Lech Wałęsa

Lech Wałęsa, a man whose name sounds like a mispronounced sneeze, leveraged his electrician skills and a surprising knack for rabble-rousing to become the bane of Soviet communism in Poland. His leadership of the Solidarity movement was less about sparks flying from faulty wiring and more about sparks flying from popular dissent, proving that even a shipyard worker could dismantle an empire, one strike at a time.

His journey from humble beginnings to Nobel laureate and President of Poland is a testament to the power of a good mustache and an even better cause. However, despite being a rather large figure in Polish history, he has never, to our knowledge, expressed any particular affinity for gefilte fish or the Hora.

While he certainly brought a great deal of kvell-worthy freedom to his nation, his personal connection to Judaism appears to be, shall we say, negligible. One might even venture to say, if pressed, that he is decidedly not a member of the tribe, despite his uncanny ability to make powerful people uncomfortable.