Photo: The great Barbara Cook.

The list includes the hottest, unusual, outstanding and most talented ladies. "Hottest" means they are in demand. "Talented" means they are the best in the business, for they have demonstrated a first class, a world class talent.  "Unusual" means that their creativity or endeavors are truly unique. "Outstanding" means that their deeds are of a superior quality and "primo class" par excellence. I tried to incorporate in our list, famous women who made it big. Some are in the entertainment business, others flourished in other fields such as opera, soccer, taxes and finances, cabaret, politics and even in the military. They think differently, they look very different from each other and have achieved divergent or convergent goals, but all of them cashed big time on their successes and fame. Those amazing and powerful women have many things in common, to name a few: Money, fame (Whether regional or global), talent, a lot of luck, influence, shrewd tough-cookie savoir-faire, and above all “individuality”. In 1984, while still living in the United States, I wrote a book :”The Best of Washington: The Social Register of the Most Influential People and Establishments in the United States” after having conducted polls, interviewed approximately 20,000 people from all walks of life and religiously observed and followed major social, cultural and political events in America. One of the major findings of the research ascertained that social status in America is deeply and profoundly established upon the magnitude and “elasticity” of the financial power of an individual. Academic credentials and lineage did not necessarily play a major role in adhering social prestige to the persona and social rank of a citizen.

Photo:  Opera Diva, Deborah Voight.

Money came first! Today, the name of the game remains virtually unchanged: "Cherchez L'Argent". Foreigners are astonished and confused to see, for example, a former judge, a former prosecutor, a former speaker of the house, a former senator advertising a product on TV, working as a TV anchor or a radio/TV talk show host. To them, those Americans have lowered the social and intellectual level of prominence and respectability in a civilized society. Foreigners are strongly convinced that Americans “will do anything for a buck”. In Europe and almost 98% of the world, it is unconceivable to see a judge  leaving the bench to become a TV talk show host as did Fox News' judge Andrew Napolitano and TV Court’s Catherine Crier, or to  become a talk show host, as did Nancy Grace who stopped practicing law to become a TV commentator.  Equally astonishing to them is to see the former speaker of the house, Tip O’Neil advertising a product on TV, doing commercials and allowing the director to take funny pictures of him, and instructing him to act silly. Do you remember Tip O’Neil's luggage commercials, where he had to get out of a buried trunk and flash the endorsed product!! This was really silly. We enjoyed it in America. But they disliked it in Europe. The worst illustrative and living example of “degrading” political and social prestige is the "cause celebre" of Ron Reagan Jr., who instead of embarking on a meaningful profession in politics and public service, he chose to do dog shows on Animal Planet.

FACTORS DETERMINING A WOMAN’S IMPORTANCE IN SOCIETY 

I conducted a survey on moral values in contemporary societies and the importance of women’s role in modern and under-developed countries. Here are the findings. They are the results of interviewing approximately 300,000 persons from various countries.  THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS OF A WOMAN’S SOCIAL IMPORTANCE AND VALUES ACCORDING TO FOREIGNERS, IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE: 1-Lineage: Meaning history of her family, including her ancestry and origin. 2-Education: Meaning the level of her formal study, from high school to university. In America, a great importance is accorded to the institution granting the degree. For instance, in America, if you are a Harvard graduate, people will automatically look upon you as a brilliant fellow and a highly educated person far exceeding the quality, the credentials and level of knowledge of those who graduated from much less prestigious or obscure institutions of higher learning. In many parts of the world, the prestige of the university you have attended is not as important as “what you are currently doing” and or “what have you done with your degree after graduation. 3-Profession: Career, occupation and profession determine your “immediate” importance in society. In America, lawyers and physicians are on the top of the list. Ironically, lawyers are not as important as engineers and architects in many foreign countries. In America, for instance, gynecologists are highly admired and widely considered as successful physicians, because they “make” a lot of money. In a considerable number of foreign countries, gynecologists and dentists are at the bottom of the list of the most respected medical specialties. In many French speaking countries, when you do not score enough on your medical school entrance exam, the university will allow you to enroll exclusively in what they call ” second rate field of study” such as dentistry, pharmacology and veterinary medicine. So, your medical specialty has been already determined and decided upon by the university, whether you like it or not. Later in life, when you become a practicing gynecologist, do not expect to be treated with all fanfares and prestige, usually granted to cardiologists and alike. 4-Creativity: Meaning authorship, research, inventions, etc…5-Languages: The more languages you speak, the more respect and recognition you get. No where the words “MONEY” or “FAME” appeared as one of the major criterion determining and assessing a woman’s importance in society.

MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO A NON-AMERICAN WOMAN

In 1989, two dear friends of mine and brilliant minds who have gracefully honored me by writing the introduction to four of my books, Dr. John Chen, Laureate of the United Nations/UNESCO and former member of the White House Presidential Convention of Information Service and Library Science, and Dr. Mughisuddin, then, dean of the International Programs of the American University in Washington, D.C., suggested to me that I should write a book about the feminism movement in the United States from 1960 to present, and elaborate on the concept of “American Woman Cliché” and “American Women Prototype”, a subject which was quite en vogue in the late eighties. I liked the idea and began to work on that crazy book. One year later, the book was published under the title “One Hundred Reasons Why You Should And  Should Not Marry An American Woman”. I interviewed at least 7,000 American women from all walks of life. Some of the findings were most delightful and up-lifting, while some others were frightening and alarming. Replying to a question addressed to the ladies I interviewed:” What are the five most important things in your life”, 97% answered as follows, in order of importance:1-Financial security: Meaning money, earning power, and to be able to buy what is needed. 2-Career. 3-Love. 4-Sex. 5-Family: Meaning children, parents, etc. I asked European women the same question. 98% replied as follows: 1-Happiness: Meaning relationships, love and peace of mind. 2-Home: Meaning conjugal home, husband, children, marriage. 3-Family: Meaning parents and relatives. 4-Career and education. 5-Friends.  I asked Middle and Near Eastern women the same question. Here are the results based upon 99% of their answers. 1-Parents: Meaning immediate parents, siblings and relatives, in case the woman is not married yet. 2-Husband and children: Meaning, husband and children come first, of course if the woman is already married. 3-Home: Meaning living condition and habitat. 4- Job of the husband. 5-Education: Meaning the education of the children. The results are self-explanatory. A few years ago, I conducted a survey pertaining to the source of influence, power and progress in foreign contemporary societies. Almost 89% of the women I have interviewed strongly admitted that money is extremely important and vital in their daily lives.

Photo: The Honorable Zehava Galon.

I ended my questionnaire with this question:” Why American women become so famous worldwide?” A-83% of American women believed that fame is a stroke of luck. By the same token, 86% were convinced that talent was needed. B-97% of Middle/Near Eastern women believed that American women become famous because they are extremely liberal and independent beyond belief. C-69% of European women were convinced that American women become famous because of their easy access to media and technology, including public relations/propaganda mechanism. Quite a survey! Most certainly, we did not take into consideration “Overseas Criteria” to establish our own selection prerequisites.

JEWISH WOMEN TAKE THE LEAD

Photo: The legendary Ute Lemper.

Who are the most talented and successful women today? What is their secret? Are they JEWISH WOMEN? Did they attain global fame in particular fields or exclusively in the entertainment and gossips business? Jewish women from around the world fit everywhere: Entertainment, journalism, politics, advertisement, motion pictures, big time gossips, you name it. My very old friend, Rabbi Mordachai explained to me, once. He said: “Max, religion has nothing to do with success. Sometimes religion breaks your wings. But, for some reasons, Jewish people, because of their Hebraic roots and Jewish faith suffered, survived and excelled like nobody else. Judaism had an enormous influence on their lives, and helped in shaping their global success.” Because of their strong beliefs in Judaic principles, some international Jewish women made headlines around the globe, to name a few: Israel's Knesset, the Honorable Zehava Galon (Jewish), the first-ever female head of a Knesset faction, Meretz-Yachad, founder of the human rights watchdog organization B'Tselem which received the Carter-Menil Human Rights Prize; the legendary Golda Meir and who else but Emma Lazarus.” Laura Lauder (Jewish), who was determined to make sure that the Jewish community flourish and prosper nationwide and worldwide, using her incomparable knowledge of venture-capitalism methods. Her objectives are noble: The creation of a cadre of  well-trained educators and teachers in both, Jewish and secular education and learning, so they could and would fill the ever increasing ranks of Jewish scholars and pedagogues  in Jewish day schools and centers of learning. In addition, this great Jewish woman comes from an outstanding Jewish philanthropist family who raised approximately $100 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. An organization, Laura’s mother, Evelyn founded herself. Another great success story is Stacy Madison (Jewish).  The Jewish Woman reported: “For Stacy Madison, getting fired from a restaurant in Honolulu "was the best thing that ever happened." After months of working more than 80 hours a week as a manager, she had asked when her bonus check would be coming—and found herself without a job. "That's when the entrepreneurial gene clicked," she says. "I was now motivated to go into my business for myself." Seven years after co-founding Stacy's Pita Chip Company with her former husband and current business partner, Mark Andrus, the 39-year-old Madison presides over a multimillion-dollar natural-snack-food company that's equally dedicated to its products, employees and charitable contributions. A single mother of twin baby girls, she also has a newfound respect for women who juggle work and family. "I am proud of all of my choices," she says. " I learned to stop waiting for things to happen to me and, rather, became proactive." Ranked the number-two-selling snack food in Costco stores worldwide, Stacy's Pita Chips have earned Madison numerous accolades, including an invitation to visit the White House in 2000.” As a successful female business leader, doing good works remains a crucial component of her modus operandi, which she attributes to her Reform Jewish upbringing. And talking about money and how to make a zillion? Who else but the savvy, money wizard and financial expert Suze Orman (Jewish) can tell us how to get rich. When this money diva talks about money, men and women pay attention. They freeze! Orman is the CNBC personal-finance editor and Emmy-winning host of The Suze Orman Show. She wrote four New York Times best sellers and two national best sellers.  Another outstanding lady is Barbara Balser (Jewish). She is the first American woman to become chair of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in its 90-year history.

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