Born to a
Jewish family, the son of Joseph and Elizabeth Wilf, who were both
Holocaust survivors from
Nazi occupied Poland. Mark's father,
Joseph Wilf (1925–2016), was the first North American Chair of the
March of the Living, which dedicated the 2017 March of the Living to his memory. Mark has one brother,
Zygi Wilf. The Wilf family immigrated to the United States from Europe in the early 1950s and settled in
Hillside, New Jersey. After a brief stint as used car salesmen, Joseph and his brother Harry Wilf began purchasing apartment buildings and renting units. Eventually, the brothers began building single-family homes and founded
Garden Homes. A successful real estate developer, his two main family-run businesses, Garden Homes and Garden Commercial Properties, have constructed some 25,000 homes in 39 states across the country since their initial ventures; the two entities and their affiliates own and manage in retail and business property. Wilf received a B.A. from
Princeton University and then a J.D from the
New York University School of Law. After graduation, Wilf joined the family real estate business, Garden Homes. In 2005, Wilf and his brother Zygi Wilf, took control of the
Minnesota Vikings with advisement on the deal coming from international law firm
Greenberg Traurig and former Vikings COO
Kevin Warren. Wilf was appointed president and his brother Zygi, CEO. As president, Wilf manages the day-to-day operations of the team and directs all its business departments. ==Philanthropy==