Charles Kushner
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Charles Kushner 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]
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[edit] Philanthropy
Charles 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 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.[2]
The School of Law building at Hofstra University is named in honor of him and his wife Seryl.[3]
[edit] Real estate development
In 2004, 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.[citation needed]
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.[4]
[edit] Convictions and controversy
On August 19, 2004, he pleaded guilty to tax violations and charges related to witness tampering. The witness tampering charges addressed an incident in which Kushner tried to use a prostitute in a blackmail scheme. The plea deal did not require Kushner to cooperate with investigators.[citation needed]
Kushner sponsored the work visa for Golan Cipel, Governor McGreevey's alleged lover.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ 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."
- ^ 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."
- ^ www.hofstra.edu/pdf/ur_grad04_Facilities434-437.pdf
- ^ 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.
