Naveed
Jared Kushner, the businessman-turned-White House adviser who helped broker the Abraham Accords, was raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish household in Livingston, New Jersey. His faith became a fixture of national coverage during his father-in-law Donald Trump’s presidency, not least because his wife, Ivanka Trump, converted to Orthodox Judaism before their 2009 wedding.
| Religion | Modern Orthodox Judaism |
| Born | January 10, 1981, in Livingston, New Jersey |
| Family Background | Grandparents Rae and Joseph Kushner were Holocaust survivors |
| Education | The Frisch School (Orthodox day school); Harvard; NYU Law and Stern |
| Wife | Ivanka Trump, converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2009 under Rabbi Haskel Lookstein |
| Observance | The couple keeps a kosher home and observes Shabbat, per multiple news reports |
An Orthodox Jewish Upbringing in New Jersey
Jared Kushner was born in 1981 to Charles and Seryl Kushner and grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, a suburb with a large Orthodox Jewish community. His paternal grandparents, Joseph and Rae Kushner, survived the Holocaust and later settled in New Jersey.
For high school, Kushner attended the Frisch School, a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school in northern New Jersey, before going on to Harvard University and later earning a law degree and MBA from New York University, per Britannica. Reporting has described him stepping back from some daily observance in early adulthood while still maintaining ties to Jewish student life, including time at Harvard’s Chabad house.
Ivanka Trump’s Conversion to Judaism
Ivanka Trump, raised Presbyterian, converted to Orthodox Judaism before marrying Kushner. Her conversion was overseen by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan, involving roughly a year and a half of study prior to the couple’s October 2009 wedding, which Lookstein officiated, per the Times of Israel.
Lookstein’s conversions later became entangled in controversy: in 2015, Israel’s Supreme Rabbinical Court moved not to recognize conversions performed under his supervision, though Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi at the time said he personally still recognized Lookstein’s work. Since converting, Ivanka Trump has spoken and posted publicly about her Jewish practice, and the couple has raised their children in an Orthodox Jewish household.
Faith, Shabbat Observance, and Middle East Policy
During his time as a White House adviser, Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s Shabbat observance became a recurring subject of political reporting. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported the couple traditionally disconnects from phones and email from Friday sundown through Saturday night — a practice that reportedly left them unreachable during the initial rollout of the 2017 travel ban.
The Forward reported that Kushner obtained a “rabbinic dispensation” allowing him to work into Shabbat hours during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kushner served as the Trump administration’s lead architect of the 2020 Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and several Gulf states; commentators at outlets like the Jerusalem Post have noted the optics of an Orthodox Jewish adviser leading that outreach, a dynamic that continued into 2025 when Kushner again played a role in Israel-Hamas ceasefire negotiations, per NPR.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jared Kushner Orthodox Jewish?
Yes. Kushner was raised in a Modern Orthodox Jewish family, attended the Orthodox Frisch School, and continues to observe Orthodox Jewish practice, including Shabbat and kosher dietary rules, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and the Forward.
Did Ivanka Trump convert to Judaism before marrying Jared Kushner?
Yes. Ivanka Trump converted to Orthodox Judaism under Rabbi Haskel Lookstein prior to her October 2009 wedding to Kushner, which Lookstein officiated, per the Times of Israel.
