Keshet LGBTQ+

Keshet LGBTQ+ at Shaare Emeth

Congregation Shaare Emeth welcomes all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, as full participants in Temple life. We are excited to celebrate all milestones and lifecycle moments, including marriages, baby namings, and more, with members who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or questioning.

Celebrate Pride with Congregation Shaare Emeth

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Shaare Your Pride!

Show your pride with these t-shirts created exclusively for Shaare Emeth. Multiple color, cut, and size options are available so you can get one that you'll be sure to love!

Click here to get yours!

We encourage everyone to explore the many local Pride celebrations happening in June and in months to come!

About Shaare Emeth’s Keshet Committee

Keshet means rainbow or קשת in Hebrew. Since 2019, the Keshet Committee has been working toward affirming and welcoming members of the LGBTQ+ community. Our goal is to help the congregation live up to our highest values so that all congregants and prospective members feel they truly belong at Shaare Emeth. With the leadership and partnership of Rabbi Bearman, the Keshet team hosts programming to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion within our congregation and acts as a resource on LGBTQ+ issues to the congregational community.

Keshet Committee Co-Chairs: Leslie Masaki and Michele Siler
Rabbinic Liaison to the Keshet Committee: Rabbi Rachel Bearman

Resources from Shaare Emeth’s Keshet LGBTQ+ Committee

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ABOUT

Leanne & Harvey Schneider

2026 Harris Frank Community Service Award Honorees

Harvey and Leanne Schneider have devoted their lives to strengthening both the Jewish and broader St. Louis communities through leadership, service, education, and a deep commitment to bringing people together.

A St. Louis native, Harvey Schneider attended local public schools before earning both his undergraduate business degree and law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Following graduation, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he served as a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. After five years of federal service, he returned to St. Louis and became a partner in private law practice. Over a legal career spanning more than five decades, Harvey represented family-owned businesses and private individuals in a wide range of business matters.

Harvey’s commitment to civic and Jewish communal life has been equally extensive. He has served as President of Congregation Shaare Emeth, the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis, the Central Agency for Jewish Education, the Little Symphony Concerts Association, and the Forever Young Club at the Missouri Athletic Club. In addition, he dedicated 26 years to public service on the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Town and Country, including three years as chairman.

After graduating from Washington University, Leanne Schneider spent a year studying in France. Upon her return to St. Louis, she became deeply involved in international student exchange programs, first with the Experiment in International Living and later with AFS, fostering cross-cultural understanding and lifelong connections among people of different backgrounds. This commitment to building bridges naturally extended to her involvement with the Interfaith Partnership of Greater St. Louis.

Leanne also taught French and Spanish at Brittany Junior High School before she and Harvey started their family. Throughout the years, she has shared her passion for education and community service by tutoring New Americans through the English Language School, serving on Congregation Shaare Emeth’s first Caring Committee, and volunteering as a reader with Ready Readers. Today, she continues to nurture her love of learning and literature through a book club that includes many members of Congregation Shaare Emeth.

Together, Harvey and Leanne have exemplified a lifetime of generosity, service, and leadership. Their dedication to education, interfaith understanding, civic engagement, and Jewish communal life has enriched countless lives throughout St. Louis. They are the proud parents of three children and grandparents of four, and their enduring legacy continues to inspire future generations.