Jason Dov Greenblatt (born March 30, 1967)[2] is an American lawyer. He was the executive vice president and chief legal officer to Donald Trump and The Trump Organization, and his advisor on Israel.[3] In January 2017, he was appointed as an Assistant to the President and Special Representative for International Negotiations by President Donald Trump.
Jason Greenblatt | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Special Representative for International Negotiations | |
| In office January 20, 2017 – October 31, 2019[1] | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Avi Berkowitz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jason Dov Greenblatt March 30, 1967 Teaneck, NJ |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Naomi Greenblatt |
| Children | 6 |
| Education | Yeshiva University (BA) New York University (JD) |
Early life and education
editGreenblatt is the son of Hungarian Jewish refugees, and grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City.[4] During World War II, his father fled Szatmárcseke in 1941 as a child, while his mother hid in Budapest with her family during the Nazi occupation, and fled to the United States after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He was born with the given name Theodore but had it legally changed as a teenager. He is the first cousin, once removed, of anti-war activist Robert Greenblatt.
Greenblatt was educated at Yeshiva Dov Revel, the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy,[5] followed by Yeshivat Har Etzion and then Yeshiva University where he studied English.[6] In 1992, Greenblatt received a Juris Doctor from the New York University School of Law.[3]
Career
editGreenblatt started as real estate lawyer for the New York law firm, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson.[5] In the mid-1990s, he started a cappuccino coffee company, with pod machines at Penn Station and the New York City airports, but following the rise of Starbucks, sold his business and returned to practicing law.[5] Greenblatt is the creator of the blog Inspire Conversation, a collection of resources for parents and teens,[7] as well as the author of three travel books, one about a family trip to Israel.
Greenblatt has worked for Trump since 1997,[8] rising to executive vice president and chief legal officer to Trump and the Trump Organization, and his advisor on Israel.[3]
Greenblatt favors a two-state solution, reached by the parties concerned and not imposed from outside by a body such as the United Nations.[5] Greenblatt has stated that "West Bank settlements are not an obstacle to peace".[9]
In late December 2016, Trump named Greenblatt as his Representative for International Negotiations for his incoming administration.[10] On September 5, 2019, it was announced that he would be leaving the White House.[11]
In February 2020, Greenblatt joins OurCrowd, global venture investments platform, as a partner with the responsibilities of building ties in the Middle East.[12]
In 2022 In the Path of Abraham: How Donald Trump Made Peace in the Middle East by Jason Greenblatt was published.[13]
Personal life
editGreenblatt is an Orthodox Jew, and lives in Teaneck, New Jersey, with his wife and six children,[8] the eldest three of which are triplets.[5] His wife, Naomi Greenblatt, is a psychiatrist.[8][4]
In May 2017 Greenblatt received an honorary doctorate from Touro College in New York City.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Trump's Former Middle East Envoy Greenblatt Joins Board of Republican Jewish Coalition". Haaretz. November 20, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ "Jason Greenblatt". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
- ^ a b c "Mr. Jason D. Greenblatt". thenycmeetings.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
- ^ a b Kratz, Elizabeth (June 8, 2016). "How Trump's Israel adviser, Jason Greenblatt, could play a history-altering role". JNS.org. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Palmer, Joanne (April 21, 2016). "Meet Trump's Israel adviser". The Times of Israel. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ Glueck, Katie (August 4, 2016). "Donald Trump's man on Israel". Politico. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ "About Inspire Conversation". inspireconversation.com. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
- ^ a b c Heilman, Uriel (April 18, 2016). "No Experience Necessary: Meet Trump's Orthodox Israel Advisor". The Forward. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ Lazaroff, Tovah (November 10, 2016). "Trump advisor: 'West Bank settlements are not an obstacle to peace'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- ^ Grant, Peter (December 23, 2016). "Trump Names Jason Greenblatt Representative for International Negotiations". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
- ^ "Jason Greenblatt, official in charge of Trump's Middle East peace plan, is leaving the White House". MarketWatch. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
- ^ "Jason Greenblatt has a new job dealing with the Middle East - as a businessman rather than peace builder". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ Wagenheim, Mike (2021-12-27). "Striving for substance over flash, former envoy's book goes behind the scenes of Trump peace efforts". JNS.org. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
- ^ Staff, JLNJ (6 April 2017). "Jason Greenblatt Will Receive Honorary Lander College Law Degree". Retrieved 4 July 2018.