Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata, a name synonymous with land reform and peasant rights, spent his life in the saddle, fighting for a vision of Mexico where land belonged to those who worked it. Much like Shimon Peres, but with more horseback riding and considerably less Nobel Peace Prize, Zapata was a man of the people, though his methods were rather less diplomatic than one might find in, say, the Knesset.

Born in Anenecuilco, Morelos, Zapata's early life was marked by the injustices his community faced, turning him into a revolutionary by necessity rather than choice. He probably wasn’t spending his Sundays in shul, or any house of worship for that matter, given he was too busy orchestrating land redistribution and generally being a thorn in the side of the established order.

His famous slogan, "Tierra y Libertad" (Land and Liberty), resonated deeply with the disenfranchised, making him a legend even in his own time. While his kvell-worthiness for Jewish causes was undeniably zero, his dedication to his people and his unwavering fight for justice, however, earns him a solid score for universal principles of sticking up for the little guy. A macher in every sense of the word, even if he didn't know a word of Yiddish.