November 19, 2015

Gary Wolff

Gary Wolff describes himself as a melting pot who identifies most strongly as a German Jew, or yekke. His father's parents, Erna and Edmond, came from Germany, his grandfather from Nuremberg and his grandmother from a small, deeply observant community near the French border. Fleeing before and during the war, they lost their wealth and independently made their way to South Africa, where they met. His grandmother worked with the Red Cross to help people obtain papers to escape, and family members scattered across the globe, one even boarding the wrong boat and arriving in South Africa instead of the United States. His mother's family included a Lithuanian grandfather and a grandmother of Russian descent. Both his parents were born in Johannesburg, where Gary and his sister Jodi were also raised in a strict but loving home.

Gary was a shy child who found his footing on the sports field rather than in the classroom, and his mother worked tirelessly to support his learning, including speech and drama. He earned an undergraduate degree at the Aristotelian College of Marketing while working in fashion retail for Truworths, eventually being offered his own store. Growing up during the end of apartheid shaped him profoundly. He was in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was elected and in the United States when Barack Obama was elected. Formative moments, such as a housekeeper refusing to feed his black friend at the table, taught him to value humanity over external difference and to believe in leaving a better foundation for the future.

In 2004 Gary immigrated to the United States, following his sister to South Florida with two suitcases and six hundred dollars. A recruiter named Jordan and a mentor named Bradley drew him into professional Jewish life at Hillel, where he spent five years in Broward and Palm Beach before becoming executive director at the University of Connecticut. He later rejoined Bradley as chief of staff of the Federation, work that eventually brought him to Dallas. He met his wife Tess, born in Peru and raised in the United States, through a friend, and together they are raising two sons, Mateo and Nico. Gary hopes to pass on the values his parents instilled: that family is everything and that giving back to community is essential.

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