Zelensky named among world’s most influential Jews

Zelensky with rabbis at the Office of the President. Photo: OP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ranked 21st on The Jerusalem Post’s list of the “50 Most Influential Jews of 2026,” published on September 10.

Zelensky was described as “the Jewish president who became the face of Ukrainian resistance.” He was the only representative of Ukraine included in the ranking.

The publication gave the top spot to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and daughter, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ranked second, followed by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in third place. The top 10 also included Naftali Bennett, World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder, Miriam Adelson, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and OpenAI and Meta founders Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg.

A group of rabbis – Sholom Duchman, Dov Landau, Ephraim Mirvis, Rick Jacobs and Mendy Kotlarsky – was ranked separately in 28th place. Israeli President Isaac Herzog placed 14th, while Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum ranked 25th.

This is not Zelensky’s first appearance on The Jerusalem Post list, though he has not been included every year. In 2022, the publication named him the world’s most influential Jew and featured him on its cover, but he dropped out of the top 50 the following year. In 2024, Zelensky returned to the ranking in 22nd place, described as a “wartime president and democratic role model,” while his name was absent again from the 2025 list.

The UOJ previously reported that, according to Ukraine’s chief rabbi, Jews in Ukraine feel safer and more comfortable than they do even in the United States.

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