Jewish Heritage Month 2025: Meet Igor Biselman

Jewish history is also a story of immigration and diaspora. But moving from one country to another, particularly lands as different as the U.S.S.R. and the United States in the 1980s, is easier to do when you are a child. Igor Biselman, Head of Equity Options, TD Securities, arrived in the U.S. from Ukraine at age four, but he notes the transition was much harder for his parents. And he is grateful for their sacrifices and hard work, which set him and his brother up for the success they now enjoy.

"They were actually fairly well off for the time in Ukraine," he explains. "But they left because my father wasn't able to study what he wanted, medicine." When they arrived in New York, his father, now an engineer, was washing cars and his mother cleaned houses. "It's easier to go from poverty to poverty, so it was hard for them. For me and my brother though, we grew up like that, so it didn't feel different to us. I never knew we were poor."

His parents worked diligently and ended up owning several businesses. They initially lived in a one-bedroom apartment with his aunt and grandmother. Their efforts and sacrifices made a deep impression on Igor. "You have a different sense of hunger when your parents are immigrants," he explains. "Accomplishing something is not just for me. They gave up a lot for me and my brother, so we really wanted to make that worth it for them. Failure was not an option!"

Although he did not grow up as an observant Jew, Judaism was important to him and became more so as he got older. "I grew up proud to be Jewish, even though we didn't live in heavily Jewish areas," he notes. "And family is at the heart of Jewish values."

As a result, family has always been at the center of everything for Igor. His father was very involved with the United Jewish Appeal (UJA) and Chabad, which emphasizes connecting with God through intellectual understanding, spiritual connection, and practical deeds. Chabad centers, run by rabbis and their families, serve as community centers for Jewish people of all backgrounds, offering education, outreach and a welcoming environment. So Igor became involved with them as well; he and his family have become major donors, and he attends services at a Chabad synagogue with his father.

When the October 7 attack happened in Israel, his family hosted a charity day at his father's food store. He is proud of the fact that, even when his parents were struggling, they gave money or time to charities. He now makes it a point to donate 10% of his income, including to non-Jewish organizations. He is concerned about rising antisemitism and believes strongly that community support and activism is critical in combating it.

"We weren't religious, but we were taught Jewish values," he notes. He met his wife at New York University and says wryly that everything happens for a reason. Due to an error, he and his roommate were not put into the residence of their choice. His last pick where he ended up living, was also where he met his future spouse and two of his eventual best friends. Since marrying his wife, he has become more observant and enjoys the fact that the sabbath, Saturday, is also cherished family time. "That residence error started me on my Jewish life," he says.

As for Jewish Heritage Month, he has a simple take on it. "For me, it's not a month. It's a way of living."