he Jewish Daily Forward just released its annual “Forward 50” list of newsworthy and notable Jews, with an additional “Plus” category to recognize the contributions of prominent non-Jews.
One of the names on the list this year is none other than Pope Francis, the global leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Forward cited Francis’ outreach to the Jewish community, his clear denunciations of anti-Semitism, his intention of opening up the Church’s Holocaust archive, and his plans to visit Israel as indications of significant change in the relationship between the Church and the Jewish world.
“It’s a truism to say that Francis has the power to affect how more human beings view the Jewish people than any one else on earth. It’s reason enough to take him at his word — and hold him to it,” The Forward explained.
Angelina Jolie was the other public figure named in the “Plus” category, due to her courageous decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA gene mutation, which is disproportionally prevalent in people of Ashkenazi Jewish background.
The top five American Jews named by The Forward were Veronique Pozner, Edith Windsor, Philip Roth, Joseph Neubauer, and Sheryl Sandberg.
SOURCE
Huffington Post
