A new Jewish-Muslim political power couple has announced their engagement.
Jewish philanthropist Alex Soros, 38, son of billionaire and prominent political donor George Soros, is now engaged to Huma Abedin, 47, a former top adviser to Hillary Clinton and the ex-wife of disgraced politician Anthony Weiner.
In a shared Instagram post on Wednesday, the couple expressed their happiness: “This happened. We couldn’t be happier, more grateful, or more in love.”
Soros proposed privately at their shared home in New York in May, and they celebrated formally in Italy, according to Vogue. The couple met last fall at a friend’s birthday party and made their public debut as a couple at the Met Gala in May.
Alex Soros is the second-youngest son of George Soros, a longtime donor to liberal causes through his Open Society Foundations. Criticism of George Soros has sometimes included antisemitic imagery.
George Soros, now 93, appointed Alex as his successor to run the Open Society Foundations last year. Already a well-known donor to progressive causes, Alex is vocal about his Jewish identity, sharing photos of holiday celebrations on social media.
Alex’s own foundation, established in 2012, made its first donation of $250,000 to Bend The Arc, a progressive Jewish group where he currently serves on the board. He also sits on the board of the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan.
George Soros, born in Hungary in 1930, survived the Holocaust by being hidden as a child. Though he openly identifies as Jewish, he is not active in Jewish institutions and has given relatively little to Jewish nonprofits. In 2007, he stated, “I am not a Zionist, nor am I a practicing Jew.” His net worth is estimated around $6.7 billion, with his business and charitable network totaling around $25 billion.
Huma Abedin was raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, by Muslim parents who ran the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, where she also worked as an assistant editor. Starting as an intern for Hillary Clinton, she later became Clinton’s campaign manager during a presidential run and deputy chief of staff during Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state.
Abedin is also known for her previous marriage to former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, who was sentenced to prison in 2017 for sexting a minor. They separated in 2016.