Mayor Michael Nutter last week officiated the high-profile wedding of a foreign diplomat and his partner at City Hall.
Elad Strohmayer, Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region, and Oren Ben-Yosef tied the knot Jan. 15 in the Mayor’s Reception Room at City Hall.
“It was only appropriate that our marriage took place in the beautiful structure that houses the seat of government of the City of Brotherly Love, that has come to be a second home since my appointment to the Consulate in 2012,” Strohmayer said, adding before the ceremony that the couple was “honored to be joined in marriage by Mayor Nutter, who has done excellent work to promote Israeli and LGBT interests in Philadelphia. We look forward to sharing this special day with so many people who have made us feel at home in this city.”
Both men are Israeli citizens, living in Philadelphia for the duration of Strohmayer’s appointment at the Consulate.
The ceremony — a one-hour combination Jewish-civil service — was attended by friends of the couple along with local political, LGBT and community leaders, as a symbol of the cooperative relationship between Israel and the city of Philadelphia.
The grooms recited vows to each other that included references to their Israeli upbringings as well as their love for America, with particular focus on their love for Disney World.
“Today would not have happened if the laws in Pennsylvania had not changed just last year,” Nutter noted. “Pennsylvania was established with the principles of human rights, tolerance and understanding in mind. Clearly, Philadelphia and Tel Aviv share these principles. For that reason, I am so very honored to co-officiate this ceremony and bring our two sister cities together.”
The ceremony was also presided over by Rabbi Michael Beals of Congregation Beth Shalom in Wilmington, Del.
“Conducting this ceremony means the world to me,” Beals said. “Not only because Elad, and his bat shert Oren, are such lovely people, but also because of what it symbolizes for the state of Israel: The fact that Israel is a safe place for gay people is an important message at this time of such international intolerance. The fact we can do so many great things in one ceremony is great. I feel terribly honored to have conducted this service.”
Strohmayer earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He joined the Israeli Foreign Service in 2010 and served as Deputy Ambassador of Israel in Luanda, Angola. He was appointed Deputy Consul General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region in August 2012.
Ben-Yosef also obtained a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Haifa University and a master’s of business administration from Manchester University. He worked in the Israeli and global high-tech industry for 18 years, with his most recent position as senior account executive for government and health care at Microsoft.