Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump Engaged!

New York Observer owner Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are engaged, the real estate heiress announced on Twitter Thursday.

"I got engaged last night...truly the happiest day of my life!!!" Ivanka tweeted (the Huffington Post has confirmed the authenticity of the IvankaTrump Twitter account).

WWD reports that Kushner surprised Trump Wednesday with a 5.22 carat cushion-cut diamond with a platinum and diamond mounting from Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, her signature jewelry line.

Kushner and Trump, both offshoots of wealthy real estate families, split briefly in early 2008 after dating for over a year, reportedly over Kushner family concerns that Trump was not Jewish. They reconciled shortly thereafter and she has since been studying for conversion.

"I'm very happy about it," father of the bride-to-be Donald Trump told UsMagazine.com. "They make a magnificent couple."

In Gabriel Sherman's recent profile of Kushner for New York magazine, Ivanka said that she and Jared are perfect for each other in that they are both workaholics.

"Jared and I are very similar in that we're very ambitious," she told Sherman. "That's what makes it so amazing to be in a relationship with someone who is supportive of that. I'm happy for him when he is in the office working late. I know how good that feels when you sit down and return e-mails."

She also added that she and Kushner had plans to marry, but were not yet officially engaged, and discussed her pending conversion to Judaism:

Dating Ivanka was fraught with family peril. Though she is converting to Judaism, studying with Rabbi Haskel Lookstein at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on East 85th Street, it has not always been easy. Jared's mother, in particular, has struggled with their relationship. Last summer, Seryl told Jared to cool it. They broke up for a time but soon got back together.

Ivanka told me she and Jared plan to marry, but they aren't officially engaged. "I am studying," she said of her conversion, "and it's been an amazing and fulfilling experience for me ... One of the jokes I first started making when Jared and I first started dating is, I'm a New Yorker, I'm in real estate. I'm as close to Jewish, with an 'i-s-h' naturally as anyone can start off."

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Comments

[TaurusRose]

After a Catholic convent school upbringing, I agreed to convert to judaism in order to get his mother's approval to marry my Jewish guy. lol! not to worry, that approval never came!

Because I was raised in an intensely intellectual Irish Catholic background, one of the things I valued in the Jewish religion was their apparent high regard for learning.

That is until my Jewish MIL asked me, a voracious reader: "Why do you read?"

[Jaywalkker]

I had a running battle on the day this broke and because its still front page I'll comment again.

Love is accepting the other person, not changing them. Where conflict rears its ugly head it should be worked out amicably and equally, not on the basis of conditions and "i'll accept you if..."

If the status of her Jewishness would become an issue, why'd he date her in the first place when he could have found a Jew or someone who had converted on their own terms?

For all those who say, "its so the grandkids will be Jewish." Why not just convert the grandkids? If her converting to Judaism is good enough for marriage, why isn't her grandkids conversion good enough for...love and acceptance?

For all those who say, "conversion isn't a big deal." Religious faith is deeply personal. It regards entire outlooks of faith and belief that you have to indelibly feel. Some have said, that you say some prayers and go through the motions. In this instance, does she know the significance of assigning significance to shellfish, pork, shabbat, and whatever else his family (who is calling the shots apparently) require?

Overall, if he really and truly loved her, either 1.)he'd stand up to mom and accept her the way she is or 2.) never have asked her to change something that incredibly important about herself.

[vidivici]

Best wishes to Jared and Ivanka. But if it's true love why would one have to "change" for the other? They broke up over religious concerns and now Ivanka is studying for conversion? I guess it's a small price to pay for a big rock and front page of NYC social rags.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

How pathetic. There will be a cold day in hell before I change my belief system, for a man.

"Honey, I love you more than anything, but I can't be with you because of my mom. Even though you are a wealthy independent wonderful woman, I can't be with you because of my mom, because according to Jews, you are not good enough to be with me or have my children...because only jews are good enough."

Ugh!

[sallythewerewolf]

Really! And you wouldn't even be changing your belief system; just going through the motions because of bigoted people...one of the reasons I didn't like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"--the guy converted to Orthodoxy without a peep and the woman wouldn't stand up to her family.

[Budokan]

I had a memorable bowel movement this morning. I'm very happy about that as well.

Hey, my "news" is just as important as this "news".

http://kennethmarkhoover.com

[vidivici]

lol your profile photo lol

[RJII]

actually your story is a little more exciting. was it soft and curved like Oprah says it should be?

[JFaye]

Love is a many splendor thing and certainly I hope and pray for these young people to have joy and happiness..

My son recently married. He and his wife are forging two very different backgrounds, yet there is an abundance of "youthful" love, acceptance and compromise they have embraced to maximize their happiness.

I wish all of our young people the best. Enjoy your youth ...

[oakley9]

I wonder if the MIL will ever accept her. Conversion or not. I don't understand changing one's entire belief system to please the in laws.

[JFaye]

This goes beyond pleasing the in-laws. Under Jewish custom or law, if the mother is not Jewish, neither are the children.

[Pippilangstrumpf]

I don't understand all the negativity towards Ivanka Trump. She seems like an intelligent person, a hard worker and someone without an 'attitude'.
For being brought up in that kind of wealth, she seems remarkably grounded as well.

There are enough 'ways' in this world for everyone to have one of their own....Ivanka and her fiance are working out their relationship in a way that's good for them. I see nothing wrong with it...everything changes too. I'm sure that if they're still married 5 years from now, the situation will have evolved and changed quite significantly. For now, if this is working out...good on them!

[JFaye]

Here Here ... ditto

I agree, she seems like a lovely young woman and I'm sure her parents are proud.

[jukesgrrl]

I've been impressed with all of Donald's and Ivana's children, so far. They are by far the best thing that couple ever did.

[JillScumber]

yes, she seems like a lovely young shrew who likey si ttte on faccces, eh?

[vidivici]

why isn't Jared the one converting for her?

[spiritpony1]

no doubt ambitions and hard work are laudable things; having said that, many would find it pathetic and unhealthy that "sending e-mails" is such a great thing, working late, blah blah---------lots of pathology wrapped into this, perhaps---­-----other side of coin is how much greed is to be justified-­------clas­sic chips off the old blockheads----

[harriettubman]

Uh oh, she better be careful. The meddling mother-in-law has already started. Once they show their stripes they usually don't change. How old is this guy? For the life of me I don't understand certain groups wanting their children to marry into the same religion instead of someone who's going to be a great spouse. That just baffles me. Most of the time these people aren't even practicing the very religion they want their children's spouses to be part of.

My aunt married a Catholic and back then you had to sign papers that you would raise any children in that faith. They were sent to all Catholic schools plus raised in the that faith. Now that they're adults, neither of the children has remained in that denomination. It's time for parents to allow their children to grow and decide what they want to do. A great spouse is worth much more than having someone in the same faith. As long as they have a faith, they can choose it together.

In interviews, Ivanka always seemed mature beyond her years, just so humble too. I hope she takes a lesson from both her parents and not become a serial marriage person.

[JFaye]

This is still true of the Catholic faith. My son married a young lady who is Catholic and in order to have the nuptials at her Parish, he had to sign an agreement to raise the children Catholic.

He is a reporter and initially agreed to please his fiancee. However, in covering a story, the priest was particularly rude to him (he's a journalist). This created a turning point and they agreed to have a civil ceremony and create a "spiritualness" in this beautiful production studio to celebrate their love.

[trinity]

Mr. Silverspoon marries Miss Silverspoon, how nice...

As far as conversion goes, what is the big deal? People convert to Christianity all the time.

My Catholic great Aunt converted to Judaism 50 years ago when she married her Jewish husband. Judaism ended up being a perfect fit for her spiritually as she found it more meaningful to her life than Catholism did. Maybe this is the case with Ivanka...

[harriettubman]

Many Catholics end up leaving the denomination because it's patriarchally based instead of biblical but they don't figure that out until adolescensce or adulthood.

As for the Silverspoons, most people marry within their socioeconomic status. Ask any sociologist. That's a fact!

[VS007]

Dont understand why should he insist on conversion of judaism. This is 21st century for Christs sake!
Only muslims insist on such backward concepts.

[harriettubman]

Older Jews are like that. They may not even be practicing themselves but they want their children and their spouses to be part of it. Go figure.

[heal57]

It matters because he's a son and not a daughter. This is backwards. If Jared's mommy has so much influence over him, that he broke up with Ivanka, I think she should think twice about marrying into such a prejudiced family.

signed Irish woman married to Jewish man

[JillScumber]

her "joke" sounds a tad antisemmmittic. I suggest they break up again, possibly again at the behest of his Mom. she is not good enough.

[POLINUT]

Dumsht religion makes people do never ceases to amaze..

[cseper]

Why doesn't Kushner convert?

[Whitley2009]

Why does either of them have to be a mythomaniac?