalia Gudina, Ukrainian-born Israeli, figure skater, Olympian
7. • Gennadi Karponossov, Russia, ice dancer & coach, Olympic gold, World Championship 2x gold, silver, 2x bronze
8. • Michael Shmerkin, Soviet-born Israeli, figure skater
9. • Irina Slutskaya, Russia, figure skater, Olympic silver, bronze, World Championship 2x gold, 3x silver, bronze
10. • Maxim Staviski, Russian-born Bulgarian, ice dancer, World Championship gold, silver, bronze
11. • Alexandra Zaretski, Belarusian-born Israeli, ice dancer, Olympian
12. • Roman Zaretski, Belarusian-born Israeli, ice dancer, Olympian

Football (American)

1. • Joe Magidsohn, Russia, Halfback
2. • Igor Olshansky, Ukraine, DL (Miami Dolphins)

Gymnastics

1. • Evgeny (or Yevgeny) Babich, Soviet, Olympic champion, world & European champion, 2x runner-up
2. • Yanina Batyrchina, Russia, Olympic silver (rhythmic gymnastics)
3. • Maria Gorokhovskaya, USSR, Olympic 2x champion (all-around individual exercises, team combined exercises), 5x silver (vault, asymmetrical bars, balance beam, floor exercises, team exercises with portable apparatus)
4. • Natalia Laschenova, USSR, Olympic champion (team)
5. • Tatiana Lysenko, Soviet/Ukrainian, 2x Olympic champion (balance beam, team combined exercises), bronze (horse vault)
6. • Mikhail Perelman, USSR, Olympic champion (team combined exercises)
7. • Vladimir Portnoi, USSR, Olympic silver (team combined exercises) and bronze (long horse vault)
8. • Yulia Raskina, Belarus, Olympic silver (rhythmic gymnastics)
9. • Alexander Shatilov, Uzbekistan/Israel, world bronze (artistic gymnast; floor exercises)
10. • Yelena Shushunova, USSR, Olympic 2x champion (all-around, team), silver (balance beam), bronze (uneven bars)

Ice hockey

1. • Max Birbraer, Russian from Kazakhstan; lived & played in Israel; 1st Israeli drafted by NHL team (New Jersey Devils)
2. • Vitaly Davydov, Soviet, defenseman, 3x Olympic champion, world & European champion 1963–71, runner-up
3. • Nikolay Epstein, Soviet hockey coach
4. • Alfred Kuchevsky, Soviet, Olympic champion, bronze
5. • Yuri Lyapkin, Soviet, defenceman, Olympic champion
6. • Yuri Moiseev, Soviet, Olympic champion, world champion
7. • Vladimir Myshkin, Soviet, goaltender, Olympic champion, silver
8. • Ian Rubin, Ukraine/Australia, Russia national team
9. • Yevgeni Zimin, Soviet, Olympic champion 1968–72, world & European champion 1968–69, 1971
10. • Viktor Zinger, Soviet, Olympic champion; world champion 1965–69

Judo

1. • Ārons Bogoļubovs, USSR, Olympic bronze (lightweight)

Rugby league

1. • Ian Rubin, Ukraine/Australia, Russia national team

Sailing

1. • Valentyn Mankin, Soviet/Ukraine, only sailor in Olympic history to win gold medals in three different classes (yachting: finn class, tempest class, and star class), silver (yachting, tempest class)

Shooting

1. • Lev Vainshtein, USSR (Russia), 3x team world champion (25 m & 50 m pistol) and Olympic bronze medalist (300 m rifle)

Soccer (association football)

1. • Leonid Buryak, USSR/Ukraine, midfielder, Olympic bronze
2. • Andriy Oberemko, Ukraine, midfielder (Illichivets & U21 national team)
3. • Israel Olshanetsky, USSR, attacking midfielder Dynamo Lenningrad.
4. • Boris Razinsky, USSR/Russia, goalkeeper/striker, Olympic champion, manager
5. • Mordechai Spiegler, Soviet Union/Israel, striker (Israel national team), manager

Speed skating

1. • Rafayel Grach, USSR, Olympic silver (500-meter), bronze (500-meter)

Swimming

1. • Vadim Alexeev, Kazakhstan-born Israeli, breaststroke
2. • Semyon Belits-Geiman, USSR, Olympic silver (400-m freestyle relay) and bronze (800-m freestyle relay); world record in men's 800-m freestyle
3. • Lenny Krayzelburg, Ukrainian-born US, 4x Olympic champion (100-m backstroke, 200-m backstroke, twice 4x100-m medley relay); 3x world champion (100-m and 200-m backstroke, 4×100-m medley) and 2x silver (4×100-m medley, 50-m backstroke); 3 world records (50-, 100-, and 200-m backstroke)

Table tennis

1. • Marina Kravchenko, Ukrainian-born Israeli, Soviet and Israel national teams

Track and field

1. • Aleksandr Averbukh, Russian-born Israeli, 2002 & 2006 European champion (pole vault)
2. • Maria Leontyavna Itkina, USSR, sprinter, world records (400-m & 220-yards, and 800-m relay)
3. • Svetlana Krachevskaya, USSR, shot put, Olympic silver
4. • Vera Krepkina, USSR, Olympic champion (long jump), world records (100-m dash and 4x100-m)
5. • Faina Melnik, Ukrainian-born USSR, 11 world records; Olympic discus throw champion
6. • Zhanna Pintusevich-Block, Ukraine, sprinter, world 100-m & 200-m champion
7. • Irina Press, USSR, 2x Olympic champion (80-m hurdles & pentathlon)
8. • Tamara Press, USSR, 6 world records (shot put & discus); 3x Olympic champion (2x shot put & discus) and silver (discus)

Volleyball

1. • Nelly Abramova, USSR, Olympic silver
2. • Larisa Bergen, USSR, Olympic silver
3. • Yefim Chulak, USSR, Olympic silver, bronze
4. • Nataliya Kushnir, USSR, Olympic silver
5. • Yevgeny Lapinsky, USSR, Olympic champion, bronze
6. • Georgy Mondzolevsky, USSR, 2x Olympic champion, 2x world champion
7. • Vladimir Patkin, USSR, Olympic silver, bronze
8. • Yuriy Venherovsky, USSR, Olympic champion

Water polo

1. • Boris Goikhman, USSR, goalkeeper, Olympic silver, bronze
2. • Nikolai Melnikov, USSR, Olympic champion

Weightlifting

1. • Moisei Kas’ianik, Ukrainian-born USSR, world champion
2. • Grigory Novak, Soviet, Olympic silver (middle-heavyweight); world champion
3. • Rudolf Plyukfelder, Soviet, Olympic champion, 2x world champion (light heavyweight)
4. • David Rigert, Kazakh-born USSR, Olympic champion, 5x world champion (light-heavyweight and heavyweight), 68 world records (According to Wikipedia, he is of German ancestry, not Jewish)
5. • Igor Rybak, Ukrainian-born USSR, Olympic champion (lightweight)
6. • Valery Shary, Byelorussian-born USSR, Olympic champion (light-heavyweight)

Wrestling

1. • Grigorii Gamarnik, USSR, world champion (Greco-Roman lightweight), world championship silver
2. • Samuel Gerson, Ukrainian-born US, Olympic silver (freestyle featherweight)
3. • Boris Maksovich Gurevich, Soviet, Olympic champion (Greco-Roman flyweight), 2x world champion
4. • Boris Michail Gurevitsch, USSR, Olympic champion (freestyle middleweight), 2x world champion
5. • Oleg Karavaev, USSR, Olympic champion (Greco-Roman bantamweight), 2x world champion
6. • Yakov Punkin, Soviet, Olympic champion (Greco-Roman featherweight)
7. • David Rudman, USSR, world championship bronze
8. • Boris Gurevich won the 1968 Summer Olympic Games freestyle middleweight (191.5 lbs; 82 kilograms) gold medal in Mexico City

Other sports

1. • Nissim Cahn, twice Bronze Medal for Israel, curling
2. • Alexander Gomelsky, Soviet basketball coach

Professionals

Engineers

1. • Emanuel Goldberg (1881–1970), pioneered Microdots and microfilm retrieval technology
2. • Mikhail Gurevich, co-founder of the Mikoyan Gurevich (MiG) aircraft design bureau
3. • Semyon Kosberg (1903-1965), head of aircraft engines and rocket engines design bureau
4. • Semyon Lavochkin (1900-1960), founder and head of aircraft and missiles design bureau

Medical Doctors and similar

1. • Alexander Bernstein (1870-1922), psychiatrist

Lawyers, Jurists, Legal Scholars

Other

1. • Boris Volynov, Soviet Astronaut; the first Jew in space (Jewish mother)
2. • Natasha Epstein, beauty queen (and a graduate of Harvard University ) (is she really notable? Google does not show anything)