"Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one."
--A. J. Liebling
===
NY Times, July 31, 2006
Developers Son Acquires The New York Observer
By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Jared Kushner, the 25-year-old son of a wealthy New Jersey developer who
was sentenced to prison last year, has bought The New York Observer, paying
what one person familiar with details of the sale said was nearly $10
million for a majority stake in the weekly newspaper.
I own The New York Observer, he said yesterday.
Mr. Kushner said that he bought the newspaper because it was a marquee
property in the media capital of the world, and that the opportunity to buy
a newspaper did not come around very often. The papers relatively small
circulation 50,000 belies its influence, particularly in New Yorks
media, political and real estate circles.
He also said The Observer was a good brand that could one day make a lot of
money, though it now loses about $2 million a year.
Because every side of the transaction is private, it is difficult to
precisely determine the financing behind the deal. It is not clear how much
of a stake Mr. Kushner bought, but Arthur Carter, the current publisher of
The Observer, is retaining some interest and will be offering the new owner
strategic advice.
The Kushner name is well known to readers of The Observer and other media
outlets, which have given thorough coverage to federal charges against his
father, Charles B. Kushner, who was a major Democratic fund-raiser and
contributor to James E. McGreevey, the former governor of New Jersey.
Charles Kushner was sentenced last year to two years in prison after
pleading guilty to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal
campaign donations. He also admitted to hiring a prostitute to seduce his
brother-in-law and having a videotape of the encounter sent to his sister,
the mans wife, in an attempt to get back at her for cooperating with a
federal investigation into his business activities.
The elder Mr. Kushner now lives in a halfway house in Newark run by the
Department of Corrections and is expected to be released in late August. A
spokesman for his real estate company, Kushner Companies, said that the
son, Jared, had worked for the company until recently.
Jared Kushner said he was proud of his father, but that he was his own man.
I love my father, Mr. Kushner said, but I have worked to develop a
separate and distinct identity in different projects I have worked on. The
only difference is that this is far more public, he said of his purchase
of The Observer.
Mr. Kushner pledged to stay out of the editorial process and focus instead
on improving the papers bottom line.
I am here to help build the paper in a way that will lead to the best and
most honest reporting, regardless of who is involved, he said. It is up
to the editors and reporters to decide what should be in the paper. The
headline in everything we do should be integrity.
Peter W. Kaplan, the editor of the paper, said that Mr. Kushner had no
agenda, adding, He told me that he will not interfere with the paper, that
editorially, the paper is ours.
Mr. Kaplan said Mr. Kushner had told him that he had three objectives: to
market the brand name of The Observer; to build its Internet traffic; and
to provide resources for more news beats so that the paper could have what
Mr. Kaplan called a stronger paper with more constituencies and more
advertising.
He said that Mr. Kushner represented the 21st century in the newspaper
industry. In that sense, Mr. Kaplan said, his 25-ness is a huge asset.
He is not weighed down by the debris of conventional wisdom.
Mr. Kaplan said yesterday that he would be confirming the news of the sale
to the newspaper employees on Sunday night and Monday.
Its a large part of my task to convey to them that Jared is very much a
guy building a new business, he said. Im not going to put the weight of
any history on his shoulders.
At least one staff member, Tom Scocca, a senior editor and the
Off-the-Record columnist, said he was sanguine about Mr. Kushner owning the
paper. I dont think that theres any great sense of dread or fear about
this, he said. I think Arthur has had the paper these many years because
he cares about it, and Id be very surprised to discover that he had sold
it in a way thats rash or ill-considered.
Mr. Scocca also said that Mr. Kushner was not particularly tainted because
of his father.
Every pile of money that is enough to buy a newspaper is disturbing if you
look closely enough at it, he said. But I dont think he has any reason
or need to protect the existing press barons from scrutiny. This is an
exciting move.
===
http://hcs.harvard.edu/~chabad/news%20articles/news_advocate.html
Chabad House a home to many
Orthodox Jewish organization is thriving at liberal Harvard campus
By Jason Nielson
Advocate Staff
April 18-24, 2003
CAMBRIDGE No one thought the Chabad House would be able to survive
Harvard, but after five years it has graduated from an apartment 10 minutes
away to a two-story house just a few blocks from the main campus.
Rabbi Hirsch Zarchi, executive director and founder of the Chabad House,
isnt surprised his organization has been able to connect with the Jewish
community at Harvard. Speakers at the dedication of its Banks Street
location on April 6 reinforced the idea that the Chabad House has found its
niche on the famously liberal campus...
Jared Kushner, 22, a senior from Livingston, N.J., has been involved with
the Chabad House since his freshman year, when he met Zarchi at a prayer
service at Harvard Hillel. He attends Shabbat meals and participates in
holiday events such as the menorah lighting ceremony. An Orthodox Jew, he
believes the different Jewish denominations are equally represented at
Chabad House.
"Rabbi Zarchi provides a service that the Harvard campus needs," Kushner
said. "Its geared towards the campus as a whole, not just undergraduates.
You meet people from all the graduate schools, professors, alums. It really
gives you a wide array of people of what Harvard has to offer in a very
intimate, personal setting."
Kushner said attendance at Friday night meals has nearly doubled to more
than 90 people since he first started attending as a freshman. Despite the
rapid growth, he said Zarchi still knows everyone at the table on a first
name basis. All attendees sill must say their name and give a personal
thought about the week.
Alan Dershowitz, a law professor at Harvard, agreed to become the Chabad
Houses faculty adviser because he feels the group adds an element of
diversity to the schools Jewish community. A post-denominational Jew, he
said he hasnt found the organizations religiosity to be a deterrent.
===
http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=142535
The Rebbe and President Ronald Reagan
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory
and President Ronald Reagan enjoyed a deep relationship for many years.
Mr. Reagan displayed a profound respect toward the Rebbe and his teachings.
The President was an early and enthusiastic adherent of the Rebbe's call to
make all people aware of the Seven Universal Laws, based on the belief in a
Supreme Being. The Rebbe's call for a moment of silence in the public
schools, and his persistent belief that America must export to the world
faith-based moral values, were among the themes that found a welcoming ear
in President Reagan.
Behind the scenes the President also acted upon the Rebbe's specific
requests to help Israel and Soviet Jews in ways that are still coming to light.
--
www.marxmail.org
