Arthur Schneier (born March 20, 1930) is an Austrian American rabbi and human rights activist. Rabbi Schneier has served for over 50 years as the Senior Rabbi of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

’s

Park East Synagogue The Park East Synagogue is a Modern Orthodox Judaism, Modern Orthodox Jewish synagogue for Congregation Zichron Ephraim at 163 East 67th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, New York (state), New York, United States. Built ...

. While being honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal from President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 2001, Rabbi Schneier was described as “a

Holocaust survivor Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, its collaborators before and during World War II ...

who has devoted a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance and set an inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging interfaith dialog and intercultural understanding, as well as promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.” Schneier is among the oldest pulpit rabbis in the United States.

Education

Rabbi Schneier graduated with a B.A. from

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.

in 1951, was awarded an M.A. from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1953 and received his rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva University in 1955. Schneier is also the recipient of 11 honorary doctorates from American and European universities.

Career

In 1962, Rabbi Schneier became the senior rabbi at Park East Synagogue in New York City. During his service there, he has hosted several world religious and political leaders including

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

—the first-ever papal visit to an American synagogue—and two Secretaries General of the United Nations. Schneier has met with Popes

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

Francis Francis may refer to: People and characters *Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church (2013–2025) *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Francis (surname) * Francis, a character played by YouTuber Boogie2 ...

, and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I to promote and facilitate interfaith dialogue. In 2012, the New York Senate passed a resolution in celebration of Rabbi Schneier's 50 years of service at Park East Synagogue. He is also the Founder and Dean of Park East Day School, a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school. In 1965 he founded the Appeal of Conscience Foundation as an “interfaith coalition of business and religious leaders” dedicated to promoting “peace, tolerance and ethnic conflict resolution.” Throughout his career, Rabbi Schneier has actively advanced the cause of peace and tolerance. He is known for his efforts to rebuild Jewish and religious life in Russia after the collapse of the USSR and was instrumental in the return of the Moscow Synagogue to the Russian Jewish community. Rabbi Schneier has led 68 interfaith missions in China, Russia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In 1992, he convened the Religious Summit on the Former

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and in 1995, he convened the Conflict Resolution Conference in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

to mobilize world religious leaders to stop the conflict in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. For more than 20 years, Rabbi Schneier worked closely with Grand Mufti Ceric of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1992, they gathered together some of the top religious leaders from former Yugoslavia in

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland, including Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, formally of Zagreb, Patriarch Pavle of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Grand Mufti Jakub efendi Selimoski of Sarajevo to call for an end to the conflict. What emerged was Erklärung von Bern in which they declared that "a crime in the name of religion is the greatest crime against religion." These efforts helped to forge a pathway to the Dayton Accord. In 2012, Rabbi Schneier helped commemorate the

Srebrenica massacre The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocidal killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War. It was mainly perpetrated by unit ...

that occurred during the breakup of Yugoslavia by delivering the keynote address at the 17th annual Srebrenica memorial. He is thus far the only non-Muslim to do so. During his address, Rabbi Schneier delivered a message from U.S. president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. In 1998, President Clinton appointed him as one of three religious leaders to discuss religious freedom with Chinese President

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...

. He led efforts to preserve and restore Ohel Rachel Synagogue, one of only two remaining historic synagogues in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

. Throughout his career, Rabbi Schneier has convened six international conferences to ease ethnic and religious conflict and promote peace and tolerance. Schneier Papal Knighthood

Rabbi Schneier also served as U.S. Alternate Representative at the U.N. General Assembly in 1988 and as a member of the U.S. Delegation for Return of the St. Steven Crown to Hungary in 1979. In 2006, he became a member of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations High-Level Group (UNAOC) and in 2008, he was appointed an ambassador to the UNAOC. That same year, Rabbi Schneier was the keynote speaker at an Interfaith Conference convened by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in Madrid. In 2009, he had a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI to reaffirm

Nostra Aetate (from Latin: "In our time"), or the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, is an official declaration of the Second Vatican Council, an Catholic ecumenical councils, ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. I ...

adopted by Vatican Council II. In April 2015, Rabbi Schneier was conferred a Papal knighthood by The

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the State of New York. It encompasses the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island in New York City and the count ...

's Cardinal

Timothy M. Dolan Timothy Michael Dolan (born February 6, 1950) is an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic prelate who has served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Archbishop of New York since 2009 and as a Cardinal (Catholic Church) , ...

for the "good works that he’s done on behalf of religious freedom, international peace and justice.” Following the contentious dismissal of Park East's former assistant rabbi, Benjamin Goldschmidt in 2021, Daniel L. Kurtz, a former head of the Charities Bureau at the New York State Attorney General's Office accused Rabbi Schneier of concentrating power at Park East in violation of state law.

Awards and recognitions

* : ''Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold with Star'' for Service to the Republic of Austria (1997) * Dr. Karl Renner Prize of the City of Vienna, Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold for Special Services to the Province of Vienna * : Commander's Cross with the Star of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary The Hungarian Order of Merit () is the fourth highest Order (honour), State Order of Hungary. Founded in 1991, the order is a revival of an original order founded in 1946 and abolished in 1949. Its origins, however, can be traced to the Order of ...

* Order of St. Daniel of Moscow (Moscow Patriarchate, Russian Orthodox Church) * Religious Liberty Award * :

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

* Archons Athenagoras Human Rights Award * :

Presidential Citizens Medal The Presidential Citizens Medal is an award bestowed by the president of the United States. It is the second-highest civilian award in the United States and is second only to the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Established by executive order on N ...

* : U.S. Department of State Special Recognition Award from Secretary Colin Powell “for his ecumenical work in favor of mutual understanding, tolerance and peace” (2002) * : Made a Knight Commander of the

Order of Civil Merit The Royal Order of Civil Merit (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OMC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order ...

King Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until his abdication on 19 June 2014. In Sp ...

of Spain (2009) * : The Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity (2009) * : Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2010) * : U.S. Department of State Special Recognition Award from Secretary Hillary Clinton “for his 30 years of partnership in helping Foreign Affairs professionals to better understand the right to religious freedom in the countries in which they serve” (2011) * :

Order of Saint Sylvester The Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester (, ), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five Papal order of knighthood, orders of knighthood awarded directly by the Pope ...

from Pope Francis, to be awarded April 27, 2015. * Named one of the 100 Most Trusted People in America by

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

in 2013 * Named one of the 50 Most Influential Rabbis in America 2009-2013 by

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

* In 2004, Rabbi Schneier's alma mater, Yeshiva University, established the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Center for International Affairs in his honor. *

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

Garu Nanak Interfaith Prize * Rabbi Schneier is the recipient of eleven honorary doctorates from U.S. and European universities. * April 2015, conferred with a Papal Knighthood by Timothy Dolan, Cardinal of the Archdiocese of New York. *2019 Responsible Leaders Summit's Lifetime Achievement Award for promoting interfaith cooperation and understanding. He is a member of

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

;

Asia Society The Asia Society is a 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on educating the world about Asia. It has several centers in the United States (Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle) and around the world (Hong Ko ...

; United Nations Development Corporation;

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust, dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of the Holocaust. Opened in 1993, the museum explores the Holocaust through p ...

, Committee on Conscience; Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations;

Joint Distribution Committee Advert Where and how does this article resemble an advert and how should it be improved? See: Wikipedia:Spam (you might trthe Teahouseif you have questions). American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, also known as Joint or JDC, is a Jewish ...

; Past President and Honorary Chairman,

Religious Zionists of America The Religious Zionists of America (Hebrew official name: Religious Zionists of America/Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi, also known as Mizrachi, is an American-based organization that is the official body for those, mostly Modern Orthodox Jews who id ...

, Honorary Chairman, and serves as Vice President of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations, founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress's main purpose is to act as ...

American Section.

Personal life

Born in Vienna in 1930, Rabbi Schneier lived under Nazi occupation in Budapest during World War II and arrived in the United States in 1947. He is married to Elisabeth Nordmann Schneier and is the father of Rabbi Marc Schneier and Karen Schneier Dresbach. He has 5 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

References

External links

Rabbi Arthur Schneier Papers
at Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at

Special Collections. {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneier, Arthur American Orthodox rabbis Orthodox Jews and Judaism in New York City Yeshiva University alumni Austrian emigrants to the United States Austrian expatriates in Hungary Austrian Jews American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Rabbis from Vienna 1930 births Living people Presidential Citizens Medal recipients Orthodox rabbis from New York City Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria Commander's Crosses with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) Jewish human rights activists Jewish anti-war activists American human rights activists Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue 20th-century American rabbis People in interfaith dialogue 21st-century American rabbis