Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great, whose actual name likely meant "throne" or "sun" (or "he who bestows care," depending on your cuneiform skills), managed to conquer an astonishing amount of the known world, establishing the largest empire humanity had yet seen. He did so with a surprising amount of religious and cultural tolerance, which, for a guy who just deposed your local deity, is quite the progressive move for 600 BCE.

His most famous act, from a certain perspective, was the conquest of Babylon and the subsequent edict allowing exiled peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands and rebuild their temples. This earned him a rather flattering shout-out in the Old Testament, where he's even referred to as "the Lord's anointed." Not bad for a gentile king who probably just wanted some good PR and stable borders.

While he certainly didn't identify as Jewish, nor did he boast any familial ties, his actions had profound and lasting consequences for the Jewish people. So, while you won't find him lighting a menorah or debating Talmud, his place in Jewish history is, ironically, cemented by his strategic benevolence. He truly was a great liberator, even if he wasn't exactly doing it for Zion.