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Joseph Wilf, father of Vikings owners, dies

A Holocaust survivor who along with his brother founded one of the nation's largest real estate development firms has died. Joseph Wilf was 91.

Joseph Wilf

HILLSIDE, N.J. (AP) - A Holocaust survivor who along with his brother founded one of the nation's largest real estate development firms has died. Joseph Wilf was 91.

Wilf died Wednesday at home in Hillside, New Jersey. The death was announced by the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, who are owned by Wilf's sons, Zygi and Mark.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 18: (L-R) Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf take a walk on the field during the pregame against the New Orleans Saints at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on December 18, 2011 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Joseph Wilf was born in Jaroslaw, Poland. When World War II started, he was deported to a Siberian labor camp with his brother, Harry, and their parents. All four survived, though the couple's daughter, Bella, died in the Warsaw ghetto.

Joseph Wilf and his wife immigrated to the U.S. in 1950. Four years later, Wilf and his brother founded Garden Homes, which is now one of the largest real estate companies in the United States and in Israel.

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