Oct 4, 2012 By: wpadmin
Many hopeful executives and celebrities alike have trembled in fear in the boardroom before Donald Trump and his now-famous catchphrase, āYouāre fired!ā on televisionās hit show āThe Apprentice.ā
The lucky few who hear āYouāre hired!ā get an opportunity of a lifetime to work with the larger-than-life mogul and personality who heads The Trump Organization, a conglomerate that owns and operates hotels, resorts, office buildings, golf courses and residential towers across the world.
17³Ō¹Ļās own Jason Dov Greenblatt ā85YUHS, ā89YC serves as executive vice president and general counsel for The Trump Organization, a position he has held for the past 16 years. Greenblatt, who arrived at Trump after working for a large law firm, said of his prior work, āThe firm and my colleagues there were good to work with, but the work was simply not challenging or exciting enough for my entrepreneurial nature. When a headhunter called me with a job for a āmajor real estate developer,ā he declined to disclose who it was. Though I usually ignored those kinds of cold calls, I decided to meet with him. It was a particularly boring day at work for me, I recall.ā
Greenblatt found himself being interviewed by Trumpās former general counsel along with Trump himself, and was soon offered the job. āI learned from this experience to explore all opportunities so thereās no fear of missing out,ā said Greenblatt. āI almost didnāt meet with that headhunter, which would have been a big mistake, because the meeting led me to this challenging and varied job that I absolutely love.ā
Greenblatt, originally from Forest Hills, NY, attended 17³Ō¹Ļās Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy before entering Yeshiva College through its early admissions program. āI am a firm believer in the philosophy of Torah Umadda and there was, and still is, no other school or institution that can instill and implement this philosophy as well as YU can,ā said Greenblatt. āAt Yeshiva, I enjoyed being surrounded by a wonderful chevra [group] of like-minded, intellectually curious people who served as great inspiration for me.ā
Greenblatt majored in English literature and took several science courses since he was considering pursuing medical school, but he decided that his talents better served the legal field. āI havenāt looked back since!ā he said. āThose long days of academic classes going late into the night and then studying afterward, while challenging then, certainly prepared me for law school, for my early years working for a big firm and now for The Trump Organization.ā
A typical day for Greenblatt at Trump is filled with multi-tasking, reviewing documents, negotiating and working on a host of interesting and unusual deals, ranging from complex real estate matters to entertainment and hospitality. āLike every job, each day does have its more mundane tasks, but most of my day requires heavy thinking, creativity and the need to always be on my toes,ā remarked Greenblatt. āI love working with Donald and his children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, because they are all passionate about what they do, talented, extremely bright and very hard-working. They are a lot of fun to work with and know how to get things done.ā
Greenblatt also said he could not ask for a better job as an observant Jew. āDonald and his family have always been extremely respectful of my observance,ā he said. āI have sometimes had to walk out on deals valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars because of Shabbos and holidays, and Donald has always said to me, āgo home and pray, we will pick it up after the holiday.ā He is a true mensch about it and I believe that for a person of his stature to act this way is really incredible.ā
He continued, āHaving said that, I donāt take his respect lightly. I do whatever it takes to limit the times when Shabbos or holidays become an issue, and I have slept in the office for two nights in a row in advance of a holiday to avoid situations where I need to leave a deal unfinished. Donald doesnāt ask me to do this, but my feeling is, if he and his family are so respectful, I owe them the same respect in return.ā
This is a lesson, Greenblatt feels, that is very important to teach young observant Jewish men and women entering the work force. āSome people think they can have it both waysāregular hours and then leave for Shabbos and holidays,ā he said, ābut most jobs donāt work that way. We should be cognizant of that, appreciate the respect we get from others, and not abuse it.ā
Greenblatt also has more specific career advice for YU students wishing to pursue a legal career. āSimilar to the guidance Donald gives others, my advice is to first make sureābefore you worry about the marketāthat you love and are passionate about a law career,ā he said. āIf you settle for something less, I think Donald is also correct when he says you likely wonāt be as good at what you do.
āOnce youāve decided that law school is indeed for you, recognize that the dynamics have shifted and the money and advancement opportunities may not be the same as they once were,ā Greenblatt continued. āThere is no doubt that the market for legal jobs is tight, but I think thatās true for a lot of fields now due to the continuing uncertainty in the economy. Like virtually all businesses, the legal profession is cyclical. I think as the economy continues to improve, the legal market will as well. Donāt forget that law school can be a great stepping stone into another career, even if you donāt end up practicing law.ā
Greenblatt lives in Teaneck with his family, of whom he is extremely proud: his wife, Naomi, a psychiatrist who specializes in womenās mental health, and their six children: Noah, Julia, and Anna, 13-year old triplets, Sophia, 9, Avery, 6, and Vera, 15 months.
In advance of their bānai mitzvah, the triplets, along with two of their younger siblings, formed their own organization, Triplets for a Cause, in which they undertake various chesed [deeds of kindness] projects. They attributed their recognition of the importance of giving to others from their parents, and indeed, despite Greenblattās long work days, he makes time to participate in communal activities.
He recently spoke to teens as part of New Jersey NCSYās Latte and Learning program. At the time, Rabbi Dovid Cofnas, NJ NCSYās director of development, said, āMr. Greenblatt feels very strongly about upholding traditional Jewish values and wants to transmit them to the next generation. Hearing from a successful lawyer who makes Shabbat and Jewish holidays a top priority has a certain āwowā appeal. Teenagers love thatāhe makes it cool to be observant. His talk had a great impact.ā
Someone else impressed by Greenblattās adherence to his faith, as well as his excellence in the legal field? The Donald himself. āJason Greenblatt has worked for me for 16 years and he has never been less than brilliant,ā Trump said. āHeās accomplished and adept professionally and his dedication extends not only to his work, but to his family. His faith runs deep, which is apparent in all he does. Yeshiva should be very proud that he is an alumnusāheās solid gold and a total winner!ā
17³Ō¹Ļās own Jason Dov Greenblatt ā85YUHS, ā89YC serves as executive vice president and general counsel for The Trump Organization, a position he has held for the past 16 years. Greenblatt, who arrived at Trump after working for a large law firm, said of his prior work, āThe firm and my colleagues there were good to work with, but the work was simply not challenging or exciting enough for my entrepreneurial nature. When a headhunter called me with a job for a āmajor real estate developer,ā he declined to disclose who it was. Though I usually ignored those kinds of cold calls, I decided to meet with him. It was a particularly boring day at work for me, I recall.ā
Greenblatt found himself being interviewed by Trumpās former general counsel along with Trump himself, and was soon offered the job. āI learned from this experience to explore all opportunities so thereās no fear of missing out,ā said Greenblatt. āI almost didnāt meet with that headhunter, which would have been a big mistake, because the meeting led me to this challenging and varied job that I absolutely love.ā
Greenblatt, originally from Forest Hills, NY, attended 17³Ō¹Ļās Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy before entering Yeshiva College through its early admissions program. āI am a firm believer in the philosophy of Torah Umadda and there was, and still is, no other school or institution that can instill and implement this philosophy as well as YU can,ā said Greenblatt. āAt Yeshiva, I enjoyed being surrounded by a wonderful chevra [group] of like-minded, intellectually curious people who served as great inspiration for me.ā
Greenblatt majored in English literature and took several science courses since he was considering pursuing medical school, but he decided that his talents better served the legal field. āI havenāt looked back since!ā he said. āThose long days of academic classes going late into the night and then studying afterward, while challenging then, certainly prepared me for law school, for my early years working for a big firm and now for The Trump Organization.ā
A typical day for Greenblatt at Trump is filled with multi-tasking, reviewing documents, negotiating and working on a host of interesting and unusual deals, ranging from complex real estate matters to entertainment and hospitality. āLike every job, each day does have its more mundane tasks, but most of my day requires heavy thinking, creativity and the need to always be on my toes,ā remarked Greenblatt. āI love working with Donald and his children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric, because they are all passionate about what they do, talented, extremely bright and very hard-working. They are a lot of fun to work with and know how to get things done.ā
Greenblatt also said he could not ask for a better job as an observant Jew. āDonald and his family have always been extremely respectful of my observance,ā he said. āI have sometimes had to walk out on deals valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars because of Shabbos and holidays, and Donald has always said to me, āgo home and pray, we will pick it up after the holiday.ā He is a true mensch about it and I believe that for a person of his stature to act this way is really incredible.ā
He continued, āHaving said that, I donāt take his respect lightly. I do whatever it takes to limit the times when Shabbos or holidays become an issue, and I have slept in the office for two nights in a row in advance of a holiday to avoid situations where I need to leave a deal unfinished. Donald doesnāt ask me to do this, but my feeling is, if he and his family are so respectful, I owe them the same respect in return.ā
This is a lesson, Greenblatt feels, that is very important to teach young observant Jewish men and women entering the work force. āSome people think they can have it both waysāregular hours and then leave for Shabbos and holidays,ā he said, ābut most jobs donāt work that way. We should be cognizant of that, appreciate the respect we get from others, and not abuse it.ā
Greenblatt also has more specific career advice for YU students wishing to pursue a legal career. āSimilar to the guidance Donald gives others, my advice is to first make sureābefore you worry about the marketāthat you love and are passionate about a law career,ā he said. āIf you settle for something less, I think Donald is also correct when he says you likely wonāt be as good at what you do.
āOnce youāve decided that law school is indeed for you, recognize that the dynamics have shifted and the money and advancement opportunities may not be the same as they once were,ā Greenblatt continued. āThere is no doubt that the market for legal jobs is tight, but I think thatās true for a lot of fields now due to the continuing uncertainty in the economy. Like virtually all businesses, the legal profession is cyclical. I think as the economy continues to improve, the legal market will as well. Donāt forget that law school can be a great stepping stone into another career, even if you donāt end up practicing law.ā
Greenblatt lives in Teaneck with his family, of whom he is extremely proud: his wife, Naomi, a psychiatrist who specializes in womenās mental health, and their six children: Noah, Julia, and Anna, 13-year old triplets, Sophia, 9, Avery, 6, and Vera, 15 months.
In advance of their bānai mitzvah, the triplets, along with two of their younger siblings, formed their own organization, Triplets for a Cause, in which they undertake various chesed [deeds of kindness] projects. They attributed their recognition of the importance of giving to others from their parents, and indeed, despite Greenblattās long work days, he makes time to participate in communal activities.
He recently spoke to teens as part of New Jersey NCSYās Latte and Learning program. At the time, Rabbi Dovid Cofnas, NJ NCSYās director of development, said, āMr. Greenblatt feels very strongly about upholding traditional Jewish values and wants to transmit them to the next generation. Hearing from a successful lawyer who makes Shabbat and Jewish holidays a top priority has a certain āwowā appeal. Teenagers love thatāhe makes it cool to be observant. His talk had a great impact.ā
Someone else impressed by Greenblattās adherence to his faith, as well as his excellence in the legal field? The Donald himself. āJason Greenblatt has worked for me for 16 years and he has never been less than brilliant,ā Trump said. āHeās accomplished and adept professionally and his dedication extends not only to his work, but to his family. His faith runs deep, which is apparent in all he does. Yeshiva should be very proud that he is an alumnusāheās solid gold and a total winner!ā 
