U.S. President Donald Trump nominated Orthodox Jewish businessman Benjamin Landa, co-founder and CEO of the nursing home operator Sentosa Care, as ambassador to Hungary, according to a notice sent last week to the Senate.
A native of the Five Towns on Long Island, N.Y., Landa has been actively pursuing the ambassadorial role, meeting with Trump in the Oval Office last month. Trump ally Roger Stone appears to have shepherded the pitch.
It is unclear if Landa has ties to Hungary. He is actively involved in Republican politics and philanthropic efforts supporting Jewish causes in the United States and Israel.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli national security minister, visited Landa’s home during a trip to the United States in April.
Landa will need Senate confirmation for the posting. His nomination heads to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for consideration.
At least three other Jewish candidates were reportedly in the running for the position, including pro-Hungary activist and media commentator Bryan Leib, David Cornstein, who served in the role during the first term of the Trump administration, and Nancy Brinker, who held the Budapest posting under President George W. Bush.
Hungary has boasted of its protection of its Jewish community and its alliance with Israel, and its prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has a particularly close relationship with Trump.
