Charles Kushner

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Charles Kushner (born May 16, 1954) is a New Jersey real estate magnate and a major donor to Democratic politicians, most notably to former Governor of New Jersey Jim McGreevey.[1] In 2005, following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey, Kushner was convicted of witness tampering, tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions and was sentenced to two years in prison;[2] he has since been released. His son Jared Kushner is the owner of the New York Observer,[3] and is married to Ivanka Trump.[4]

[edit] Philanthropy

Kushner is also well known for his charitable donations to both Jewish and educational institutions.

Perhaps the most notable of the Kushner family's philanthropic ventures was the dedication of Joseph Kushner Building of the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Charles Kushner's father, Joseph, for whom he named the building, had been a longtime member of the Jewish community and major force in the JEC's early growth.

Kushner also funded the building of the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy (Pre-K through 8) and the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (grades 9-12), two connected Modern Orthodox Jewish institutions in Livingston, New Jersey. The schools are named after his deceased parents, both Holocaust survivors.[5]

The School of Law building at Hofstra University is named in honor of him and his wife Seryl.[6] Kushner graduated from New York University and Hofstra Law.

[edit] Real estate development

In 2003, New York University and Kushner Properties announced that the University has signed a 15-year lease for three floors, comprising 75,000 square feet (7,000 m2) of contiguous space, in the historic Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.[7]

In 2007, Kushner abandoned his New Jersey real estate operation in order to focus on the New York market[citation needed], and in particular the building at 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York, that he purchased in early 2007.[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Sullivan, John. "Like an 'Abandoned Planet'", The New York Times, August 22, 2004. Accessed December 24, 2007. "There was the murmur of reporters and photographers trading the rumor of the moment, punctuated and fanned by cellphones ringing with tips -- like the one on Tuesday that the United States attorney, up the Turnpike in Newark, was planning to announce a plea agreement involving Charles Kushner, a developer from Livingston who is one of the top Democratic contributors in the country."
  2. ^ Smothers, Ronald. [1], The New York Times, March 5, 2005. Accessed September 10, 2009. "Charles Kushner, a multimillionaire real estate executive, philanthropist and one of the top Democratic donors in the country, was sentenced on Friday to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign donations."
  3. ^ Sherman, Gabriel. [2], New York Magazine', July 12, 2009. Accessed on September 10, 2009.
  4. ^ http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/07/76473/
  5. ^ Dickter, Adam. "Kushner Fallout Unclear", The Jewish Week, July 23, 204. Accessed July 16, 2007. "Kushner is most closely associated with the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston, named for his father, a Holocaust survivor, and the Kushner Hebrew High School."
  6. ^ www.hofstra.edu/pdf/ur_grad04_Facilities434-437.pdf
  7. ^ Dunlap, David W. [3], The New York Times, July 22, 2003. Accessed September 10, 2009.
  8. ^ Bagli, Charles V. "Big Deal, Even in Manhattan: A Tower Goes for $1.8 Billion", The New York Times, December 7, 2006. Accessed November 12, 2007.
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