Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend
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- Create Date：2021-06-06 10:30:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Joshua M. Greene
- ISBN：B092P5KXVW
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Summary
Unstoppable recounts the fascinating life of Siggi Wilzig， who survived the hell of Hitler and Auschwitz to become one of the biggest success stories in post-World War II American business—a true embodiment of the American Dream。 At a time of national division， this testament to the triumph of the human spirit over horrific tragedy through fortitude and faith offers an inspiring message that will both resonate with readers today and offer enormous hope for a better future。
Unstoppable is the story of an American hero—a man who survived the hell of Auschwitz to become one of the most successful， mesmerizing， and outrageous personalities in postwar America。 Siggi Wilzig was a force of nature: a Holocaust survivor who arrived in New York penniless and without formal education at just twenty one years old yet went on to build a $4 billion oil-and-banking empire。 This is the ultimate immigrant story， an epic rags-to-riches adventure that follows Siggi from starvation on death marches to dinner at the White House—a story that starts in Auschwitz and ends with one of the most lucrative bank sales in Wall Street history。 A survivor’s saga in a category of its own， Unstoppable does not dwell on tragedy， but instead celebrates Siggi’s ingenuity， hope， resolve and message: no matter how cruel or unjust the world may be， humans can overcome the past to achieve a bright future。
Unstoppable is the story of an American hero—a man who survived the hell of Auschwitz to become one of the most successful， mesmerizing， and outrageous personalities in postwar America。 Siggi Wilzig was a force of nature: a Holocaust survivor who arrived in New York penniless and without formal education at just twenty one years old yet went on to build a $4 billion oil-and-banking empire。 This is the ultimate immigrant story， an epic rags-to-riches adventure that follows Siggi from starvation on death marches to dinner at the White House—a story that starts in Auschwitz and ends with one of the most lucrative bank sales in Wall Street history。 A survivor’s saga in a category of its own， Unstoppable does not dwell on tragedy， but instead celebrates Siggi’s ingenuity， hope， resolve and message: no matter how cruel or unjust the world may be， humans can overcome the past to achieve a bright future。
Reviews
Bob
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Summary: The biography of Siggi Wilzig， an Auschwitz Holocaust survivor who arrived in the U。S。 with $240 and built a fortune in both the oil and banking industries while speaking out against the Holocaust。His mother immediately went to the gas chamber。 His father was beaten to death。 In all， he lost 57 extended family members in the Holocaust。 He survived by his wits， and he believes， the hand of God。 This biography tells the story of Siggi Wilzig， who was not stopped by the brutalities of Ausc Summary: The biography of Siggi Wilzig， an Auschwitz Holocaust survivor who arrived in the U。S。 with $240 and built a fortune in both the oil and banking industries while speaking out against the Holocaust。His mother immediately went to the gas chamber。 His father was beaten to death。 In all， he lost 57 extended family members in the Holocaust。 He survived by his wits， and he believes， the hand of God。 This biography tells the story of Siggi Wilzig， who was not stopped by the brutalities of Auschwitz and a forced march to Mauthausen。 Starvation did not stop him。 He was not stopped by having only a couple of hundred dollars to his name and sweatshop labor。 Nor was he stopped by the anti-Semitic character of both the oil and banking industries through which he made his fortune。 He did not let the Fed stop him。He made three vows。 This biography describes how he fulfilled them。 He vowed never again to starve。 He vowed to raise healthy， productive Jewish children and help his people。 And he vowed to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive。When he arrived， his first job was to shovel snow in front of a Jewish store front。 In the late 40’s and 1950’s he worked in sweatshops and various traveling sales jobs。 He figured out how to sell anything。 He started investing in stocks， including Wilshire Oil。 At a party， he met Sol Diamond， another Wilshire investor， and together they hatched a plan to take over the company with Siggi as president。 They eventually acquired a significant enough share to influence the board， which accepted Siggi’s proposals to turn around the company。 This began the company’s meteoric rise and a subsequent purchase of an East coast electronics firm。 The challenge was to find adequate cash without exorbitant loans to fund the continued growth of the oil company。The solution that presented itself was to acquire a bank and “upstream” the profits。 His chosen target was the Trust Company of New Jersey （TCNJ）。 It was a small but profitable bank in which Wilshire eventually acquired an 87 percent interest。 Some of the most fascinating aspects of this book are the accounts of how Wilzig ran the bank。 He personally courted customers alternately wooing and cudgeling them to bring all their business to him。 Much was highly unconventional， and woe to the person， even a family member， who crossed him！ A portrait develops of a highly driven man relentlessly pursuing success， unwilling to take no for an answer。 He eventually built a bank with $100 million in assets to one with $4 billion。 When the Fed tells him that Wilshire must divest of the bank， he takes them to court。 Forced to divest， he develops a scheme where his daughter runs the oil company with his “advice” and he runs the bank。This brings us to family， and particularly his three children。 Sherry is most like him in business savvy， and at 23 runs the oil company。 Ivan， who Siggi wants to become a lawyer for the bank， and heir apparent， wants nothing of it， but submerges his desire for a music career for twenty years in the bank。 Eventually he achieves his dream with a Billboard hit and second career on Broadway， finally making his peace with his father。 Third son Alan eventually takes over the bank。 Naomi never breaks with Siggi， although she is distant from a man married first to his work。 What all understand and struggle with is the survivor who is never truly free of Auschwitz， plagued with nightmares and traumatic memories。Finally， Wilzig was devoted to perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust。 He was the first survivor to speak to West Point Cadets。 He was named to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Council during Jimmy Carter’s presidency and helped the Council work through a thicket of issues before the Museum was finally opened in 1993。 He spoke forcefully against Reagan’s visit to the SS cemetery at Bitburg and Reagan’s unintended equating of the German soldiers there with the Jews who died in the Holocaust。 Dying of multiple myeloma， through the special efforts of Ivan， he records testimony of his Holocaust experience。Nothing stopped him from keeping his vows。 Joshua Greene renders a complex， multi-faceted person。 His genuine interest in customers， his ability to crack one liners one minute， only to launch into a tirade the next， his shrewd ability to assess a balance sheet， his love of his children and grandchildren， his loyalty to friends and employees like partner in survival Larry Martel， and his effort to utterly control their destinies， and his undying commitment to keep alive the memory of the Holocaust all combine in this man who was small of stature， with thick， coiffed hair。 This is a fascinating biography of a man I’d never heard of who carried the trauma of the Holocaust but was never stopped by it。 Greene’s biography also succeeds in doing what Siggi himself sought to do， keeping alive the memory of the Holocaust as the survivors pass into blessed memory。____________________________Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions I have expressed are my own。 。。。more
Joanjohnstonkrs
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Interesting read about an extremely likeable and simultaneously equally unlikeable man， who survived death camps and became a wealthy businessman 。 It’s completely understandable how his experiences coloured his world view， but it doesn’t help resolve the complex problems of Israel and Palestine。
Stacey
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5。0 Writing a review can be easy; I think biographical reviews are harder to write。。 What content to extrapolate is necessary to capture the character of a man， but to not let the review read as a biography or for that matter， War and Peace。I thought this book would be how an eighteen yr old survived two concentration camps。 Friends said this is a happy book， not a burden。 They said it's a feel good book -all the way。 So。。 you need to know this book is not about life in Germany or Poland。 It's a 5。0 Writing a review can be easy; I think biographical reviews are harder to write。。 What content to extrapolate is necessary to capture the character of a man， but to not let the review read as a biography or for that matter， War and Peace。I thought this book would be how an eighteen yr old survived two concentration camps。 Friends said this is a happy book， not a burden。 They said it's a feel good book -all the way。 So。。 you need to know this book is not about life in Germany or Poland。 It's about a hero of sorts， who had an exceptional drive to succeed and knew how high to jump in order to clear the hurdles。 Siggi Wilzig got off the ship in 1947-America- donning an extremely thick head of dark hair and a huge smile。 He had no money and had somewhat of an elementary school education， but knew he had a generous heart， people skills， and had been told he has a fabulous sense of humor 。 Siggi wouldn't know what these traits were worth until later。 He got his very first job shoveling snow for a dollar; the next - cleaning toilets in a sweatshop， with no complaints。 Because this is America， he would say。 In order to get more jobs， Siggi pretends to have the knowledge， ultimately impressing his bosses by turning a profit for their small businesses。 Speak the language， study the jobs Siggi knows。 Enter the late 50's and 60's ; Siggi sees many companies refusing to hire and do business with Jews。 Well， I know a little something about that。 He uses the gifts of his persona to diffuse the issue knowing by now he owns a reputation of business acumen coupled by outstanding ethics。 He makes the move to cultivate some difficult relationships and it pays off。 The deals that went solid would put him in the limelight and Siggi of course， had his own set of cheerleaders。 He is now President and CEO of The Wilshire Oil Company。 Not enough， Siggi thinks， I want more， and more he got。 His heart， he knew was about to take over。 And so it goes， that Siggi became the President of a New York Stock Exchange company; a full service bank- where he tops it's assets to over 4 billion dollars。Siggi vowed three things when he touched American turf; in this order: " To never go hungry again To support the Jewish people To speak out against injustice。"When asked if he forgot his past- "No"， he said with humility "I am in Auschwitz every day" 。 Siggi lived an extraordinary life that wasn't handed to him nor was it luck。 Though he dined with Presidents， Heads of State， and VIP's， his loyalty was to family every employee， and to Israel。 He leaves a legacy as a Humanitarian， Activist， and Jewish Philanthropist。 He impresses me as a gentleman。 。。。more
vaderbird
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An incredible read！5 star - Perfect4 star - i would recommend3 star - good2 star - struggled to complete1 star - could not finish
Robertjruttenberg
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Sensational I read this book in one day。 You will too。 A great story and extraordinary well written。 What a guy
Lisa
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I just started this book but had to review it because my father who passed away in 2014 was a Holocaust survivor and was in Buchenwald。 He told the many horrors of this time in his young life。 He was 16 when he was liberated and weighed 58 pounds transferred to a Red Cross facility and then brought to America NJ to recuperate。 I am reviewing this early but will come back once finished。 I started the book last night， it was hard to put down and get to bed but I did and I am looking forward to con I just started this book but had to review it because my father who passed away in 2014 was a Holocaust survivor and was in Buchenwald。 He told the many horrors of this time in his young life。 He was 16 when he was liberated and weighed 58 pounds transferred to a Red Cross facility and then brought to America NJ to recuperate。 I am reviewing this early but will come back once finished。 I started the book last night， it was hard to put down and get to bed but I did and I am looking forward to continuing with this necessary book today。 Thank you Joshua Greene for the detailed description of the camps， so hard to。 picture my sweet father in the midst of all that horror。 Today would have been my dads 93rd birthday， I am reading this for hi and for all the survivors and for all who were lost。 。。。more
Lisa
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Could not finish。
wade
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The inspirational story of holocaust survivor of Siggi Wilzig as he moves to America as a penniless immigrant to America to become one of the most influential business magnates in our country。 This is truly a remarkable story of a man with a passion to succeed and a drive to make sure the holocaust is never forgotten。 The biography is definitely a "puff" piece as a flaws that Siggi has are brushed under the carpet and excused because of his prior terrible life experience。 The book drips with bia The inspirational story of holocaust survivor of Siggi Wilzig as he moves to America as a penniless immigrant to America to become one of the most influential business magnates in our country。 This is truly a remarkable story of a man with a passion to succeed and a drive to make sure the holocaust is never forgotten。 The biography is definitely a "puff" piece as a flaws that Siggi has are brushed under the carpet and excused because of his prior terrible life experience。 The book drips with bias which can be excused I guess。 。。。more
Maggie Marshall
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Great Auschwitz survival story。 Listened to on hoopla， and stumbled upon as I was looking for my next audiobook。 Great narration brings the main character to life。
BOOKLOVER EB
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Siegbert （Siggi） Wilzig was one of eight children born to Sophie and Isidore Wilzig in 1926 in Krojanke， West Prussia。 Isidore made a modest living buying and selling scrap metal and pelts。 From an early age， Siggi was self-confident and a student of human nature; he learned how to size people up by observing their facial expressions， manner， and gestures。 Before the rise of Nazism， the Wilzigs were proud German Jews。 However， in 1936， when it became clear that their lives were in danger， they f Siegbert （Siggi） Wilzig was one of eight children born to Sophie and Isidore Wilzig in 1926 in Krojanke， West Prussia。 Isidore made a modest living buying and selling scrap metal and pelts。 From an early age， Siggi was self-confident and a student of human nature; he learned how to size people up by observing their facial expressions， manner， and gestures。 Before the rise of Nazism， the Wilzigs were proud German Jews。 However， in 1936， when it became clear that their lives were in danger， they fled to Berlin， where Isidore found a job and Siggi attended elementary school。 The Wilzigs' hopes for a haven in the German capital were dashed， however， when the government "began restricting all aspects of Jewish public and private life。""Unstoppable，" by Joshua Greene， is a compelling and well-researched work of non-fiction， based on a variety of primary and secondary sources。 It is the bittersweet biography of a courageous， street-smart， and tenacious individual who witnessed unspeakable atrocities， and endured years of malnutrition， beatings， forced labor， imprisonment in concentration camps， and death marches。 Siggi emigrated to America in 1947， when he was twenty-one。 Since he was blessed—or cursed—with a phenomenal memory， he was able to provide detailed oral testimony to the Shoah Foundation about his experiences at the hands of the Nazis。 Siggi grew into adulthood suffering from PTSD， a condition that would affect him personally and professionally。His post-Holocaust accomplishments are legendary。 After working at a variety of menial jobs， Wilzig taught himself the basics of finance and business。 Eventually， he built on his acquired knowledge and rose to manage an oil and banking empire at a time when most Jews were excluded from such positions。 Siggi made multi-million-dollar deals， hired excellent staff， and earned a reputation as a workaholic and problem-solver who stood up to anti-Semites and meddlesome government regulators。 He was also generous， philanthropic， and one of the driving forces behind the establishment of the United States Holocaust Museum。 To Greene's credit， he does not whitewash Siggi's flaws。 Wilzig could be domineering， loud， and overbearing， even towards his loved ones， and sadly， this shrewd， successful， and complex man was never able to exorcise the inner demons that haunted hm until the day he died。 "Unstoppable" is a fascinating， inspiring， and sobering account of a brilliant and resourceful survivor who was proud of his triumphs but remained guilt-ridden that he lived while so many others perished。 。。。more
Carolyn Hecht
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Important book。 Important book。 Riveting。 Should be required reading for everyone in the world。 This book will stay with me for the rest of my life。
Linda
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Digging WilzigsSad book but a good lesson in the history of concentration camps and World War 11。 A great show of determination
Miriam
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In honor and memory of Holocaust survivors everywhere。Joshua M。 Greene’s latest biography “Unstoppable” is all about Siggi B。 Wilzig， a man who survived two concentration camps， Nazi torture， and came to America and made a fortune all while talking about the Holocaust to anyone he encountered。 The book， subtitled “Siggi B。 Wilzig’s Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend” honors and remembers all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and to In honor and memory of Holocaust survivors everywhere。Joshua M。 Greene’s latest biography “Unstoppable” is all about Siggi B。 Wilzig， a man who survived two concentration camps， Nazi torture， and came to America and made a fortune all while talking about the Holocaust to anyone he encountered。 The book， subtitled “Siggi B。 Wilzig’s Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend” honors and remembers all those who lost their lives in the Holocaust and to the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis。 Greene’s biography follows the life of Siegbert （Siggi） Wilzig， who was born in 1926 in Krojanke， West Prussia， Germany。 He was the second youngest of eight children， one of three to survive。 In 1947， he arrived in America， having survived to Auschwitz and Mauthausen， with $240 in his pocket。 With tenacity， perseverance， and a good amount of chutzpa and lots of business savvy， Wilzig made his fortune。 After working a number of jobs， he bluffed and earned his way by purchasing stocks， then companies。 Siggi Wilzig became president of an oil & gas company and a bank， both industries with few to no Jews。 From there， he built his fortune， sometimes skirting the line of legality。 Along the way， Wilzig gave generously to Jewish causes and frequently lecturing about the Holocaust。 Now his children and grandchildren head philanthropic organizations and support Holocaust education and remembrance。 “Unstoppable” is both easy and hard to read。 Greene’s writing style is fluid and down-to-earth， drawing in the reader。 Wilzig’s life unfolds a chapter at a time。 The chapters on his business practices and economics are eye-opening。It goes without saying that books about the Holocaust are difficult for anyone to absorb。 Greene， using Wilzig’s words and speeches， doesn’t sugarcoat the atrocities。 Many scenes are hard to read with impossible to imagine details。 This history needs to be told and to be read。“Unstoppable” is an ode to Wilzig， to the survivors who， against all odds， went on to build lives and raise children， and to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive。 This last is most important as the generation of survivors passes on。 The torch is passed to their children and grandchildren， to all of us to remember， to never forget the evil that the Nazis did， and to speak up against plots to destroy nations and peoples。Thursday & Friday April 8-9， 2021 are Yom HaShoah， Holocaust Remembrance Day。 “Unstoppable” is the perfect book to read and remember the 6 million Jews and the millions of others who lost their lives to the Holocaust and Nazi atrocities。 Long may we remember。Thanks to Insight Editions for an ARC to read and review。 。。。more
mic
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