Early Life

• Born in the Bronx, New York, to a Jewish immigrant family of modest means; father's side traced to Moldova (then Bessarabia), mother's family shaped by Depression-era poverty and instability
• Grew up in a one-bedroom, then two-bedroom, tenement; raised under strict "tough love" discipline from both parents
• A childhood knee injury at age eight (resulting in cartilage removal surgery) became a formative lesson in resilience
• Became a standout baseball player, which carried into college athletics

Education

• Attended Hunter College (CUNY) on full scholarship; nearly derailed by serious illness and a probation period, but recovered academically and graduated in psychology
• Earned a master's and doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Florida, becoming the youngest person to receive that doctorate from the university at 24
• During his graduate practicum in South Carolina, advocated against the forced sterilization of institutionalized children and personally confronted Jim Crow-era racism and Klan activity in Gainesville

Career

• Spent roughly 11 years as a psychologist and university professor, including running a clinical practice for chronic pain patients
• Transitioned into business through executive search and consulting work (met through handball connections), eventually authoring the financial plan to re-franchise the Coca-Cola bottling system in the 1980s
• Built and ran fast-food restaurant locations (Del Taco, Krystal, a concept called Montana Grill)
• Turned a surplus of Rice Krispie treats into a multimillion-dollar regional snack business
• Co-founded DisplayIt in 1996 with son Josh — an early internet-based trade show exhibit company that grew to 95 employees before being sold to a private equity firm around 2016–2017

Family

• Married five times; describes warm, civil relationships with most ex-wives
• Has been married to his current wife, Judy, for over 24 years
• Four children — Oren (reconnected with as an adult), Jennifer, Josh, and Quinn — plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren
• Experienced the loss of a young grandson, Andy, which became a defining point in his later spiritual journey

Faith & Values

• Underwent a spiritual awakening in midlife, including baptism and participation in the Walk to Emmaus retreat, where he describes two experiences of feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit
• Emphasizes kindness, careful truthfulness, and helping others as the cure for a sense of purposelessness

Philanthropy & Later Life

• Supports several causes, including a youth mentorship program in Atlanta, a Nicaragua-based aid mission, a Nigerian medical center initiative, and the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation (having served 15 years in the Coast Guard Auxiliary)
• Runs a personal mission of restoring and selling classic Porsches, donating proceeds to charity
• Survived three near-death experiences, including a 2004 medical emergency that prompted him to build a retirement home on Lake Keowee, South Carolina
• Remains an active competitive tennis player in his eighties, after decades of competitive handball