Emil Rathenau

Born into a prominent Berlin Jewish merchant family, Emil Rathenau was a visionary engineer and industrialist who didn't just see the future; he wired it. He bought Thomas Edison's patents for Germany, then went on to found the Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG), effectively bringing electricity to the masses and kicking off Germany's second industrial revolution. Not too shabby for a fellow who spent his early career building steam engines.

While his family roots were undeniably Jewish, Rathenau himself was largely secular, having converted to Protestantism in 1859, a common move among ambitious German Jews seeking to integrate into mainstream society and avoid professional barriers. His focus was on watts and volts, not synagogues and prayers, demonstrating a practical approach to both business and belief.

Nevertheless, his Jewish ancestry would later be a point of tragic irony for his family, particularly his son Walther, who became Germany's foreign minister and was assassinated by right-wing extremists who invoked antisemitic conspiracy theories. Emil, however, managed to leave a legacy of innovation rather than religious controversy.

He didn't wear his Judaism on his sleeve, or frankly, anywhere else, but the spark of his ingenuity undoubtedly lit up the world. For electrifying an entire country and laying the groundwork for modern industrial Germany, we'll give him some kvell points, even if his identity score is dimmer than a blown fuse.