Podcast
Voices of Impact
Hosted by World Jewish Congress NextGen · EN
Isaac Raskas Ohrenstein, a Harvard student and WJC-Lauder Fellow, sits down with leaders and changemakers in the Jewish world to explore their impactful work across business, politics, academia, and philanthropy. Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and the World Jewish Congress website.
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Roots, Racing, and Rule-Breaking: Alan Wilzig
1w ago00:46:02Tap to summarizeAlan Wilzig is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and semi-professional race car driver. He previously served as CEO, President, and Chairman of the Trust Company of New Jersey. Alan serves on the board of the Wilzig Family Foundation and contributed to the acclaimed biography of his father, titled Unstoppable: Siggi B. Wilzig's Astonishing Journey from Auschwitz Survivor and Penniless Immigrant to Wall Street Legend. Alan is the owner of the largest racetrack zoned for private use in the United States, located in upstate New York, and is a creator of the Wilzig Castle on Long Island. Alan was also a co-owner of Kutsher's Tribeca and helped found the Chabad of Southampton. He is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Transcribe →Ethics, Empathy, and Execution: Dov Seidman
4w ago00:38:11Tap to summarizeDov Seidman is an entrepreneur, author, and a leading voice on ethical leadership and corporate culture. He is the founder of LRN, a company he led as CEO for 25 years, and the founder of The HOW Institute for Society, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing moral leadership and values-based decision-making. Dov serves on the boards of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, 92nd Street Y, Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine, and Planet Word. He has spoken at organizations including the United Nations, World Economic Forum, Apple, National Football League, and Aspen Ideas Festival, and he is the best-selling author of HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything Dov earned degrees in moral philosophy from the University of California and the University of Oxford before receiving his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Transcribe →Competition, Capital, and Chess: Boaz Weinstein
Jun 2300:38:19Tap to summarizeBoaz Weinstein is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Saba Capital Management, a New York–based investment firm focused on credit and relative value strategies. He founded Saba in 2009 following the spinout of Deutsche Bank’s proprietary credit trading business, which he built into one of the bank’s leading trading platforms. Boaz graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Philosophy and earned the title of National Master in chess at age 16.
Transcribe →Momentum, Markets, and Mindset: Tal Cohen
Jun 500:23:32Tap to summarizeTal Cohen is President of Nasdaq, where he leads the company’s market services and financial technology divisions and oversees its North American and European exchanges. Before joining Nasdaq, he served as CEO of Chi-X Global Holdings and Senior Vice President and Co-Head of Electronic Trading for North America at Instinet. Tal also worked in mergers and acquisitions at American Express and began his career at Arthur Andersen. He has served on the boards of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada and the Canadian Depository for Securities. Tal holds a B.A. from SUNY Albany and an M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business.
Transcribe →Predictions, Patterns, and Principles: Igor Tulschinsky
May 2800:19:53Tap to summarizeIgor Tulchinsky is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of WorldQuant, a global quantitative asset manager with 28 offices and over 1,000 employees. He oversees strategy, research, and portfolio management, founding the firm in 2007. Igor spent 12 years prior in statistical arbitrage at Millennium Management. Earlier, he worked as a venture capitalist, scientist at AT&T Bell Labs, programmer, and authored The Age of Prediction, Finding Alphas, and The UnRules. Igor also launched WorldQuant University, WorldQuant Foundry, and WorldQuant Ventures. He holds an M.A. in computer science from the University of Texas, completed in a record nine months, and an M.B.A. in finance and entrepreneurship from the Wharton School.
Transcribe →Ambition, Authority, and Artistry: Aby Rosen
May 600:49:37Tap to summarizeAby Rosen is a Principal and Co-Founder of RFR Holding LLC, a Manhattan-based real estate investment, development, and management company. He was born in Frankfurt, then part of West Germany, to parents who were Holocaust survivors. Over his career, Aby has built a portfolio that includes landmark properties such as the Seagram Building and the Lever House, as well as hospitality destinations like the W South Beach, The Jaffa, and the Gramercy Park Hotel. Beyond real estate, Aby is a prominent collector of modern and contemporary art, with works by artists including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, and Damien Hirst. He is also a founder of the CORE Club and recently acquired the historic movie theater in Southampton.
Transcribe →Antisemitism, Academia, and Advocacy: Dr. Charles Small
Mar 2500:43:15Tap to summarizeDr. Charles Small is the Founding Director and President of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). He established the ISGAP Oxford Summer Institute in Critical Antisemitism Studies in 2015 and previously served as the Founding Director of the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism. Charles is the author of several books and articles, including the five-volume Global Antisemitism: A Crisis of Modernity and The Yale Papers: Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective. He holds a BA in Political Science from McGill University, an MSc in Urban Economic Development Planning from University College London, and a DPhil from the University of Oxford.
Transcribe →Language, Leadership, Lineage: Arkady Suharenko
Mar 1600:36:01Tap to summarizeArkady Suharenko is Deputy Chairman of the Council and a major shareholder of Rietumu Banka, one of Latvia’s largest private banks. He also serves as head of the Latvian Jewish community, where he has overseen the reconstruction of Riga’s historic Peitav Synagogue, supported Holocaust memorial projects, and initiated the restitution of pre-war Jewish communal property. Arkady also owns the largest private collection of Judaic objects in the Baltic States. As Chairman of the Future Supporting Fund, he supports initiatives in art, culture, children’s programs, and medical causes. Arkady was awarded Latvia’s highest state honor, the Order of the Three Stars, in 2002.
Transcribe →Energy, Engineering, and Enterprise: Michael Polsky
Mar 800:28:56Tap to summarizeMichael Polsky is the founder and CEO of Invenergy, the world’s largest private developer, owner, and operator of energy solutions. Under his leadership, the company has developed more than 220 projects totaling over 38 gigawatts across 34 U.S. states and four continents. Michael established the Polsky Center for the Global Energy Transition at the World Resources Institute, the Polsky Energy Transition Leadership Academy at the University of Chicago, and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, where he serves as a Trustee Emeritus. He holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Transcribe →Education, Ethics, and Excellence: Dr. Merryl Tisch
Feb 100:25:41Tap to summarizeDr. Merryl H. Tisch is the Chair of the State University of New York, following her tenure as Vice Chair and previously as Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents. She serves on the board of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and as a Trustee of Barnard College. Merryl also sits on the executive committees of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Citizens Budget Commission, and she serves on the boards of the International Rescue Committee and the Trust for Cultural Resources of the City of New York. Alongside her husband James, Merryl has made major philanthropic investments in education and healthcare, including the Tisch Cancer Institute and the Tisch Cancer Hospital at Mount Sinai. Merryl holds degrees from Barnard College and New York University. She and her family live in New York City.
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