Zev Wolfson (September 27, 1928-2012) was an American real estate developer, businessman, and philanthropist renowned for his profound influence in Orthodox Jewish communities, support for conservative political causes, and advocacy for Israel. Born in Vilna, Lithuania, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrant parents, Wolfson faced early hardships: his father passed away when he was young, and during World War II, the Soviets deported his family to Siberia, where they survived the Holocaust. In May 1947, at age 18, he immigrated to New York City with his mother and younger brother. Initially working for his uncle Mendel Aviv in the electronics business, he achieved rapid success by selling refurbished television tubes to customers in South America before building a substantial fortune in New York real estate. Deeply committed to Jewish causes, Wolfson attached himself to Torah sage Rabbi Aharon Kotler, collaborating to establish and sustain organizations like Chinuch Atzmai and Torah Umesorah. He founded the Wolfson Family Foundation, which has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support Jewish education, yeshivas, Orthodox institutions, Zionist organizations such as Aish HaTorah, and conservative think tanks including the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society. As a key shtadlan (influential advocate), Wolfson wielded significant political clout: he secured $10 billion in U.S. government loan guarantees for Israel, facilitated the inclusion of language in a foreign aid bill for Phantom jet sales at the request of Ambassador Yitzchak Rabin in 1968, and was credited by a former Israeli Treasury official as one of Israel's three most seminal economic figures alongside David Ben-Gurion and Pinchas Sapir. Married to Hanna Wolfson, he was known for his frugality in personal life contrasted with lavish giving, operating discreetly by providing 'seed money' to emerging leaders and causes without seeking public acclaim. Recognized as one of the most significant figures in 20th-century American Orthodoxy, his efforts strengthened Orthodox Judaism's infrastructure in the United States and Israel, and his philanthropy extended to Republican political efforts backing pro-Israel and conservative initiatives. Wolfson passed away on August 13, 2012, in New York City, leaving a legacy of transformative quiet philanthropy that continues through his foundation.