British businessman and philanthropist. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, of Eastern European immigrant parents, he has worked since age 14 and now heads a chain of 2,600 retail stores in Great Britain, Canada, and South Africa; he controls the largest mail-order enterprise outside the U.S. Wolfson is active in innumerable Jewish organizations, and has contributed more than $1 million to the Weizmann Institute of Science, as well as considerable funds to Youth Aliyah and other institutions. Heichal Shlomo, a religious center in Jerusalem, was built by him as a memorial to his father. In 1955, he set up the Isaac Wolfson Foundation which has since donated more than $15 million to worthy British causes. He was created a baronet in 1962 “for philanthropic services.” Wolfson was an observant Jew and served as president of the United Synagogue. In March 1963, Sir Isaac made a contribution of rare munificence in the sum of $2 million to help develop community projects in Acre, Israel. The unparalleled extent and variety of his benefactions places him in the foremost ranks of philanthropists in Jewish history.