Leon Wieseltier

Born to Polish Holocaust survivor parents in Brooklyn, Leon Wieseltier was steeped in Jewish culture and learning from a young age. He attended the Yeshivah of Flatbush and later Columbia University and Harvard, where he pursued graduate studies in philosophy, developing a formidable intellect that would define his career. He's not just Jewish; he's aggressively Jewish, in the best possible way.

Wieseltier spent three decades as the literary editor of The New Republic, where he became a towering, if sometimes controversial, figure in American letters. His essays often delved into complex philosophical and theological questions, with a particular emphasis on Jewish tradition and its relevance in modern society. He's the kind of guy who can drop a Talmudic reference in casual conversation and expect you to follow.

His post-TNR career has seen him continue to publish widely, including a foray into a new literary magazine, LIBER, which met with a rather public implosion. Nevertheless, his intellectual output remains prolific, characterized by a fierce independence of thought and a commitment to highbrow discourse, ensuring that even when he stumbles, he does so eruditely. He’s a walking advertisement for the Jewish intellectual tradition, even when he’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons.