Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Bloomberg Officiates at Same-Sex Nuptials of Two Jewish Staff Members

New York’s weekend of marriage equality launched with a joyous Jewish twist. Mayor Michael Bloomberg last night officiated at the wedding of two Semitic members of his staff at a Gracie Mansion ceremony.

Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz and Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt tied the knot after being together for 14 years, according to CBS2. Their daughters Maeve, 8, and Georgia, 6, were witnesses and ring bearers.

Mintz and Feinblatt “exchanged rings, broke glasses in the Jewish tradition and had ‘eco-friendly’ confetti thrown at them, the report said. Even though they’re a long-time committed couple with kids, they said the ceremony seemed to change things. “Things are different. Everybody’s gathering around and telling you they love you and your family is getting to say things they were never able to say before because we could never do this before,” Mintz told CBS2’s Marcia Kramer.

“Mayoral aides refused to say what the mayor was giving the happy couple as a wedding present. One thing he didn’t give them is a day off,” CBS2 said. “They have to be back at work Monday morning bright and early.”

The first female couple married under the new laws, Phyllis Siegel and Connie Kopelov, were dubbed “New York City’s first couple of same-sex marriage.” by the New York Post. “Gals, 85 & 77, make history as ‘1st’ ladies,” declared the Post’s headline. The pair had been together 23 years before finally tying the knot, the Post said. “Siegel, a retired bookkeeper, and Kopelov, a onetime labor activist, both wore white pants and blue shirts for their ceremony — the Big Apple’s first same-sex nuptials,” the Post said.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.