Born to a Jewish family[1][2] in Cleveland, Stark is a graduate of Hawken School (1969), the University of Rochester (B.A.

[4][5] In 1990, he developed the Promenade of Westlake, one of the first strip malls that featured upscale tenants, expensive finishes, and a $1 million landscaped center.

[8][additional citation(s) needed] In 2010, Stark approached singer-songwriter Yehudah Katz to reinterpret and record some poetry he had written.

Produced by Gilad Vital of Shotei Hanevuah, the album received positive reviews and airplay in Israel and was played on El Al flights.

[14][15] In October 2011, Israel's fifth medical school opened in Safed, housed in a renovated historic building in the center of town that was once a branch of Hadassah Hospital.