Who Really Shapes Jewish History? A Bus Ride Debate on Influence

The question seemed simple enough: who was the most influential Orthodox rabbi of the postwar 20th century? But as the host of Jewish History Soundbites recounts, what began as a lively bus ride discussion among travelers in Europe quickly unraveled into a much deeper argument about how we measure influence—and whether we're even asking the right question at all.

Narrowing the Question

The host begins by walking through the necessary clarifications that emerged on that bus. The original question—"Who was the most influential Jew of the 20th century?"—was too broad. If we mean influence on world history, Albert Einstein is the obvious answer, having reshaped physics and contributed indirectly to nuclear weapons. Time Magazine named him Man of the Century, though the host notes that Time initially considered Adolf Hitler for that title, since "influence is an easily historically observable phenomenon" independent of moral judgment.