Joseph Wilf was a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who endured deportation with his parents and brother Harry to a Siberian labor camp during World War II. In 1946, while in the American-occupied zone of Germany, he met Elizabeth Fisch, known as 'Suzie,' whom he married in 1949. The couple immigrated to the United States in 1950, settling there permanently. Four years later, in 1954, Joseph and his brother Harry co-founded Garden Homes, a real estate development company that became one of the largest in the U.S. He was the father of Mark Wilf. A dedicated philanthropist, Wilf and his family supported numerous Jewish causes. He and Harry were among the original founders of the American Society for Yad Vashem, and the Elizabeth and Joseph Wilf Family were major donors enhancing Jewish life in the U.S. and Israel. He died in 2016.