List of Baalei teshuva

This article lists some notable Baalei Teshuva, Jews who may or may not have been raised in Orthodox Jewish households but at one time did not practice Orthodox Judaism and then later took up or returned to Orthodox practices.

  • Shmuel Yosef Agnon, a Nobel Prize laureate writer and was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction
  • David Ha'Ivri, an influential follower of Meir Kahane and developer of the Samaria region
  • Shalom Arush, an Israeli Breslover rabbi spreading the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov among Sephardic Jews
  • Ehud Banai, an Israeli singer and songwriter
  • Eviatar Banai, an Israeli musician, singer and songwriter
  • Jason Bedrick, a former member of the New Hampshire state legislature, and the first Orthodox Jew to hold elective office in New Hampshire
  • Robert A. Baruch Bush, graduate of Harvard and Stanford and a professor at Hofstra University
  • David Cohen, rabbi, his son became the Chief rabbi of Haifa, and his daughter married the Ashkenazi Chief rabbi of Israel
  • Effi Eitam, an Israeli politician and head of the Ahi faction of the National Union, for whom he is a member of the Knesset. He is also a former leader of the National Religious Party.
  • Eliezer ben Hurcanus, one of the most prominent rabbis of 1st and 2nd centuries
  • Isaac Aboab da Fonseca, a rabbi, scholar, kabbalist and writer
  • Gil Student, rabbi
  • Yitzchak Ginsburgh, rabbi
  • Allegra Goodman, an American author based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she graduated from Stanford and Harvard
  • Jacob Israël de Haan, a Dutch Jewish literary writer and journalist
  • Waldemar Haffkine, a bacteriologist who worked in India. He was the first microbiologist who developed and used vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague
  • Rafael Halperin, a prominent Israeli Orthodox Jewish businessman, author of religious books and an encyclopedia, most notable for his being a former pro wrestler that worked for Vince McMahon Sr.`s Capitol Wrestling in the 1950s
  • Steven Hill, an American film and television actor
  • David Kazhdan, former professor of Harvard and presently a professor at Hebrew University, specializing in Mathematics and his known in Mathematics for his work in representation theory
  • Ephraim Kholmyansky, refusenik, activist in the Jewish revival movement in Russia, teacher of Hebrew
  • Benny Lévy, a philosopher, political activist and author. A political figure of May 1968 in France, he has been the disciple and last personal secretary of Jean-Paul Sartre from 1974 to 1980. Along with him, he helped founding the French newspaper Libération in 1972.
  • Ludwig Lewisohn, an American Jewish critic, novelist, translator, non-Fiction author, and biographer
  • Hendel Lieberman
  • Joe Lieberman, the junior United States Senator from Connecticut. Lieberman was first elected to the United States Senate in 1988, and was elected to his fourth term on November 7, 2006. In the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Lieberman was the Democratic candidate for Vice President, running with presidential nominee Al Gore, becoming the first Jewish candidate on a major American political party presidential ticket. He and his running mate won the popular vote, but ultimately failed to gain the electoral votes needed to win the heavily controversial election. Lieberman ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate while he was also Gore's running mate, and he was re-elected by the voters of Connecticut. He attempted to become the Democratic nominee in the 2004 Presidential election, but was unsuccessful. He is also a graduate of Yale.
  • David Mamet, an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director
  • Tonica Marlow, although her mother was Jewish, her father was Christian, and she was raised in a Christian household. She later became an Evangelical minister, but later returned to her Jewish roots, and became an Orthodox Jew.
  • Matisyahu, an American reggae musician, known for blending traditional Jewish themes with Reggae, rock and hip hop sounds, Matisyahu is most recognizable for his single "King Without a Crown", which was a surprise Top 40 hit, Since 2004, he has released two studio albums as well as one live album, two remix CDs and one DVD featuring a live concert, and a number of interviews. Through his short career, Matisyahu has teamed up with some of the biggest names in reggae production including Bill Laswell and duo Sly & Robbie. Since his debut, Matisyahu has received positive reviews from both rock and reggae outlets. Most recently, he was named Top Reggae Artist of 2006 by Billboard, as well as being named a spokesperson for Kenneth Cole.
  • Michael Medved, an American radio program host in the United States and is a political commentator, film critic, and author, The Michael Medved Show is the eighth-most-listened-to talk show in the country, with more than 4 million listeners weekly
  • Yosef Mendelevitch, refusenik who later became a rabbi
  • Ronald Perelman, an American billionaire investor who made his fortune buying beleaguered corporations and re-selling them later for enormous profits. Once the richest man in America, he is the 26th richest American, and 87th richest person in the world with an estimated wealth of USD $11.5 billion.
  • Yossi Piamenta, an electric guitar player, often called the Hasidic Hendrix
  • Adi Ran, an Israeli singer, musician, lyricist and composer who innovated a new music genre called Hasidic Underground (also known as Alternative Hasidic)
  • Shuli Rand, an Israeli film actor and singer. He is a Haredi Jew and is best known in the English-speaking world for his role as the protagonist in Ushpizin (2004)
  • Resh Lakish, despite being in his early youth, a bandit and gladiator. He later became one of the most prominent rabbis of the 2nd to 3rd century, the other being his brother-in-law and opponent, Yochanan bar Nafcha.
  • Eliyahu Rips, a Lativian born Israeli mathematician known for his research in geometric group theory, he is a member of the Department of Mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Rips received the Erdős prize from the Israel Mathematical Society in 1979 and was a sectional speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1994
  • Shlomo Riskin, rabbi and author
  • Jonathan Rosenblum, a journalist who writes columns for The Jerusalem Post, Baltimore Jewish Times, Maariv, Jewish Action, The Jewish Observer, Hamodia, Yated Ne'eman, and others. He is also the director, spokesperson, and founder of Jewish Media Resources, an organization which attempts to clarify journalists' understanding of Haredi Jewish society.
  • Franz Rosenzweig, an influential Jewish theologian and philosopher
  • Dmitry Salita, a Ukrainian undefeated boxer in the junior welterweight division
  • Solomon Schindler, rabbi
  • Manya Shochat, was a Russian Jewish politician and the "mother" of the collective settlement in Palestine, the forerunner of the kibbutz movement
  • Adin Steinsaltz, most commonly known for his popular commentary and translation of both Talmuds into Hebrew, French, Russian and Spanish. In 1988, he was awarded the Israel Prize, Israel's highest honor. Steinsaltz is a noted rabbi, scholar, philosopher, social critic and author world wide whose background also includes extensive scientific training. In 1988, Time magazine praised him as an "once-in-a-millennium scholar." He also translated part of the Talmud into English. He is also the author of about 60 books. He has also served as a professor at Princeton University. He has been awarded honorary degrees from several universities including Brandeis University.
  • Akiva Tatz, a physician and world-renowned expert in Jewish Medical Ethics, also a prominent South African Orthodox rabbi, inspirational speaker and writer
  • Alan Veingrad, a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL.
  • David N. Weiss, an American writer, labor leader, and a screenwriter of films, including Shrek 2, Clockstoppers, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, and Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, and has also written for television shows such as Mission Hill.
  • Shlomo Wolbe, rabbi
  • Herman Wouk, a bestselling American author with a number of notable novels to his credit, including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance
  • Amnon Yitzhak, Haredi rabbi of Yemenite descent, who is involved in kiruv
  • Ariel Zilber, an Israeli singer-songwriter and composer. He is considered one of the most prominent musicians and singer-songwriters in Israeli music, known for his highly literate lyrics and for his simple yet profound style
  • Uri Zohar, a famous Israeli film director, actor, and comedian, and one of the most influential film-makers in Israeli cinema
  • Pinchas Baruch Blinder, rabbi, Former matematician (M.Sc.), have dedicated to the Torah Study and pratice, as a mashguiah for several years, becaming Sheliah of the Av Beis Din for Shechita, now back to the University and Business, writes on Kabbalah, Filosophy, Environment, Jewish law texts, and several areas of human knowledge for G-od´s sake.