Donald Trump Hires Lee Bienstock,Elliot Resnick, <i>Jewish Press Staff Reporter</i>

Many in the Jewish community were disappointed three months ago when Donald Trump turned to Orthodox Jewish finalist Lee Bienstock on the reality TV show The Apprentice and uttered the dreaded phrase, "You're fired."

Perhaps they were a bit hasty. Last week Trump hired the 23-year-old as associate vice president of corporate development for his recently formed company, Trump Mortgage.

Trump expects Bienstock to produce the same big ideas that helped him advance to the final two on The Apprentice, Bienstock told The Jewish Press. "The pressure is on. It's the real thing," he said.

Bienstock achieved semi-celebrity status in some Jewish circles when he refused to participate during portions of the show (filmed partly in October) due to conflicts with the Jewish High Holy Days.

Since the finale of the show on June 5, Bienstock has given between 50 and 100 interviews, spoken around the country, and is in midst of writing a book that he hopes will be out before next summer.

Donald Trump and Lee Bienstock

In his lectures, Bienstock sometimes talks about his commitment to his faith, although he stresses that this commitment is transferable to other religions and values in general. "I've received e-mails from pastors saying, 'I used you in my sermon this week in church,'" he said.

He also relates humorous incidents in his speeches. For instance, his grandfather, a short Yemenite Jew who flew from Israel for the finale of the show, stormed past security onto the stage after Trump fired his grandson and said, "Listen, blondie, you made a big mistake."

Even as he fired Bienstock, though, Trump planned to hire him. Right after the show, Trump pulled Bienstock aside and indicated that he'd like him to work in the Trump organization. A formal interview followed shortly thereafter, and after considering many other job offers he received in the weeks following the show, Bienstock accepted Trump's offer.

Concerning Trump, Bienstock said, "If he doesn't like you, you're finished; you might as well move out of New York - take a space shuttle if you can. But if he does like you, you're golden."

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