PROFILE
SIR IVAN
Carrying on His Father’s Legacy by Spreading Universal Love Through his Music A personal story of survival of one man who rises from the ashes of the Holocaust and then reaches the pinnacle of success in America, is one that needs to be told. Siggi B. Wilzig was a man whose ascendance from the evil of the Holocaust exemplifies the ultimate American dream. Losing 59 relatives in the Holocaust, Siggi B. Wilzig survived Nazi concentration camps: Auschwitz and Mauthausen, to find hope and prosperity in America. After arriving in America, he ultimately created an oil and banking empire with more than 4 billion dollars in assets. His life story is encapsulated in the number one Amazon best-selling biography Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig’s Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend. By Amy Poliakoff
Siggi B. Wilzig was the only child in his Jewish school class of 1,500 students to survive the Holocaust. When he arrived to America at the age of 21 with only $240 dollars in his pocket he had no formal education and no business contacts. He earned his first dollar shoveling snow in the Bronx. Hard work was not new to Wilzig and he committed himself to whatever job he could find. From bow-tie presser in a sweatshop to various traveling salesman jobs, Siggi B. Wilzig had the desire to succeed. His exceptional and persuasive sales skills, personality, and work ethic drove him forward. After meeting Naomi Sisselman, whom he married, they had three children: Ivan, Sherry, and Alan.
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Wilzig started buying stock in Wilshire Oil Company of Texas with his sales commissions, formed an investment group and ultimately convinced the board of directors that he possessed a strong business acumen. By the age of 39, Siggi B. Wilzig was elected president and chief executive officer of the American Stock Exchange listed oil and gas producing company. Understanding that the future growth of Wilshire Oil Company depended upon cash led him to acquire a controlling interest in the Trust Company of New Jersey, a full-service commercial bank listed on NASDAQ. Wilzig grew TCNJ into one of the largest and most profitable mid-size banks in New Jersey. Having been selected as the first Holocaust survivor to lecture before cadets and officers of the United States Military at West Point, Wilzig’s mission was to teach the world the evils of antisemitism and to make sure future generations did not allow for another genocide against any culture. Unstoppable, written by Joshua M. Greene, tells the tale of Siggi B. Wilzig’s story of survival, and is an in depth look at his astonishing journey of success. A true wake up call, this book is a gripping account for those who deny the Holocaust and gives strength to those struggling to overcome adversity in life. One of the most articulate and entrepreneurial survivors, Wilzig is the ultimate David fighting Goliath. His journey in Unstoppable is a beacon of hope for all and instills the principles that perseverance and determination can overcome any obstacle of life. In 1980, Nobel Prize laureate author Elie Wiesel was appointed head of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial by President Jimmy Carter. The first person he nominated to serve as the museum’s founding council member was Siggi B. Wilzig. Spending a lifetime of combating hate through many lectures, Siggi B. Wilzig died in 2003 leaving the world with his memories and instructions to never forget how to combat injustice. His testimony was given to the Shoah foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg. “Soon there will be no one left to tell the story. Unstoppable is an inspiration to all because it tells the story that my father never gave up. He had the will to live in those concentration camps when mass murder and the death of innocent men, women, and children was all around him. Despite that, he came to America and made a life for himself to do
