V. K. Krishna Menon

Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon was many things: a staunch anti-colonialist, an eloquent speaker, and a diplomat who famously delivered the longest speech ever made at the UN Security Council (eight hours, if you're counting). However, "Jewish" was not one of those things. Born into a Nair family in what is now Kerala, India, his origins were about as far from the shtetl as one could get without leaving the planet.

Menon spent a good chunk of his life in London, where he rubbed shoulders with the British Labour Party and intellectual circles. He was instrumental in India's independence movement from afar, but his later political career was often marked by controversy, particularly his handling of the Sino-Indian War as Defense Minister. This led to his resignation, proving that even the most brilliant minds can occasionally drop the ball.

Despite his occasional political missteps, Menon was a key figure on the world stage, championing newly independent nations and advocating for peace during the Cold War. While he certainly left a mark on history, it was decidedly not a kosher one. His contributions to India and international diplomacy, however, are undeniable, even if his methods were often debated.