Murray Kushner
Murray Kushner is an American real estate developer.
Murray Kushner | |
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Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA, JD) |
Known for | Founder of The KRE Group |
Spouse(s) | Lee Kushner |
Children | 2, including Marc Kushner |
Parent(s) |
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Relatives |
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Early life
Kushner's parents, Joseph Kushner and Rae Kushner were Jews born in eastern Poland and Holocaust survivors, who came to America from the USSR[1] by way of Italy in 1949.[2] His father worked as a construction worker and concurrently as an independent builder, while investing in real estate, eventually building a portfolio totaling 4,000 New Jersey apartments.[3][4] The Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy and the Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, in Livingston, New Jersey, built by Charles Kushner, are named after them.[3][5] Murray Kushner has two sisters, Esther and Linda, and a younger brother, Charles.[1] Murray graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, and then went on to obtain a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.[1]
Career
After school, he worked for the family real estate business, and after his father's death, he and his siblings equally divided ownership of the company.[1] His relationship with his brother eventually deteriorated over investment decisions, especially Murray's veto on the purchase of Berkshire Realty, a firm that owned 24,000 apartments, which would have made Kushner Properties the largest privately held real-estate firm in the region.[1] In 2000, the brothers decided to no longer work together as business partners.[1] His firm The KRE Group, has since grown to more than 100 full-time employees, with a portfolio of 9,000 apartments and 6 million square feet of office and industrial property.[6]
KRE has developed projects throughout the Northeast Corridor, with several located in Downtown Jersey City.[7][8][9] In July, 2014, the company began construction on the first phase of Journal Squared, a residential development adjacent to the Journal Square Transportation Center. The project will be constructed in three phases, and is approved for a total of 1,838 units, including a 70-story building, which will be one of the tallest buildings in Jersey City when completed.[10][11][12][13][14]
Personal life
Kushner married Lee Kushner,[1] and they raised their children in Modern Orthodox Judaism.[15] He has two sons, Jon and Ari. His first wife died and he remarried. His wife came into the marriage with a son and daughter. His son Jonathan Kushner has taken over The KRE Group. [16][17] He has a son Ari Kushner that passed away on September 16, 2020. His son Marc is an architect and married Christopher Barley in a Jewish ceremony in 2012. [15] Kushner is a prominent supporter of governor Chris Christie.[16] His wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the mid-1990s, and they dedicate much of their philanthropic activities to finding a cure.[18] He remains estranged from his brother Charles Kushner.[16]
References
- Sherman, Gabriel (July 12, 2009). "The Legacy". New York. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- Heyman, Marshall (May 15, 2014). "City Real-Estate Royalty Gives to Israeli Hospital". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- Elkies, Lauren (November 1, 2007). "The Closing: Charles Kushner" Archived 2010-05-31 at the Wayback Machine. The Real Deal. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- "Charles Kushner" Archived 2012-01-10 at the Wayback Machine Cityfile. Gawker Media. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- "Mini Bio: Rae Kushner", Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
- My Central Jersey: "Murray Kushner, James Hughes honored by real estate institute" June 13, 2015
- "Luxury rental building '18 Park' opens in Jersey City". NJ.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- "The New Urban Bedroom Community". HLW. 2013-10-03. Archived from the original on 2013-12-31. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- "Jersey City Development Breaks Ground | 18 Park". Therealdeal.com. 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- "Featured News » New Development Planned for Journal Square Would Include the City's Tallest Tower, Fundamentally Change the Neighborhood". The Jersey City Independent. 2012-08-07. Archived from the original on 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- "Three residential towers to change the landscape of Journal Square, officials say". NJ.com. 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- "Featured News » City Settles Lawsuit with Robinhood Plaza, Permits 42-Story Zoning for Property Along Summit Ave". The Jersey City Independent. 2012-11-29. Archived from the original on 2012-11-29. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
- "KRE President Jonathan Kushner to Join All-Star Panel at Third Annual New Jersey Multifamily Summit | NJ.com". Blog.nj.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- Ayers, Joshua. "Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Jersey City Development". Multihousingnews.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- "Weddings: Chris Barley and Marc Kushner". The New York Times. April 13, 2012.
- Yossi Melman (2016-03-01). "Meet the Kushners: The feuding real estate dynasty that links Donald Trump and Chris Christie - U.S. Election 2016". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- Kreinin, Miriam (2015-06-01). "Jonathan Kushner | Kushner Real Estate Group". Therealdeal.com. Retrieved 2017-01-09.
- "Original 'Jersey Boys' anchor MS fund-raiser | NJJN". Njjewishnews.com. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2017-01-09.