Born in Brisley, Norfolk. Wise was born on March 17, 1874, in Budapest in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son and grandson of rabbis and their wives. Born in Budapest, he was an toddler when his family members immigrated to New York. Heffernan, Virginia. "Dad's Out of the Closet His Child Wants to Hide", The New York Times, June 18, 2004, p. When Wise's father sought to unionize the business, Moric gave the loved ones 1-way tickets to New York.