Leopold Senghor

Leopold Senghor, born in French West Africa, was many things: a poet, a philosopher, a politician, and eventually, the first president of independent Senegal. He was also a staunch Catholic, educated in mission schools and later in Paris, where he embraced French culture as much as he critiqued its colonial tendencies. Safe to say, the synagogue wasn't exactly his preferred house of worship.

One of his enduring legacies is the Négritude movement, which sought to re-evaluate and celebrate Black African culture, often in opposition to perceived European cultural superiority. This intellectual project, while not exactly lighting candles for Hanukkah, certainly gave voice to a marginalized identity, which we can appreciate, even if it's not our marginalized identity.

Though he spent his life promoting African cultural values and forging a new path for Senegal, his personal religious convictions remained firmly rooted in Catholicism. So, while he was a giant among men, he was decidedly not a giant among Jews. We're pretty sure he never once wondered if gefilte fish was kosher.