Summit Library Presents Virtual Talk By Popular Holocaust Author

Summit NJ

11 August, 2021

12:21 PM

Description

SUMMIT, NJ —The Summit Free Public Library has announced that author and lecturer Joshua M. Greene will speak via Zoom on Aug. 17 about his book "Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend." The free virtual event will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The moderated discussion will be followed by a Q & A. Wilzig, according to his 2003 obituary in the New York Times, was sent to Auschwitz at age 16 and came to the United States in 1947, getting his first job shoveling snow in the Bronx after a winter blizzard. After pursuing a number of trades in the 1950s, Wilzig put his meager savings into the stock market, where he hit on the Wilshire Oil Company of Texas. By 1965, Wilzig was elected a member of Wilshire's board and, at the age of 39, became the company's president and chief executive. Eventually, the oil company acquired a large interest in Trust Company of New Jersey, and Wilzig was elected chairman and president of the bank in 1971. Wilzig also had many philanthropic interests, especially relating to the Holocaust. In 1980, he was appointed to the Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington "Wilzig's story is a lesson in how to triumph over adversity, despite life's challenges. By reading this true story, readers should come away with the fact that they are capable of doing a lot more than they can imagine," the library said in a press release. Published in April, Greene's book was named "Best Holocaust Book -2021" in the Best of Los Angeles Awards. Library Journal called the book "a must-read that hopefully will be adapted for the screen." Greene, according to his website, is a popular lecturer on Holocaust history and spiritual quest, who is the author of a series of Holocaust survivor memoirs for Scholastic that have sold more than a quarter of a million copies. His work on survivor testimony "Witness: Voices from the Holocaust," was the basis for a documentary on PBS. Other notable works by Greene include: "Justice at Dachau: The Trials of an American Prosecutor" and the bestselling book "Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison." Those wishing to virtually attend Greene's lecture, should contact the Summit Free Public Library at 908-273-0350, option 3. A complimentary hardcover copy of "Unstoppable" will be included with registration for the first fifty attendees, and will be available to pick up at the Summit Free Public Library, 75 Maple St. According to the library, the program is made possible through funding from the Manley Winser Foundation.