2008 Woodie Awards
75 Years of Service to Humanity
Schneier Center Dinner Celebrates Founder's Birthday
Ariel Rosenzveig
Issue date: 3/29/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Dignitaries from far and wide gathered at The Plaza Hotel on Sunday, March 20 to celebrate the 75th birthday of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, and the dedication of the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Center for International Affairs at Yeshiva University. More than 450 people, including Senator Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and Israel's New York Consul General Arye Mekel, turned out for the extravagant dinner.
Joining this illustrious group were ambassadors representing Israel, Croatia, the Ukraine, China, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and Switzerland.
Rabbi Schneier came to the United States after surviving the Holocaust to attend Yeshiva University. He was graduated from Yeshiva College in 1951 and was ordained as a rabbi at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1956.
Reminiscing about his childhood, Rabbi Schneier told the crowd about his travails during the holocaust, and how lucky he was to have survived. He spoke of his role on the international scene, and how he found it his duty to promote co-existence among all peoples of the world.
Rabbi Schneier is internationally known for his leadership on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and tolerance. He founded and continues to maintain the presidency of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, and was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by former President Bill Clinton for "devoting a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance."
In addition to his involvement in international relations, he has been the spiritual leader of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan for the past 43 years.
As the keynote speaker of the event, Sen. Clinton spoke about her interactions with Rabbi Schneier over the years. She told about a trip to China with Rabbi Schneier where they toured a deteriorating synagogue, presented it with a Torah and arranged for the building's re-opening.
"It was a small but significant step [on the part of Rabbi Schneier] and showed the Chinese the importance of religious freedom and liberty," remarked Sen. Clinton.
Joining this illustrious group were ambassadors representing Israel, Croatia, the Ukraine, China, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, and Switzerland.
Rabbi Schneier came to the United States after surviving the Holocaust to attend Yeshiva University. He was graduated from Yeshiva College in 1951 and was ordained as a rabbi at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary in 1956.
Reminiscing about his childhood, Rabbi Schneier told the crowd about his travails during the holocaust, and how lucky he was to have survived. He spoke of his role on the international scene, and how he found it his duty to promote co-existence among all peoples of the world.
Rabbi Schneier is internationally known for his leadership on behalf of religious freedom, human rights and tolerance. He founded and continues to maintain the presidency of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, and was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by former President Bill Clinton for "devoting a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance."
In addition to his involvement in international relations, he has been the spiritual leader of the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan for the past 43 years.
As the keynote speaker of the event, Sen. Clinton spoke about her interactions with Rabbi Schneier over the years. She told about a trip to China with Rabbi Schneier where they toured a deteriorating synagogue, presented it with a Torah and arranged for the building's re-opening.
"It was a small but significant step [on the part of Rabbi Schneier] and showed the Chinese the importance of religious freedom and liberty," remarked Sen. Clinton.