Reaffirming Our Commitment to Our Jewish Values

Reaffirming Our Commitment to Our Jewish Values

A Message from Shaare Emeth’s Leadership

In the Book of Exodus, we read about our people’s moment at Mt. Sinai, when we stood together and entered into a Covenant with God. There, we received commandments that would become the foundation for the kinds of sacred communities the Jewish people were to create.  

Defend the orphan, the widow, and the stranger – the most vulnerable among you. Do not mock the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind. Share your harvest with the poor. Welcome the stranger. Tend to the sick. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds. What is hateful to you, do not do to another. Honor the tzelem Elohim, the image of God, in everyone.  

These are our Reform Jewish values. This is the kind of community Congregation Shaare Emeth strives to be. We live out these values in many ways, including: 

  • Honoring the identity, diversity, and abilities of all. 

  • Promoting an emotionally and physically safe environment for everyone. 

  • Welcoming all to participate in our worship, traditions, and programs. 

  • Joining together in acts of tikkun olam, acts to mend our broken world.

In recent weeks, when so many of these values are being abandoned or challenged at the federal and state level, Congregation Shaare Emeth remains committed to our vision of an inclusive community where people of every race, gender identity, sexual identity, and people of all abilities are welcomed and belong. We value each of our members and visitors and are grateful for all that you contribute to our congregational community. 

Many of Shaare Emeth’s committee and inclusion groups have been working for years to celebrate our diversity and care for those most in need, and we expect this work to continue for years to come. If you would like to stay informed with updates, actions, programs, and ways that you can help these important communities within the greater Shaare Emeth community, please sign up to receive their alerts. They will so appreciate knowing that they have your support. 

Immigration Action and Advocacy Committee

  • Stan Shanker, chair

  • To stay informed, email Debbie Bram

Keshet (Welcome and Inclusion of LGBTQ+ members and guests)

REDI (Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee

  • Holly Bernstein and Amy Hammerman, co-chairs 

  • To stay informed, email Stacy Jespersen

Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group

  • This working group is in formation.

  • Please contact Craig Neuman, Executive Director, if you would like to be involved.

At Congregation Shaare Emeth the most important resource we have is each other. We are here for you and are grateful for our community’s continued support of one another. 

L’shalom, 

Dana DeBlasi, President
Mark Gubernik, First Vice President
Rabbi Jim Bennett
Rabbi Andrea Goldstein
Craig Neuman, Executive Director

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.