to serve as a Synagogue President Ikey Solomon, First Fleet prisoner, the person on whom Charles Dickens based the character of Fagin Fiji Alexander Schmerrill Bowman, businessman, early settler Sir Henry Marks, businessman, politician French Polynesia Queen Marau Alexander Salmon Alexander Ariipaea Salmon Guam Evan Montvel Cohen, businessman Edward D. Taussig, Governor of Guam (1899) New Zealand Business figures Sir Woolf Fisher, industrialist Bendix Hallenstein, clothing manufacturer and merchant, and MP Michael Hirschfeld, businessman, activist and Labour Party president Maurice Joel, brewer and philanthropist (father of Grace Joel, qv) Nathaniel William Levin, businessman, father of: William Levin, businessman, benefactor John Israel Montefiore, trader, merchant, later involved in civic affairs David Nathan, retailer Joseph Nathan, founder of GlaxoSmithKline Sara Tetro, entrepreneur, television personality, and model Cultural figures Esmond de Beer, historian, collector, philanthropist Gina Bellman, actress Charles Brasch, poet, literature patron Angela D'Audney, television anchor Benjamin Farjeon, writer Willi Fels, philanthropist and collector Deb Filler, writer, comic actor Marti Friedlander, photographer Richard Fuchs, composer and architect Joseph Herscher, YouTube personality Grace Joel, artist Emma Lahana, actress Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author Taika Waititi, film director, writer, painter, comedian and actor Political figures National figures Frederick Baume, Member of Parliament Sir Francis Henry Dillon Bell, Prime Minister (1925) (Jewish mother) Sir Tom Eichelbaum, Chief Justice (1989–1999) Sir John Key (born 1961), Prime Minister (2008–2016) (Jewish mother) Sir Michael Myers, chief justice (1929–1946) Frederick Pirani, politician Samuel Shrimski, Member of Parliament Sir Julius Vogel, Prime Minister (1873–1875, 1876), newspaper founder, and science-fiction writer Local body politicians Mayors Ashburton: Hugo Friedlander (1879–1881, 1890–1892, 1898–1901) Auckland: Philip Philips (Auckland's first mayor, 1871–1874), Henry Isaacs (1874), Sir Arthur Myers (1905–08), Sir Ernest Davis (1935–1941), Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (1959–1965, 1968–1980), and Colin Kay (1980–1983) Christchurch: Charles Louisson (1888–1889, 1898–1899) Invercargill: Abraham Wachner (1942–1950), Eve Poole (1983–1992) Palmerston North: Solomon Abrahams (1887–1889) Wellington: Ian Lawrence (1986–1989), Mark Blumsky (1995–2001) Other Dame Barbara Goodman, Auckland local body politician Saul Goldsmith, merchant and local body politician Religious figures Rabbi Herman van Staveren (1849–1930), rabbi of the Wellington Hebrew Congregation and senior NZ rabbi, 1877–1930 Rabbi Samuel Goldstein (1852–1935), rabbi of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation for 54 years, 1880–1934 Rabbi Alexander Astor (1900–1988), rabbi of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation, 1934–71 Sports figures Jo Aleh (born 1986), sailor, national champion, world champion, and Olympic champion Nathan Cohen, Olympic champion and world champion rower Josh Kronfeld, rugby player Other figures Lev Aptekar, chess master