BIOGRAPHY
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Senior Rabbi of Park East Synagogue in New York City and founder of the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School, has served this leading modern Orthodox congregation for fifty five years. As Founder and President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation (1965) he is internationally known for his leadership on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and tolerance was the first Rabbi to be awarded the U.S. Presidential Citizens Medal for “his service as an international envoy for four administrations†and “as a Holocaust survivor, devoting a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance,†and was recognized by the US Senate for his lifelong advocacy of inter-religious cooperation and peace.
A consistent and effective voice for peaceful coexistence, inter-ethnic and inter-religious cooperation, he has been building bridges between the Jewish people, Israel, and major faith communities. In 2008, he hosted Pope Benedict XVI at Park East Synagogue, the first ever Papal visit to a synagogue in the U.S. In 2009 welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. In 2015 Pope Francis bestowed upon him the Papal Knighthood of Saint Sylvester for “his unceasing work to promote peace and mutual understanding.â€
The Vienna born Rabbi Arthur Schneier survived the Holocaust in Budapest. He is also known for his pioneering role on behalf of Soviet Jewry and the rebuilding of religious life in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China.
He was one of three American religious leaders appointed by President Clinton to start the first dialogue on religious freedom with Chinese President Jiang Zemin. (1998) U.S. Alternate Representative to the United Nations General Assembly, (1988) Chairman, US Commission for Preservation of American Heritage Abroad. (1992) He serves as an Ambassador of the UN Alliance of Civilizations appointed by UN Secretary General.
His alma mater Yeshiva University established the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs. He was awarded eleven honorary doctor degrees from U.S. and European universities.
He is the recipient of high awards from Germany, Russia, Albania, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Morocco, Poland, and Spain, U.S. Department of State Special Recognition Award; nominated for the Congressional Gold Medal (2013); listed as one the most influential rabbis in the U.S. by the Newsweek Magazine (2010-2013) and named as one of the 100 most trustworthy people in the U.S. by the Readers’ Digest magazine poll (2013); Order of St. Andrew the Apostle Athenagoras Human Rights Award for “his contributions to the improvement of tolerance and peace among all religions throughout the world†(2008); On the 50th Anniversary of his Rabbinate, Rabbi Arthur Schneier was cited by the New York State Senate for his “enduring mark on behalf of religious freedom, peace, and human rights.†(2015)
Vice President, World Jewish Congress, member of Council on Foreign Relations, Asia Society, Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, Joint Distribution Committee, Rabbinical Council of America, New York Board of Rabbis, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Committee on Conscience, Board member United Nations Development Corporation. (1973)
Married to Elisabeth Nordmann Schneier
