By COLlive reporter
A group of Jewish journalists have taken upon themselves to map out the powers within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, the largest and fastest growing Jewish network worldwide.
Following the inclusion of Lubavitch officials in general ‘Jewish power lists,’ “Top Global Rabbis: 2009 Ranking” is focusing on Chabad alone, with numbers and descriptions.
“The idea really germinated after viewing “Newsweek’s Top 50″ and recognizing that there was a significant deficiency in the report as it was more an approach at balanced diplomacy than thorough journalism,” Max, the lists’ Editor In Chief, told COLlive.
Via email, Max said “the list will be annually updated. However, there will be releases of other related rankings in this same genre.”
Asked who gets to decide the ranking, he answered: “Our research team is comprised primarily of journalists – all members of the mainstream (Jewish) community, although several of them are observant Jews.”
As for himself, Max didn’t want to be identified.
“I did not undertake this project for the publicity,” he wrote to COLlive. “I have been in the industry for two decades and have covered everything from mainstream politics to literature. I felt this project would be an interesting endeavor and therefore allocated the resources, developed the methodology, and, most importantly, dedicated our team’s precious time.”
He added that: “We consulted with hundreds of laypeople and rabbis (within and without of Chabad), narrowed the target market to a list of approximately 30-40 rabbis in each ranking, then made the final decisions internally. Before I authorized the list’s publication I reviewed it with a random sample of perhaps 10 Chabad representatives throughout the country.”
Top 15 Global Rabbis:
#1 Avrohom Shemtov, Washington D.C. / Philadelphia, PA
#2 Moshe J. Kotlarsky, Brooklyn, New York
#3 Chaim Yehuda Krinsky, Brooklyn, New York
#4 Boruch Shlomo Cunin, Los Angeles, California
#5 Sholom Duchman, Brooklyn, NY / Jerusalem, Israel
#6 Shmuel Kaminetsky, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
#7 Menachem Mendel Gluckowsky, Rechovot, Israel
#8 Berel Lazar, Moscow, Russia
#9 Shea Hecht, Brooklyn, New York
#10 Shalom Dovber Lipsker, Bal Harbour, Florida
#11 Moshe Herson, Morrison, New Jersey
#12 Shmuel Lew, London, England
#13 Tzvi Grunblatt, Buenos Aires, Argentina
#14 Mordechai Avtzon, Hong Kong, China
#15 Mordechai Gutnick, Melbourne, Australia
Top 10 Global Rising Stars:
#1 Chaim Kaplan, Tzfat, Israel
#2 Moshe Garelick, Brussels, Belgium
#3 Yitzchak Schochet, London, England
#4 Ari Raskin, Brooklyn, New York
#5 Chaim Shaul Brook, Brooklyn, New York
#6 Chaim Nochum Cunin, Los Angeles, California
#7 Levi Shemtov, Washington, D.C.
#8 Mendel Kaplan, Toronto, Canada
#9 Levi Wolff, Sydney, Australia
#10 Hirschy Zarchi, Boston, Massachusetts
Top 5 Global Educators & Intellectuals:
#1 Yoel Kahn, Brooklyn, New York
#2 Jacob Immanuel Schochet, Toronto, Canada
#3 Manis Friedman, Twin Cities, Minnesota
#4 Simon Jacobson, Manhattan, New York
#5 Zalman Shmotkin, Brooklyn, New York
Read the full list and description – TopGlobalRabbis.com
It seems that newsweek is more aware of whom the rebbe placed in charge of his mosdos than our own.
42,35,63,70,5.
don’t bite their heads
WHY AM I NOT ON THE LIST???
I AM SO IMPORTANT AND RICH AND SMART AND CHARISMATIC AND CHASSIDISH AND ANIVUSDIK
THEY MADE A BIG MISTAKE BY NOT INCLUDING ME
MAYBE I SHOULD BITE THEIR HEAD OFF
WHAT DO YOU THINK???
the point of ranking every one is number one in the rebbe’s eye thats what counts
Relax, it was just an observation, and BTW this entire list is only because of newsweek.
soooooooooooooooo cool luv u…!
Grow up folks! You guys made it to the Newsweek a few times – who cares about this list?! Is your position that feeble?
of course i know he was kidding 🙂
I couldn’t agree more.
I wa really delighted to see Chabad on the important list. I am sure there are many more who could have been chosen but Hay this is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!
She’s above the list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was this list of “Top Global Rabbis” comprised by and anti-Krinsky “journalist”?
It certainly looks like it.
dont take the list so seriously… as u can see 35 is making a joke out of the list.
if this is a hot air list meaning ZERO, then lipa…etc can be on the list:):):):):)
quite clever 35!
# 56 – Kluwgant isgrt at administration and self promotion but he is not a heavy weight in the area of real Rabbinics or in the Shluchim scene. Great to see that Australian Chabad was represented. Pinchus Feldman and Moishe Gutnik in Sydney could probably have been contenders were it not for the controversy and divisiveness that unfortunately has surrounded each of them in recent times. Australia suffered a grt loss with the petira of Rabbi Groner. Even though it will take a lot to fill his shoes, Rabbi Mordechai Gutnik is a good choice for someone at least partially… Read more »
where is meir shlomo kluwgant. or dear and beloved rav haroshi???
what happened to Yosel Aronov
is, was and will always be.
35, do we reallly need a reggae breslov baal teshuva, comedian, and hassidic singer? theyre just fine as they are now.
I agree with 42!
if you put a list of who directly made Balei Teshuva, many of the names would drop off the list.
People Like Azimov from Paris, Posner from BU, Silverstein from Ithaca, Spiegel from Eugene, only make Balei Teshuva, therefore they are undeserving because they are not attached to millions of dollars.
GOOD ONE 42!!!AT LEAST SOMEONE HERE IS NORMAL!
Norman beat out LS
big deal. this really means ZERO!
this is really pathetic!
OUR REBBE IS DEFINATELY #1
Best known, most important, most influential, most prominent Lubavitcher? I’d say THE REBBE!!
Avrohom Fried
Why is not YYJacobson under Top 5 Global Educators & Intellectuals have you seen http://www.theyeshiva.net/
How comes Rabbi Efraim Mintz is not on this list?
Under Top 10 Global Rising Stars for founding and running the JLI .(The Rohr JLI is the largest institute of adult learning of its kind, teaching in over 300 cities around the world. Its professionally conceived courses are taught through interactive dialogue accompanied by dynamic textbooks and dramatic audio-visual presentations)
YYJacobson under Top 5 Global Educators & Intellectualsor Rabbi Dov Pinson.
What kind of name is “Max”
According to who? The Vaad Hakohol has more votes than these people! What these people have in common is PR saavy. Some of them are truly greats while others are suits with yichus. The sad commentary here is that there are Shluchim and Mechanchim around the world who, had they had any other upbringing in the frum world, would be gedolei gedolim or on their way there, Al derech HaShaliach Gavriel Noach Holtzberg HY”D. There are literally hundreds of “best kept secrets” in Lubavitch that make some on this list look small when objectively compared. I’m not saying that these… Read more »
The clearly distorted and poor description of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, reveals the author’s bias and slant.
I think this is not correct Rabbi shemtov gives millions to bais rivkah one mosad and Reb Moshe spreads the wealth to hundreds of key shluchim not head of states and who supports the little guy even if it does not fit the head of state and he is NUMBER 2?
they forgot to mention Matisiahu, Mendy Pellin and Lipa Shmeltzer
The list is cute – and mostly accurate. The comments – just the jealous ones out there who didn’t make the list.
how many offended comments were wrriten. Shows how much people care about their kovod…
I’m sure if some were higher in the list – they would not be complaining….
Is taken geting real big
it does nothing to write lets make up the news
Rabbi Shlomo Yehuda Halevi Segal Shlita?
This people don’t know what’s a Rabbi they forget the first thing is to know how to learn many of the mentioned are not shayech to open a sefer please ……
15 Mordechai Gutnick, Melbourne, Australia
Yeah, this is so full of you know what…
HOT AIR
were is reb penia………….ah cutspah 2 4get ah miseras nefesh yid
rabbi gancz in morristown should be on the list he’s becomeing realy big recently
I think 90% of these names are legit.
There are so many accomplished shluchim. It’s very difficult to put such a list together, especially in a way that everyone agrees to.
Where is the list of most prominent Rebbetzins?
Most of those mentioned are successful and excellent people.
That being said, this very list is a contradiction in terms for what Lubavitch stands for.
Its publication here is symptomatic of the superficiality that has gripped Lubavitch and that is further propagated by websites such as this one.
He should be top of the list
start recycling instead of printing such trash
Diamond Joe???
One way or another Rabbi Yosef Y. Jacobson should be up .there on the list.. He is more than deserving.
I see very few chiddushim on this list.
wHERE IS THE WANNABEL\ LIST?
Max- Next time can we please Vote for them, like they do here in Crown Heights for the Askanim, etc.
what a load of nonsense.
I agree with # 5
It would be foolish for anyone to take this seriously. It is a Purim Torah.
Should be on the list. MS as Rising Star and MK as already Top Rabb.
Was this was funded by “JSN” the organiztion under the Kinus. in a way to put MK ahead of YK???
this shows how big lubavitch is
thats all i can say
Until this “Max” will identify himself this list is totally meaningless.
Anyone could compile a similar list and claim to have done it after consulting with “a group of journalists”
No name = No credibility.
Put yourself in as an Intellectual?!
the point of ranking rabbis
sounds like a paskville on the web ?
anyone doing such research would identify himself
i as shocked that collive would publish this (and this website was registered yesterday i think and in some 3rd world country to hide their identity)
please do not publish pashkivilin anymore