{"id":54006,"date":"2026-05-02T14:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T14:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/54006\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T14:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T14:06:15","slug":"jared-kushner-once-broke-up-with-ivanka-trump-because-she-wasnt-jewish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/54006\/","title":{"rendered":"Jared Kushner once broke up with Ivanka Trump because she wasn’t Jewish"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON \u2014 Donald Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka Trump and her Jewish husband Jared Kushner \u2014 often cited by those who wish to downplay accusations of anti-Semitism in the Trump campaign and validate the candidate\u2019s commitment to the Jewish community \u2014 once separated, three years into their relationship, because Ivanka was not a member of the tribe at the time.<\/p>\n

According to a report in the August 22 issue of The New Yorker<\/a>, the power couple, who met in 2005, briefly broke up in 2008 over religious differences, with Kushner, who is Modern Orthodox, pulling the plug.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe lingering issue was religion,\u201d the article said of the rupture. \u201cThe Kushners hoped that Jared would marry a Jewish woman\u2026 Donald Trump is Presbyterian, and Ivanka \u2014 who in the documentary \u2018Born Rich\u2019 appears wearing a necklace with a silver cross \u2014 was not what they\u2019d had in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kushner\u2019s parents, Charles and Seryl Kushner, raised their children in an Orthodox environment. \u201cThe family kept kosher and observed Shabbos; the children went to religious schools,\u201d said the piece\u2019s author, Lizzie Widdecombe.<\/p>\n

\t\"Media<\/a>
\n\t\tMedia mogul Rupert Murdoch (YouTube screen capture)<\/p>\n

The breakup was short-lived, however. Wendi Deng Murdoch, then still the wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and a friend of the couple, invited the two for a weekend on the Murdochs\u2019 yacht.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tGet The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
\n\t\t\tby email and never miss our top stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n

Shortly after, Kushner bought Ivanka a 5.22-carat diamond engagement ring and she went through a rigorous conversion process under the tutelage of Rabbi Haskel Lookstein at the Upper East Side\u2019s Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun.<\/p>\n

Deng, who divorced Murdoch in 2013, remains close friends with Ivanka Trump. They both vacationed in Croatia last week, with Trump hyping the excursion on her popular Instagram account.<\/p>\n

The 35-year-old Jared is a real estate developer and owner of The New York Observer, which he, under Murdoch\u2019s advice, purchased for roughly $10 million.<\/p>\n

The New York Times has described him<\/a> as Trump\u2019s \u201cde facto campaign manager,\u201d and he was reportedly highly influential in the billionaire\u2019s selection of a running mate. The New Yorker suggested an irony in Kushner\u2019s campaign role in that his parents are longtime donors to Democrats, including to Hillary Clinton\u2019s 2000 Senate campaign.<\/p>\n

His father, Charles Kushner, once served a two-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to a series of white-collar felonies, including filing false tax returns and making illegal campaign donations.<\/p>\n

\t\"Republican<\/a>
\n\t\tRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump, accompanied by, from second from left, wife Melania, daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, speaks during a campaign event in Waterloo, Iowa, February 1, 2016. (AP\/Paul Sancya)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kushner and Ivanka Trump, who observe Shabbat and keep kosher, now live on Park Avenue with their three children, the youngest of whom was born in March.<\/p>\n

Donald Trump referred to his then soon-to-be-born grandson in his address<\/a> at the 2016 AIPAC Policy Conference, saying: \u201cMy daughter, Ivanka, is about to have a beautiful Jewish baby.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Trump created another round of controversy for tweeting a picture of Clinton with a six-pointed star<\/a> superimposed with money and a caption that read \u201cMost corrupt candidate ever!\u201d Kushner sprang to his defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father-in-law is not an anti-Semite,\u201d he said in an op-ed<\/a> published in his newspaper. \u201cThe fact is that my father in law is an incredibly loving and tolerant person who has embraced my family and our Judaism since I began dating my wife. His support has been unwavering and from the heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New Yorker piece depicted the couple as apt to follow the improbable Republican hopeful regardless of his gaffes and policy proposals that have shaken the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo publicly break with one\u2019s father \u2014 or father-in-law \u2014 isn\u2019t easy. And for Ivanka and Jared it would be more than just awkward,\u201d the article said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be intolerable: viewed as a betrayal, grounds for banishment and reprisal. They would lose their position and their fortunes. Doing so would require acting against their own self-interest, as well as the interest of their families. And that\u2019s not something that they tend to do.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tWhich gorgeous bird do you prefer?\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

THIS MONTH ONLY: Join our reader support group for as little as $6\/month and receive an exclusive tote bag featuring one of Israel\u2019s native birds.<\/p>\n

Choose between the\u00a0Duchifat (yellow), Israel’s national bird, or the Shaldag (blue), a beloved symbol of the Israeli landscape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a member of the Times of Israel Community,\u00a0you’ll also enjoy:<\/p>\n


\nAn ad-free experience of our site and podcasts.
\nExclusive access to award-winning films via DocuNation.
\nWeekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin ToI Community & claim my bag\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tCLAIM YOUR BAG\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\tYou appreciate our wartime journalism\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWe\u2019re really pleased that you\u2019ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month. \n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.<\/p>\n

Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.<\/p>\n

So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing\u00a0exclusive content\u00a0available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON \u2014 Donald Trump\u2019s daughter Ivanka Trump and her Jewish husband Jared Kushner \u2014 often cited by those…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[33094,12,33095,105,2452,17240,74],"class_list":{"0":"post-54006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ivanka-trump","8":"tag-2016-us-presidential-elections","9":"tag-donald-trump","10":"tag-haskel-lookstein","11":"tag-ivanka-trump","12":"tag-jared-kushner","13":"tag-rupert-murdoch","14":"tag-trump"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116505371148806802","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}