His mother was Barbara Ingrid Beitz, an ethnic German whose parents were declared as "Righteous among the Nations" for providing refuge and risking their lives to save Jews during World War II.
[3] His father was the Jewish American media magnate William Ziff Jr, who had built the Ziff-Davis magazine empire founded by William Bernard Ziff Sr. that included titles such as Popular Aviation, PC Magazine, and Car and Driver.
[4] In 1989, Ziff graduated from the Trinity School in New York City where his father served as trustee.
[2] Ziff was - according Rob Goldstone - funding democrats while at the same time an architect of the Magnitsky Act.
[7][clarification needed] In 2009, Ziff married Leslie, who he later divorced, who serves on the boards of the American Ballet Theatre and Rosie's Theater Kids.