Samuel Eli Gardenswartz and Joshua Nahum Geller Schwartz, a couple with deep family ties to Conservative Judaism and a shared connection to Russia, were married in a ceremony in Brooklyn on August 23, 2025. Their relationship, marked by several intertwining personal and familial links, highlights both historic and contemporary aspects of Jewish life.
The two first met in February 2020 via a matchmaking effort by Gardenswartz’s cousin, Hillary, who worked alongside Schwartz. Their initial encounter took place over a three-hour date on a Sunday afternoon at a now-closed coffee shop in Greenwich Village. Both men quickly discovered that the only significant connection they shared with Russia was somewhat incidental: Schwartz’s study abroad experience in St. Petersburg and Gardenswartz’s interest in Russian historical biographies.
More notably, they learned their fathers, both Conservative rabbis ordained together in 1998 at the Jewish Theological Seminary, had long-standing professional and educational ties. Further exploring their family histories, the couple discovered that their maternal grandfathers had attended the same yeshiva in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the 1940s, underscoring a rich heritage rooted in Jewish religious leadership. Gardenswartz said both grandfathers were ahead of their time in supporting LGBTQ acceptance within the community.
Over the course of the next few months, Gardenswartz and Schwartz deepened their connection. Despite early disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced them apart for several months and complicated in-person meetings, the couple maintained their bond through virtual conversations and shared activities like online games and baking. During this period, Schwartz’s mother, Rebecca Geller Schwartz, was diagnosed with colon cancer. Schwartz spent time caring for his parents while continuing his relationship, formally confirming to his family that they were dating around Rosh Hashanah in September 2020.
By 2023, the couple had established a shared home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and welcomed a Russian blue cat, Bubbleeh, reflecting a shared affection for personal traditions. On August 22, 2025, marking a milestone in their relationship, they revisited meaningful sites from their courtship and became engaged by playing rock, paper, scissors, with Schwartz initiating the proposal.
Their wedding ceremony took place the following day at the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn. It was officiated by their fathers—Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz of Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts, and Rabbi Steven Schwartz of Beth El Congregation in Baltimore—alongside Rabbi Myron Gell, rabbi emeritus at Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Approximately 280 guests attended, including eleven flower children and family members such as Gardenswartz’s mother, Shira Goodman.
The grooms chose custom suits from Bindle & Keep and shared the roles traditionally assigned to bride and groom during the ceremony, incorporating modified Jewish blessings and traditions. Their marriage represents both a continuation of their families’ religious legacies and a modern expression of Jewish life and love in the 21st century.