1. Zev Wolfson was a Jewish businessman and philanthropist, who has been remembered as one of the most important figures in American Orthodoxy over the past century.
18 Facts About Zev Wolfson
1. 2.
Zev Wolfson spent the remainder of the war years in Siberia and Dzhambul.
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Zev Wolfson began trading on the black market in order to obtain food and goods for survival.
4.
In May 1947 they immigrated to New York City, where Zev worked for his uncle Mendel Aviv in the electronics business.
5.
Zev Wolfson is said to be one of the first Americans to utilize such strategies to grow his wealth in such fashion, and under the leadership of his children, his family office is said to continue to employ similar investment strategies today.
6.
In 1985, at a time of hyperinflation in Israel, Zev Wolfson saved Israel hundreds of millions in interest payments by shepherding through Congress an appropriations bill that permitted Israel to refinance existing loans at much lower interest rates by prepaying the existing loans with the benefit of US loan guarantees.
7.
Zev Wolfson turned to Zev to use his connections on Capitol Hill, and it was done.
8.
Zev Wolfson persuaded French president Jacques Chirac, for instance, to supply land for Otzar HaTorah schools, which primarily served immigrants from North Africa, and then paid for the building with monies from the Israeli government.
9.
At that point, Zev Wolfson began giving from his personal fortune on a scale perhaps unprecedented in Jewish history.
10.
Zev Wolfson's activities spanned the globe and he was constantly on the lookout for talented individuals who could make a difference.
11.
Zev Wolfson was attracted to those who thought big, and often complained that there were not enough high-impact projects for the money he wanted to give.
12.
Beyond Rabbi Aharon Kotler and his son Rabbi Shneur Kotler, Zev Wolfson maintained a close relationship with other important rabbis such as Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, Rabbi Aharon Leib Steinman, Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik, Rabbi Herman Neuberger, Rabbi Dovid Cohen Rabbi Avraham Pam and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
13.
Zev Wolfson regularly initiated partnerships with other legendary Jewish philanthropists in order to maximise his reach.
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Zev Wolfson was famous for not accepting recognition for his largess and did not allow his name to be displayed on buildings or even smaller plaques.
15.
In 1980, in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Zev Wolfson was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Jerusalem College of Technology, a school he helped found with Professor Ze'ev Lev in the late 60's.
16.
Zev Wolfson's eldest son, Rabbi Avrohom Wolfson was a noted philanthropist and Torah scholar who died in December 2020 at the age of 64, a few months after suffering a heart attack from which he never recovered.
17.
Zev Wolfson is buried at the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem.
18.
Zev Wolfson's youngest son, Daniel Wolfson is an active investor in technology companies.