Billionaire Jews: Bloomberg, Lauren, and Lauder Top Forbes’ List (it’s not who you think)

‘Tis the season to be ranking, tra la la la la, la la la la.

In keeping track of all the lists currently being released, I came across Forbes’ list of the “20 Most Intriguing Billionaire Heiresses.”

Gracing the list were three lovely young women who (theoretically) could show up in a shul near you. They are: Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of New York Mayor and possible presidential hopeful, Michael Bloomberg; Dylan Lauren, daughter of fashion king Ralph Lauren and owner of Dylan’s Candy Bar; and Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer of Lauder cosmetic fame.

Let’s take a brief look at our budding billionairesses.

A Brief Note on Family Names

• Estee Lauder, grandmother of Aerin, was born Josephine Esther Mentzer. She married Joseph Lauter and they changed their names to Lauder before starting the company
• Ralph Lauren, father of Dylan, was born to Fraydl Kotlar and Frank Lifshitz. His birth name was Ralph Lifshitz (pictured right)
• As you can guess, the Bloomberg name remained the same
  

On a gossipy note, the stories of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, nee Richard Klein, are often compared as they grew up in the same era, same Bronx neighborhood, and of similar Eastern European Jewish backgrounds. Klein and ex-wife Jayne Centre had one daughter, Marci, who is 33.

Georgina Bloomberg

The young Ms. Bloomberg, 22, is well known for her love of horses. She is the founder of Riders Closet, an organization which collects and distributes used riding gear and equipment to collegiate horse lovers. Bloomberg is seeking a place on the 2008 Olympic team as a championship rider.

Emma, the elder Bloomberg daughter (who did not make the list), earned top honors at Princeton and went on to Harvard to do a joint masters in public policy and business. She was a key player in her father’s mayoral campaign.

Georgina Bloomberg’s net worth is $11.5 billion.

Read more about Bloomberg here and Riders Closet here and here.

Dylan Lauren

Dylan Lauren, 33, is the proprietor of Dylan’s Candy Bar, the product of a lifelong dream to build a candy empire like Willy Wonka’s. As you would expect, the store also includes a fashion section branded with Dylan’s Candy Bar t-shirts and other paraphernalia.

Lauren is well known for her savvy style sense and has most recently been named as one of the “25 Most Stylish New Yorkers” by US Weekly Magazine.

Describing how her love of travel and art influenced her candy shop, Lauren says:

“I just started becoming obsessed with finding more unusual candy. [I] loved pop art and certain artists like Warhol and Claes Oldenburg who worked with candy wrappers and packaging, and I started doing my own candy artwork.”

Lauren cites her background as an Art History major as one of the central inspirations to her candy shop:

“The candy is so beautiful and the shapes and colors… then I start thinking about the architecture looking like real candy. Movies like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory were very inspiring, and going to Disneyland. Seeing ways to make the store really unusual.”

Dylan’s Candy Bar is known for its vast array of candy, candy-inspired architecture, and birthday parties (for children at heart of all ages).

Parents are Ralph and Ricky Lauren, brother is David.

Dylan Lauren’s net worth is $4.7 billion.

Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer

Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer, 37, is the Vice President of Global Advertising at Estee Lauder Companies and the spokesmodel for the perfume Tuberose Gardenia. She has previously served as the Marketing Director for Prescriptives, Creative Product Development Director, and Executive Director of Creative Marketing.

Lauder’s style and glamorous appeal is synchronous with her upbringing in her family’s cosmetics clan– but she is also known as a powerhouse within the corporation. The year 2003 saw the Estee Lauder Companies hit an 8% growth in sales reaching $5 billion, a jump which was attributed in great part to Lauder’s leadership.

Lauder’s work at the company and success as a brand manager and creative director has been widely recognized as a tribute to her grandmother’s legacy.

Parents are Ronald Lauder and Carole Jo Knopf, sister is Jane, a marketing manager at Clinique Laboratories. Husband is Eric Zinterhofer (pictured above).

Aerin Lauder Zintofer’s net worth is $3.2 billion.

Read more about the Lauder family: “BusinessWeek Names Estee Lauder’s Breast Cancer Campaign to Philanthropy Hall of Fame.”

Photo Credits

Photos sourced from the following: silver spoon, Ralph Lauren (attributed to multiple sources), Georgina Bloomberg, Emma Bloomberg Frissora, Dylan Lauren, and Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer and Eric Zinterhofer.

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