Mortimer Zuckerman

Who is he: Mortimer "Mort" Benjamin Zuckerman is the publisher and owner of New York Daily News and the Editor-in-Chief of US News & World Report, contributingregular columns for both publications. Zuckerman is often interviewed by and on the Morning Joe Show on MSNBC and other cable news channels. Zuckerman is the Chief Executive Officer of Boston Properties Inc. as well as a General Partner of the partnership.

Two academics at the University of Chicago and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University authored a paper in 2006 titled "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy." It named Mort Zuckerman as one of the many members of the media wing of the "Israeli lobby" in America.

In 2006, Zuckerman's honest and homorous response to a report by Mearsheimer and Walt about the far reaching influence of an "Israeli lobby" created quite a media event on this subject, not often discussed by the Anglo-American media establishment. In the New York Sun Zuckerman is quoted: "I would just say this: The allegations of this disproportionate influence of the Jewish community reminds me of the 92-year-old man sued in a paternity suit. He said he was so proud, he pleaded guilty."

Background: Mortimer B. Zuckerman was born on June 4, 1937 in Montreal, Canada. Zuckerman actually started college at age 16 at McGill University and graduated with a B.A. in 1957 and a law degree in 1961. Zuckerman then went to the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned an MBA, and then went on to earn a LL.M degree from Harvard Law School in 1962. Mort Zuckerman remained at Harvard as an associate professor for nine years and also taught at Yale University.

At the same time, Mort Zuckerman started his real estate career with Cabot, Cabot & Forbes where Zuckerman was eventually promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer of the firm. Zuckerman bought the literary magazine Atlantic Monthlyin 1980 where he served as chairman until selling the publication in 1999. Zuckerman received $12 million from the sale and earned $365 million in 2000 when he sold his Fast Company magazine at the top of the tech boom.

Mort Zuckerman is a very successful businessman and real estate investor and Forbes ranked him in 2008 as the 147th wealthiest American. Unlike many wealthy Americans, Zuckerman supports his beliefs and Israeli and international Jewish causes with substantial financial donations. Zuckerman was the chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Mort Zuckerman also serves on the board of directors of New York University and the Aspen Institute. In addition, Zuckerman is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy as well as on JP Morgan's National Advisory Board. Zuckerman was one of the major investors defrauded by Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme when J. Ezra Merkin, president of the Fifth Avenue Synagogue, invested $30 million of Zucherman's charitable trust fund in the Madoff scam.

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