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Forward 50 2015
Gary Cohen
Gary Cohen, 59, has spent his entire career trying to reduce pollution. His Virginia-based not-for-profit, Health Care Without Harm, has been at the forefront of the push to eliminate the use of mercury in medical instruments worldwide and to dramatically reduce the number of medical waste incinerators in America, a leading source of pollution linked…
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Forward 50 2015 Bethany Mandel
What do you do when you discover that your rabbi filmed you naked in the mikveh as you were converting to Judaism? You pull out your cell phone at 2 a.m., type up “a bill of rights for Jewish converts” and watch as your blog post goes viral by morning. At least, that’s how you…
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Forward 50 2015 Emma Sulkowicz
When Columbia University dismissed her sexual assault complaint, Emma Sulkowicz came back to campus carrying a mattress like the one on which she said she was raped by a fellow student — and never left it behind. The image of a young woman carrying her mattress quickly became the new symbol of the national movement…
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Forward 50 2015 Shulem Deen
This year, one newcomer stood out on the increasingly crowded shelf of memoirs written by Jews who have left the ultra-Orthodox world. “All Who Go Do Not Return,” by Shulem Deen, distinguishes itself with its mesmerizing lyricism — which is all the more remarkable when you consider that Deen’s rigid upbringing in the insular Skverer…
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Forward 50 2015 Ruth Messinger
The hallmark of a good leader is not simply what she does while in office. It’s how she chooses to leave. The announcement in October that Ruth Messinger was stepping down after 17 years as president of American Jewish World Service wasn’t a complete surprise — despite her formidable stamina and almost youthful enthusiasm, she…
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Forward 50 2015 Jon Stewart
“Nothing ends, it’s just a continuation, it’s a pause in the conversation. Rather than saying goodbye or good night, I’m just going to say I’m gonna go get a drink and I’m sure I’ll see you guys before I leave.” And with those words, Jon Stewart exited “The Daily Show.” To honor Stewart in 2015…
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Forward 50 2015 Michael Dell
Like many other Jewish boys, Michael Dell was supposed to grow up to become a doctor, just like his father. But from early on he had other plans. At the age of 12 Dell already showed his knack for business, making a small fortune from trading stamps and selling newspaper subscriptions. So it was no…
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Forward 50 2015 Zalmen Mlotek
Zalmen Mlotek, 64, has been involved in Yiddish culture practically since before he was born. His mother, Chana Mlotek, who died in 2013, was a folk song researcher, anthologist and long-serving chief archivist at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. His father, Joseph Mlotek, was a writer, educator and cultural activist who served as the…
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Forward 50 2015 Leah Koenig
The best food writing isn’t only about food. It’s about considering the world — a community, a region, a country — at a moment in time, through its flavors, textures, ingredients, cooking methods and dining traditions. That’s exactly what Leah Koenig, 33, achieved this year with the publication of her second cookbook, “Modern Jewish Cooking:…
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Forward 50 2015 Alisa Doctoroff
In a year when Israel politics reached new levels of acrimony, the largest Jewish federation’s top lay leader felt the heat, but kept her cool. Alisa Robbins Doctoroff, 57, president of UJA-Federation of New York, found her name in bold letters in an ad campaign threatened by right-wing activists. Her crime? Supporting the New Israel…
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Forward 50 2015 Naftuli Moster
It took a product of the ultra-Orthodox school system to get New York City to investigate the quality of secular education at the city’s ultra-Orthodox schools. Following a campaign by Naftuli Moster, 29, founder and executive director of an activist group called YAFFED (Young Advocates for Fair Education), New York City’s Department of Education announced…
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