Edward Alexander Mermelstein (born October 22, 1967) is New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs. He is also an attorney, financial investment advisor,

media pundit A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport). Origins The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...

and

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. R ...

. Mermelstein is the founder of several companies, including the One & Only Realty, it’s investment arm One & Only Holdings, and the corporate and international real estate law firm Rheem Bell & Mermelstein.

Early life

Mermelstein was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in 1967. In 1976, he emigrated to the United States, where he attended the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Spec ...

. He joined the US Army while still in high school. After his Army training, Mermelstein attended NYU and graduated in 1991 with a B.A. in Psychology. Mermelstein studied law at the Thomas Cooley Law School in the 1990s.

Career

On January 3, 2022, Mermelstein joined the

Eric Adams Eric Leroy Adams (born September 1, 1960) is an American politician and retired police captain serving as the 110th mayor of New York City since January 1, 2022. Adams was an officer in the New York City Transit Police and then the New York C ...

administration as the Commissioner of International Affairs in the Mayor’s Office. Mermelstein has been a foreign investment advisor for more than 20 years, and assists wealthy foreigners with investments and acquisitions in the United States. Mermelstein's business endeavors are operated through One & Only Realty and One & Only Holdings, which specialize in the representation of foreign buyers in the acquisition of Real Estate worldwide, and provide family office planning services. Mermelstein is also the founding partner of Rheem Bell & Mermelstein, a boutique New York City law firm specializing in complex real estate transactions and the resolution of international matters.

Mayor’s Office of International Affairs

On January 5, 2022 Mermelstein was named the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of International Affairs by New York City Mayor

News Media & Accomplishments

Mermelstein has appeared on various television networks such as CNBC, Fox Business Network, and Reuters discussing foreign investments in the U.S. marketplace. He has been quoted in articles published by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal the Financial Times, Reuters, and the New York Observer on topics spanning from price stabilization in the NYC luxury real estate market, to the status of foreign direct investment into the U.S. marketplace. He has also contributed as a guest columnist with

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

magazine. ''

The New York Observer ''The New York Observer'' was a weekly newspaper printed from 1987 to 2016, when it ceased print publication and became the online-only newspaper ''Observer''. The media site focuses on culture, real estate, media, politics and the entertainmen ...

'' named Mermelstein as one of the top ten "Lawyers You Call" in New York. He has been described as an "All Star attorney", and his abilities as a lawyer, consultant and developer have led to him being called a "power attorney" and a "certified triple threat in the real estate world."

Philanthropy

Mermelstein is the Chairman Emeritus of the Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations (COJECO). Mermelstein is a member of the Board of Overseers for the

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Department of Arts & Sciences. Mermelstein also served as a mentor to the Young Jewish Professionals Real Estate Network based in New York City. Mermelstein also served as President of the international search and rescue organization,

ZAKA ZAKA ( he, זק"א, abbreviation for ''Zihuy Korbanot Ason'', , literally: "Disaster Victim Identification") is a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district (two in the Central Distr ...

. In June 2019, Mermelstein was appointed to Grand Marshal of the 2019 Celebrate Israel Parade. Mermelstein stated his support for Israel. Mermelstein is also a board member for the

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish relief organization based in New York City. Since 1914 the organisation has supported Jewish people living in Israel and throughout the world. The organization i ...

Personal life

Mermelstein is married to former ballet dancer Rose Caiola.UJA Federation of new York: "UJA-Federation of New York Presents Lifetime Achievement Award to Alex Shchegol - Toby and Ron Hersh receive the Lydia Vareljan Humanitarian Award and Rose Caiola and Edward A. Mermelstein receive the Young Leadership Award
June 23, 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mermelstein, Edward 1967 births Living people American Jews American lawyers Western Michigan University Cooley Law School alumni Soviet emigrants to the United States American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American real estate businesspeople