Rabbi Arthur Shnayer

Born on 20 March 1930 in Vienna, Austria.

He has the international reputation of a leader in promotion of religious freedoms and rights of a human, Rabbi Shnayer is a founder and president of the Fund "Appeal for Conscience", as well as the spiritual leader of "East Park Synagogue", a historical site of New-York.

In 2002 the US State Secretary C.Powell honoured him with "The Special Acknowledgment Award by the State Department" for "dedicating all his life to serving human rights and religious freedom, tolerance and peace, settlement of ethnic conflicts in the whole world".

In 2001 he received the "Presidential Medal of Citizens" for achievements in this area; the same year he gained acknowledgment by the State Department "for 20 years of superb cooperation in promotion of religious freedom". 

In 1988 he was the alternative US Representative in UN; in 1991-1995 he was the Chairman of the US Commission on retaining American heritage abroad.

He was leading 58 inter-confession delegations into the FSU countries. In 1995, upon invitation from the Russian Government, he was leading the delegation of the members of the Fund "Appeal for Conscience" as international observers at the parliamentary elections. In June 1996 he was the leading the delegation of international observers at presidential elections in the Russian Federation, as well as a similar delegation at the elections into Duma in 1999. He initiated and organized a few international conferences in the Balkan countries, Turkey (Peace and Tolerance Conference in 1994), as well as participated in Inter-Religious Peace Conference in Moscow (March 2004)

He is a member of the Foreign Policy Council, Asian Community etc.

He has the PhD degree in theology at Yeshiva University.

He is married to Elizabeth Nordmann Shnayer.