Martin H. Peretz (/pəˈrɛts/; born December 6, 1938) is a former American magazine publisher and educator. Formerly an assistant professor at Harvard University, he purchased The New Republic in 1974 and assumed editorial control shortly afterwards. He founded the financial news website TheStreet.com in 1996 with personality and hedge fund manager Jim Cramer. Peretz is known for his strong support of Israel as well as his approval of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. He retained majority ownership of The New Republic until 2002, when he sold a two-thirds stake in the magazine to two financiers. Peretz sold the remainder of his ownership rights in 2007 to CanWest Global Communications, though he retained his position as editor-in-chief. In March 2009, Peretz repurchased the magazine with a gr