WEDDINGS

 

Weissman — Gruenstein

 

Margot Weissman and Alexander Gruenstein were married on July 31, 2020 at a private residence on the beach in Belle Harbor, Queens.

 

The couple met while enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as Lone Soldiers, those who leave behind their home, family, and friends to serve in one of the world’s most dangerous war zones. Both received ongoing support from New York-based nonprofit Friends of the IDF, which offers Lone Soldiers mentoring, financial aid, flights to visit their families abroad, holiday gift packages, and social gatherings. There are currently some 900 Lone Soldiers from across the United States serving in the IDF.

 

The bride received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and will be graduating with a D.V.M. in May 2021 from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She volunteers at local NY animal hospitals.

 

The groom received his B.A. from the University of Rochester and will graduate with a D.D.S. from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in May 2022. He spends his free time volunteering for Community Security Service.

 

Both Alexander and Margot attended Solomon Schechter School of Westchester, now the Leffell School, from elementary school through high school. Margot was in the same grade and best friends with Alexander’s younger sister, and Alexander was in the same grade as Margot’s older sister. The two did not date, however, until meeting on the Tel Aviv beach after college. After finishing the army, they moved back to the United States to begin graduate school.

 

After getting engaged, on June 15, 2019, they began planning a wedding in the place they fell in love, Israel. They hoped to travel all over the country with family and friends, beginning with a wedding at Olmaya in Jerusalem on August 2, 2020, but Covid-19 forced them to change their plans.

 

With the date approaching and Margot leaving for her final year of graduate school, they decided that they wanted to get married in spite of the difficult times. They had a 25-person wedding attended by aunts, uncles, and immediate family. Over the weekend, they continued the celebration with a small backyard party for cousins and close friends.

 

The groom is the son of Dr. Lynn Chinitz, a radiologist who specializes in breast imaging and is the director of the Carol H. Taylor Breast Health Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Lawrence Hospital and assistant professor of Radiology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, and Dr. Steven Gruenstein, a hematologist-oncologist, who is a senior partner at Central Park Hematology and Oncology/New York Cancer. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine in Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and an Attending Physician both at Mount Sinai and Lenox Hill. His parents both live in New Rochelle, N.Y.

 

The bride’s parents are Mark and Cindy Weissman, who live in Israel. Before having a family, Cindy worked in marketing research. Mark is an Israeli-American businessman and real estate investor.

 

The Gruenstein family are members of Beth El Synagogue Center of New Rochelle, and the Weissman family are members of Young Israel of Harrison. Rabbis Harry Pell and Yaakov Bienenfeld co-officiated the wedding. Rabbi Pell is the associate head of Leffell; Rabbi Bienenfeld is the head rabbi of Young Israel of Harrison.