This is the continuing story of a Jewish woman's spiritual journey and search. Jo Ann Schneider Farris has searched and searched for God in many different ways. In this blog, she tells her past, present, and future stories and shares her thoughts.
I began writing this blog post on Friday, December 10, 2021, which was a very cold and snowy day is Colorado, so it was and is a perfect time to write a summary of my father’s incredible and long life. I finished the blog post on the afternoon of December 13, but will probably continue to add to it. If you have a photo to add, send it to me or comment at the bottom of this blog post.
Arthur Sanford Schneider was born on March 24, 1929 at Hollywood Hospital in Hollywood, California. His parents, Max Schneider and Fannie Nettie Ragin Schneider were married just a year before on New Year’s Day 1928. His mother, Fannie, loved King Arthur stories, so she named him after King Arthur! My dad’s original birth certificate stated that his name was Samuel Arthur Schneider, but he was always Arthur Sanford Schneider, and papers changing that name to his legal name were written to amend his birth certificate in 1954.
Baby Arthur
My Grandparents - Young Fannie and Max Schneider
My Dad’s Parents - Fannie and Max Schneider
Official documentation of error in my dad’s name
Shortly after his birth, Grandpa Max and Grandma Fannie moved to Long Beach, California’s Belmont Shore. They purchased a home at 169 Granada Avenue and that was the home my father lived and grew up in until he left for college.
Arthur Schneider - Two Years Old
The 169 Granada house kept getting flooded every year and I was told that Grandpa Max got sick of that, so he bought a larger house, still on Granada on the other side of 2nd Street, at 232 Granada and moved the family there.
Maxwell’s - Grandpa Max’s Jewelry Store
Grandpa Max owned Maxwell’s Jewelers, a family owned business which was located on Pine Avenue in the downtown part of Long Beach. Grandma Fannie was a special education teacher.
I was told by my Grandma Fannie, that when my dad was little, she tied him to a leash and let him play in the backyard. That was common in the early 1930s.
Arthur Schneider - Southern California Military Academy
When my dad was five years old, my Uncle Bobby, my dad’s late brother was born. To make things easier for Grandma Fannie, Grandpa Max enrolled my dad into Southern California Military Academy, a boarding school on Cherry Avenue in Long Beach. My father told me that once he told some of his fellow students he was Jewish, he didn’t have any friends there and was subject to bullying.
Irving Schneider - My dad’s uncle - One of the founders of Temple Israel in Long Beach
This plaque remembering some members of the Schneider Family is on a memory wall at Temple Israel in Long Beach, California
The extended Schneider family were some of the founders of Temple Israel, a reform Jewish congregation in Long Beach. My dad attended religious school there as a child and taught at their religious school as a teen. He was confirmed at Temple Israel too. Daddy told me that his confirmation class’s photo is somewhere in Temple Israel’s storage archives.
Just like in the movies, the extended Schneider family was quite large. My father’s grandmother Esther Feingold Schneider lived with my father’s Uncle Tom in a large house on Broadway in Belmont Heights. He told me that whenever he stopped there to visit, his Grandma Esther would have a present waiting for him. A photo of his Grandma Esther is on Temple Israel’s history wall inside the foyer of the temple!
My dad’s grandmother Esther Feingold Schneider
Grandpa Max was one of eight siblings and they all lived in either Belmont Heights or Belmont Shore after they got married and had their own children, so although my dad only had one sibling, he had many cousins that he was very close to. Most of his cousins, he told me, were like brothers and sisters.
Grandma Fannie was one of 10 siblings, but most of those siblings lived in Los Angeles, so he wasn’t as close to his Ragin cousins as he was with his Schneider cousins, but he still spent a lot of time with them since in those days, families gathered together on a regular basis.
After his short time at Long Beach’s Southern California Military Academy, my dad came back home to live at the 169 Granada house and attended Lowell Elementary, Rogers Junior High School, and then Wilson High School.
Note: Every time I’d pass those schools with him when we were in Long Beach, Daddy would start singing his school songs. He didn’t remember all the words, but he would sing out:
“Lowell, Lowell Elementary! Your the only school for me!…." and “Rogers Junior High School! To You We Sing This Song!" "Hail to Wilson! Woodrow Wilson! Fairest high school in the land…”
Young Arthur Schneider
Art Schneider in high school
When my dad graduated from Wilson High School, he was only 16 years old. He graduated at the top of his class and was class salutatorian, 2nd to the class’s valedictorian. He told me that during his high school years, all his friends at school were Jewish. One of his closest friends was Alan Friedman who was an artist. Some of Alan’s paintings and sketches hung inside our home for years. Alan even drew a chalk portrait of me that my dad treasured.
Drawing of Jo Ann (four years old) by my dad’s high school friend Alan Friedman
My dad’s high school friend Alan Friedman with some of his paintings
So…at 16 years old, my dad went off to UCLA. He told me there were no freeways then, so UCLA was a really long commute from his Long Beach home. He lived in a dorm called “The Co-Op” which was like a dorm but the students worked a couple days a week to make the cost of the dorms reasonable. His best friend in that dorm was Jerry Smith. Daddy told me that he and Jerry became experts at frying chicken on the days they worked at “The Co-Op.” UCLA, my dad discovered, was a very liberal place and he made some non-Jewish friends including Jerry. However….he did join a Jewish fraternity, but did not stay a member.
Bob Rogers Introduced My Parents to One Another
When my dad was 19 years old, still a student at UCLA, he and his friend Jerry went out one night with a young African American couple (Bob Rogers and his girlfriend Tammy). Tammy brought her friend Edie on that excursion (who became my mom). Tammy and Edith Kadison (Edie) lived at a women’s dorm called Stevens House.
Graduation Day UCLA with my great-grandmother Esther and Grandma Fannie
Jerry Smith and Edie and Art - Graduation From UCLA
My mom was older than my dad: 26 years old, but looked really young. She had worked and worked and saved and saved to go to UCLA. I was told by my mom that she was attracted to my dad since he wore shoes and Jerry didn’t! Also, they both were attracted to one another since they both were Jewish.
Engaged Edie and Art about to go to friend’s wedding 1949
The group went to The Palladium on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood and listened to a famous African American jazz singer named Dizzy Gillespie. (My dad told me he and my mom were involved in the civil rights movement even before the civil rights movement began!)
A day or two later, my mom, Edie, called my dad telling him she needed help changing a flat tire. He came to her aid right away and after that day, it seemed from that day on they were never apart!
Wedding Day! August 20, 1950
When my dad told my Grandma Max he wanted to marry my mom when he was 19 years old, Grandpa Max asked him to wait until he turned 21.
The two eloped on July 12, 1950, but when my mother’s father, Joseph Kadison, suddenly died of a heart attack just a few days after they eloped, they kept their elopement secret. They were officially married by Temple Israel’s Rabbi Grafman on August 20, 1950. They honeymooned on Catalina Island and rented a little cottage there for a week.
Eloped! July 12, 1950
Wedding! August 20, 1950
After wedding photos at my Esther Kadison’s Home
Honeymoon in Catalina
Art and Edie were so much in love. I found some cards and letters to one another and I learned they called each other pet names: Google and Googlely! (And…this was before GOOGLE!)
Art and Edith Schneider - About to Honeymoon!
Art and Edie’s first apartment
Shortly after the wedding, Edie and Art headed on a train to Chicago for a medical school interview. In 1951, my dad became an official medical student at Chicago Medical School. My mom, Edith, was now a social worker at Cook County Hospital in Chicago and supported them while Daddy was in medical school. They lived in an apartment in downtown Chicago where other medical school married couples lived. Some of their closest medical school friends included Maury Fields and Burt Blackman. When I was a little kid, I remember playing with Maury’s and Burt’s children. They both became doctors in Los Angeles. Maury played the guitar and the three couples would get together on weekends and sing folk songs together. My parents purchased autoharps in Chicago so they could accompany Maury. (When I was a little kid, my parents gave me and Billy autoharp lessons on those autoharps.) My parents loved listening to The Weavers, The Limelighters, and Peter Seeger.
Maury and Anita Fields and Art and Edie in Chicago
Getting Together With the Fields and Blackmans in Chicago
Life in Chicago
Almost all of the students at Chicago Medical School were Jewish and almost all the professors were Jewish. During the 1950s it was difficult for Jewish students to get into medical school and so the group of doctors that founded that medical school bounded together to create a place for Jewish students.
Medical Student Studying at Home
My dad told me stories of delivering babies as a medical student in the poor homes of some of the women who lived in Chicago. He also told me how very hard he worked and studied in medical school.
After he graduated from medical school, his internship brought my parents first to Iowa (he had to leave Iowa since his asthma was horrible there) and then back to Southern California to Los Angeles and the Wadsworth VA hospital. They had an apartment on Sepulveda Blvd.
Jo Ann and Her Daddy 1956
It seemed like everything was planned including when to start a family. I was born on May 7, 1956 after the internship ended. My brother Billy was born on January 3, 1958, and my sister Lynnellen, was born on February 18, 1959. Billy’s name was actually William Scott Schneider. The name William came from one of my dad’s favorite philosophers, Sir William Osler. I was named Jo (first name) Ann (middle name and Lynnellen was Lynn (first name) Ellen (middle name), but our first and middle names were always put together. I was named after my mother’s father Joseph Kadison and the Ellen in my sister’s middle name was after my father’s grandmother Esther who passed away just before Lynnellen was born.
Jo Ann, Billy, and Lynnellen Schneider - 1962
Doctors were getting drafted in the late 1950s, so to avoid being drafted, my father volunteered to serve as an Air Force doctor. He had the title of Captain and was stationed at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento. My mom was the perfect housewife and mother there. We first lived on the base, but moved to a rented house just off the base in Rancho Cordova.
Although my dad was a busy military doctor, he always had time for family. I remember him trying to teach me to ride a bike on our street in Rancho Cordova. I also remember swimming at the officers club when I was four years old with my dad. I couldn’t really swim, but when I used a pool ring I could stay afloat. Daddy loved to swim and liked to be around a pool so much. When I was older, he taught me how to dive into a pool. My mother did not know how to swim, so he taught her how to swim.
Daddy Loved to Swim
My father finished his time in the Air Force just before I was about to begin Kindergarten. He then moved his young family back to southern California and bought a home in Canoga Park, in the newly developed San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. He was to work at the same V.A. Hospital, the Wadworth V.A., where he did his internship. He was also on the part time teaching staff at the UCLA Medical School.
8401 Rudnick Avenue, Canoga Park, California - the first home my parents bought 1961
The Schneider Family 1962
My dad and my mom decorated our new house perfectly. He had a pool with a diving board and swimming house built in the backyard too. He made sure all of us had swimming lessons so we would not drown in that pool, but also fenced the pool in so no neighborhood kids would wander into our pool.
It was in that pool that my father taught me to blow bubbles while I was swimming since I seemed to always hold my breath. When my teachers at school noticed I memorized words only when I read, and did not sound out words, Daddy coached me for hours on phonetics.
There was pressure for doctors to live closer to the Wadsworth V.A., so one day my dad announced we were going to move to Belair. I was eight years old then.
Before we moved to Belair we began ice skating. Daddy skated recreationally since he was a little boy and even asked my mother to marry him at the Iceland in Paramount, California!
Olympic Figure Skating Champion Dorothy Hamill and my Dad
My dad told me he always wanted his children to skate, but I don’t believe at the time (summer of 1964) he had any idea how much doing that sport would take over our lives. We began by skating two days a week at Valley Ice Skating Center in Tarzana which was fairly close to our home in Canoga Park, but shortly after we moved to Belair. Our skating days increased, and we thought we were quite serious skating four days a week in the Valley, but my dad wanted us to “do it right” so after speaking to the parents of higher level skaters, he moved our skating lessons and training to Culver City.
The Three Skating Schneiders
My mother told my dad when we changed rinks the following: “I married a nut.” You see, we were now skating five to six hours a day beginning a 4:30 in the morning five to six days a week!
Some families might have only given skating to one child, but my dad wanted all three of his children to be given equal opportunities, so we all skated. Before work, he was at the rink watching every minute of our early morning practice and lessons and after work he was back at the rink. He just cared so much.
Although skating took over our lives, Daddy also immersed himself in his work. Although he was a hematologist, through an opportunity at the hospital, he became a pathologist. Eventually he was the head of the pathology department at the Veterans Administration and an assistant professor at the U.C.L.A. Medical School.
It was during the time at UCLA medical school, that my dad (along with a Dr. William Valentine) discovered a disease that was similar to sickle cell anemia. The disease was triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) deficiency, a hereditary hemolytic anemia associated with progressive neuromuscular dysfunction.
Being on the faculty at UCLA meant me could use some of the campus facilities. At first he took us swimming at the U.C.L.A. Women’s Gym, but when the campus recreation center opened, he continued to take us swimming there. He also took us bowling and out to breakfast at the campus student center. I will never forget how interested he was in showing his young children that campus. (For years, he told me he wanted me to go to UCLA.)
In 1971, my dad was offered the position as the head of the department of Pathology at the City of Hope. It was shortly after that he moved our family to Arcadia.
As I grew into my teen years, although skating took over, my father wanted only the very best for my future. It was very difficult for me to manage my heavy skating training schedule with school, so when I pleaded with him to do so, he made it possible for me to go to Hollywood Professional School in 10th grade. The drive to Hollywood was too much for my family, so in 11th grade I attended Arcadia High School, but my dad worked it that I was only physically there part time. I returned to Hollywood Professional School for my senior year.
Daddy really wanted me to be a doctor and insisted I take all the right classes in high school that would get me into a medical school eventually. One of the classes I had to take at Arcadia High School to do that was physics. The issue was that I just could not do it. I didn’t understand the textbook at all and couldn’t make sense of the lectures. In order to make sure I passed the class, my dad decided he’d tutor me.
Here’s how I got an “A” in Physics (although the real truth is my dad got an “A” in physics):
Every morning while I was skating/training at Iceland in Paramount from 6–8 am, my dad would wake up even earlier and read my homework assignment. He would then do my assigned homework. When I’d arrive at the City of Hope parking lot around 9 am, I’d copy that homework and put it in my own writing and turn it in. I would take notes during class, but I had no idea what the teacher was talking about. My dad would try to make sense of my notes. Tests were probably bi-weekly or every three weeks, so whenever there was a physics test, I’d skip my morning skating and my dad would tutor me all morning long from about 4 am to 10 am and then I’d go to my 11 am physics class with a full mind and ace the test. I had no idea what I learned but there was enough inside my brain to get an “A” in physics!
(He also helped my mother with her master’s degree in social work.)
This is an example of how my father wanted the best for his children and family. He made it possible for my brother to get the best possible coaches who took his talent as far as it could go. He wanted me to do the best I could do in skating and made it possible for me to excel at ice dancing.
In 1975, when he was offered a position as department chair at The Chicago Medical School, he made it possible for my sister, who was a high school senior at the time, to live with a family in Arcadia so she could continue at the same school and be with her friends rather than move with them to Chicago.
He was adored by his students at the Chicago Medical School and he absolutely loved teaching Pathology there. With Dr. Philip Szanto, he co-authored PATHOLOGY, a textbook that was used in medical schools all over the world.
PATHOLOGY - By Dr. Arthur Schneider and Dr. Philip Szanto
My dad wanted to know as much as possible about figure skating, so he became a figure skating judge and served and volunteered for U.S. Figure Skating as a judge for 50 years.
Daddy and I with fellow skating judge Janet Becht
Smiling With Past US Figure Skating President Morry Stillwell and His Wife Elda
Another precious memory is my father’s determine to skate too. Every Saturday or Sunday morning he would take ice dancing lessons and I would get to ice dance with him. Skating with my dad is one special memory that I will always treasure.
I will always treasure getting to ice skate with my dad
My dad told me once that his family was the most important thing to him and I know how true that was. Work was always secondary. He told me once he was in private practice for a short time which made more money than working at a hospital, but what stopped him from staying in private practice was that it took him away from his family.
Daddy never thought about himself. He always wanted to do things for others. He did everything he could to take care of his wife and children and his grandchildren. When something was wrong he would help us fix it. If we needed help, he was there to help us.
Daddy and My Sister Lynnellen
My brother Billy and his wife Amy and their children Phoebe and Charlie smiling with my dad
Daddy with my sister Lynnellen and all her children and grandchildren - 2018
Enjoying Iceland in Paramount, California (January 5, 2020) with my sister Lynnellen’s grandchildren
From Tiffany (the mother of my sister’s grandchildren):
“Hi Jo Ann. I’ve been meaning to call you and tell you all my condolences about your father. Sending you a big hug. You really took care of that man and did a lot for him and sacrificed your time and energy. I know that you loved being with him.”
In 1984, my dad had a heart attack and had quadruple bypass surgery. That saved his life, but he also decided it was time to do something extraordinary after he recovered, so he began training for running marathons. He ran in the New York Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, the Long Beach Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the L.A. Marathon, the Washington D.C. Marathon, and the Denver Marathon. He told me that he would not do the Pikes Peak Marathon since that one just seemed too hard. Also, he took part in the San Francisco Bay to Breakers race when my husband Dan and I lived in San Francisco in the late 1980s.
He was so committed to his running, that when my brother Billy had students compete in Long Island at the 1987 United States Figure Skating Championships, that he he tried to run inside the Nassau Sports Arena during practice sessions! (The security guard figured out what he was doing and stopped him!)
Daddy with me and Darlene Gilbert
From Darlene Gilbert:
“I am appreciative to have known Art Schneider and his family for over 55 years. I credit him for my final decision to move from Indiana to Southern California, and much of the many benefits that followed. His love and values are an example to all. With love and respect I honor his life, and how he touched me in so many ways. My love to him and all who follow his example..Darlene Gilbert”
He helped one of my skating coaches, Darlene Streich Gilbert, get established in Southern California when she wanted to relocate there from Indianapolis in the early 1970s. His best friend from college, Jerry Smith, would call him from time to time, and he got Jerry a position at the medical school in Chicago. He found a job for my dear friend June’s husband Bill in Chicago. He found skating partners for me. He came to watch every single lesson my children had during their competitive skating days. He made sure he was always at every graduation or milestone that his children and grandchildren had. He tutored my sister’s son Cody to help him get through high school. He gave us advice and was always supportive in any decisions we made.
How proud he was at my brother Billy’s wedding! How thrilled he was when my sister gave birth to her first child, his first grandchild Drew!
Art and Edith Schneider in Chicago
During the time my parents lived in Chicago, my dad invested in properties in Colorado and also in Long Beach, California. Daddy’s wish was that every member of his family (his wife, children, and grandchildren) could be together in his Colorado home. That did happen only one time but how special that was!
The only time the entire Schneider Family was together in Colorado 2002
Daddy bought my family a piano. He told me that he wanted my children to play on a real piano rather than an electronic keyboard.
My father was so proud when he saw my brother Billy graduate from Denver University Law School.
Smiling with my sister Lynnellen and her new car - December, 2019
After my mother passed away on January 29, 2011, little by little, my dad spent more and more time in Colorado. It happened slowly, but little by little, he became part of my own immediate family. We stayed with him in his Colorado house as much as we could. He traveled with me and my children to skating competitions and to test sessions. We always made sure we had adjoining hotel rooms and Daddy began to feel like my own children were part of him.
This photo happened because of the 2020 Pandemic - The whole family was together!
He cared so much about all of us: my children, my brother Billy’s children, my sister Lynnellen’s children and grandchildren. He was so very excited about what everyone did and what made them happy. My husband Dan is like a son to him.
My daughter Rebekah performing in Disney On Ice
My daughter Rebekah rehearsing in Disney On Ice
My son Joel performing in Disney On Ice
He was thrilled when two of my children joined Disney On Ice and together we traveled to see Joel perform in the show in different locations all over the USA. Unfortunately he only got to see Rebekah perform in the show one time when we traveled to Wichita, Kansas to see both Joel and Rebekah perform in early summer 2021.
Daddy loved to eat out and wanted to treat anyone who would join him for a meal. All of us who joined him for meals out always had a great time and were so grateful.
In 2015, at the age of 86, my dad officially retired after 40 years at the Chicago Medical School. I proudly watched him march with the faculty in the last medical school graduation he attended. The medical school sent him a rocking chair that thanked him for those 40 plus years!
Last Graduation My Dad Participated in at Chicago Medical School - June 2015
This is the plaque that is on the back of the rocking chair that Chicago Medical School gave my dad
I began to take my dad to enjoy his condo in Long Beach on a regular basis beginning in 2015. We would spend a month or two in California together and then a month or two in Colorado. Together we became active at Temple Israel Long Beach. My dad really loved again being a part of the same congregation he attended as a child and teen and young adult. He was part of the Men’s Club, Torah Study, and Tanach Study. Temple Israel’s Tanach class gave him a birthday party in 2016!
On Wednesdays, when we were in Long Beach, he’d watch me skate with the Paramount Adult Skaters group and then we’d go to the Long Beach Jewish Community Center together for Rabbi Perelmuter’s noon Kabala study. Daddy enjoyed that study so much and the rabbi appreciated his attendance.
When we were in Colorado, my dad joined me for weekly Torah Study at Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs. He took part in services there and was so proud of my daughter Annabelle’s Bat Mitzvah there. Rebekah’s Bat Mitzvah was at Temple Beit Torah also in Colorado Springs. He joined our family on the Bima (stage) for both celebrations.
Starting in 2017, we began to go to Sun Valley, Idaho, and we became part of the Wood River Jewish Community. Weekly, I took my dad to the Men’s Club weekly lunches (women were allowed to join in). We also attended services and gatherings there. Everyone knew my dad.
Temple Israel’s Tanach class gave my dad a birthday party March 24, 2016
From Mark Beizer, past Temple Israel Long Beach President:
"I just thought your dad was a great guy. I remember him joining the Tuesday Minyan group. Occasionally we'd rib him a bit about being the oldest guy in the room. He took it with great humor and I think he always understood our love and respect for him. He wasn't very vocal of course -- heck, he was pushing 90 already. So I'd sometimes direct questions to him
and we'd usually find he'd been paying attention all along.
I'd sometime sit next to him and ask him about his life and career. And his early days at Temple Israel. I wish I had known him when he was younger.
Your dad's memory will be a blessing for all of us."
Daddy even joined me for scooter rides through his hometown Belmont Shore. Together we took walks on the beach. In Colorado, he’d go with me to the mountains and hang out in the lodge while I skied. I became so very close to him.
Hanging out by the beach
Seal Beach
Wherever I went, my dad would go, so my friends became his friends too. I was told by everyone that met him that he was the most wonderful and kind man they’d ever met. Some of the people that have told me they adore and love my father are: Marion Ennis Curtis and her husband Bruce, Mary and Lyman Davis, Kathie Fry, Lori Olds, Rhonda Gordon, Bernadette McEwan Brake, Darlene Gilbert, Rosie Finnochi, June and Bill Pysto, Sharon, Sal, and Jessica Mancini, Larisa Gendernalik, Bernice Davis, Paul and Judy Steiner, Joanna Capper, Leah and John Vanderluis, Lori and Tom McHugh, and many others.
Jo Ann Schneider and Richard Griffin
One of my former skating partners, Richard Griffin said the following about my dad:
“Your father meant the world to me, as a friend, mentor and confidante. I wouldn’t have a career in skating without his guidance and his commitment to our success. I will never ever forget him. He was the dad I never had. He changed my life for the better forever.”
Jo Ann Schneider and Gary Forman
And…here’s a comment from another one of my skating partners, Gary Forman (I skated with Gary before Rich):
“Your dad was an amazing man. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to ice dance with you. He opened a whole new world for me. He was truly amazing in so many ways. He will be missed! Love you, and again, so sorry for your loss.”
Daddy with our good friends Mary and Lyman Davis
Scootering at the United States Air Force Academy With Lyman Davis
Eating Out with Lyman and Mary Davis
Lyman Davis and Daddy
And…yet another comment from our close family friend Lyman Davis:
‘I will deeply miss your Father.
He was ALWAYS an example to us all on how to guide and nurture a loving family. Such people are extremely rare and exquisitely beautiful. I will always be thankful to have known Arthur and to call him a true friend and fellow deli/diner aficionado. I feel blessed to have had the short time that we shared and the lessons that I learned from him by his example.
He was not only a teacher at the highest levels in academia and Medical science, he was a mentor to those around him on what it means to be a real father and a real man.
As my mother used to say - “some people make all the difference”.
Your father was such a man.
Your father was amazing.
My remembrances only capture a part of his stature. Tell me…
How does one capture the impish smile on your fathers face when he was enjoying a meal with his family and friends. Also… how do you describe the look of TRUE love when he described your mother Edith when he would look off in the distance with a contented smile and begin a chorus of “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine”.’
Corey Isenberg and Jo Ann - 1969
Memories from my very first ice dancing partner Corey Isenberg:
I am so sorry to hear about your dad. He stepped up my plate when we competed; my parents did not get why I skated. Your dad was always there for you and then somewhat for me.
I have very fond memories of talking with your dad and mom at the rink and they filled in the place where my parents and sister should have stood. I was a very jealous of what you had.
My dear friend Bernice and her family adored Daddy
From my dear friend Bernice Davis:
“Dr. Schneider embraced my entire family from our first meeting. He was charming, witty, and kind. Over the 10 years we spent several meals together and had discussions on family, Judaism, and history that I will always cherish. He made me think, laughed at my joke, and entertained my children and me with stories of his life. He loved when we would sing at family gatherings. The last day I spent with him, he was smiling. This is how I will always remember him. Jo Ann is a dear friend to me as her children have been to my children, and she shared the gift of her beloved father. I am forever grateful for having known him.”
Lunch with my friends Joanna and Leah
Breakfast at Chuck’s in Belmont Shore, Long Beach with my good friend Luke Benbow and his family and my good friend Rosie Finocchi - December 2019
My former skating partner Richard Griffin’s wife Debbie with my daughter Annabelle and my dad
Daddy and me with ice skating legend Richard Dwyer
Smiling with our lifelong friends June and Bill Pysto
My good friend Rosie and Michael Finocchi with my dad 2019
Daddy with my dear friends Larisa Gendernalik and Sal Mancini
Daddy and I with Sal Mancini - he adored Sal’s music and singing
In Montecito With Cousin Luci
Also, some of our extended family, I was able to get my dad connected with again while we were together in Southern California. My cousin Luci (my grandmother’s oldest sister’s grand-daughter) found us and became so close to my Dad. Luci inspired me to get us back in touch with my dad’s cousin Marilyn’s family and Marilyn’s son Harold and his wife Carolyn have also become so close to my dad. Harold got us back in touch with my dad’s cousin Martha who has wonderful memories of my grandmother’s family.
Gondola Ride With My Dad’s Cousin Martha and his cousin Marilyn’s son Harold and wife Carolyn - Summer 2021
Daddy with his first cousin Martha
Enjoying dinner out with my father’s first cousin Martha and her husband Don and her daughter Leah and her husband Joe
After my late Uncle Bobby died, Daddy helped his brother’s life partner, Shelley, get settled in a senior apartment complex in Long Beach. He helped me take care of Shelley until the day she died on June 9, 2019.
Daddy and Shelley - 2018 or early 2019
My cousin Cheri (my mom’s brother’s daughter) is also so close to my dad. We also had the opportunity to connect with some of my mother’s cousins including Esther Kadison Albert and her son Mitch and Josh Willow.
Combined Schneider and Kadison Family Thanksgiving in the 1960s
In 2019, shortly after his 90th birthday, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As his short term memory faded, I needed to help him more and more. Sometimes he’d even think I was my mom. He began to rely on me totally. Although we knew he had Alzheimer’s, we didn’t let his condition slow him down. Dan and I took him out to eat since it made him so happy. We took him to the movies and watched television with him. My children did all they could to spend quality time with him and help him.
During the 2020 pandemic we decided to stay with him all the time at his Colorado home. He missed eating out during the lockdown, but we did our best to make him happy with family meals at home.
At “The Tiny Condo” - Sun Valley, Idaho
Eating a meal in the ski lodge while I skied in Sun Valley
Daddy smiles after he spent a day in the ski lodge with me in Sun Valley
When we spent the most of the winter 2021 in Sun Valley, we took Daddy with us. We celebrated his 92nd Birthday at Gretchens restaurant at the Sun Valley Lodge. I took him to Long Beach for the entire summer of 2021 and he enjoyed seeing my sister and walking in Belmont Shore along Second Street and on the beach bike path. There were some wonderful Temple Israel events during the summer that I took Daddy to. He was so happy.
Daddy and my husband Dan - my two favorite men
169 Granada Ave - The house my dad grew up in
We are very grateful that after my dad went to the hospital in late November 2021, that he was able to come home from the hospital in time for Thanksgiving and that he got to spend Thanksgiving Day with family. We are thankful for the amazing and wonderful life he had.
I painted this plaque for my father in 1979. I always called him Daddy.
Daddy: I love you SO MUCH. Thank you for being my Daddy. I will always carry you inside of me. I love you.
Smiling At El Dorado Park Nature Center in Long Beach
“Working Out” Together
Reading at the lake
4th of July with Paul and Judy Steiner
Memorial Day with Paul and Judy Steiner 2021
Eating ice cream in Belmont Shore - Summer of 2021
Enjoying the pool with my husband Dan - Summer of 2021
Walking in Belmont Shore - Summer of 2021
All together on Thanksgiving Day 2020
169 Granada, Belmont Shore, Long Beach in 2021 - The house my dad grew up in
Father’s Day 2021
Dinner out with my brother Billy’s family 2020
Grandpa smiling with my niece Cori when she graduated from University of California Santa Barbara
Daddy smiling with my sister Lynnellen and her children Drew and Cody and Cori at Cori’s graduation
My dad with his grandsons Drew and Cody (my sister Lynnellen’s sons)
A wonderful photo of my dad surrounded by my sister Lynnnellen and her children and grandchildren
My nephew Cody and his Grandpa - Summer of 2021
Enjoying Sun Valley - April 2017
Smiling with lifelong friend Perry Jewell
Smiling with my former skating partner Gary Forman and Darlene Gilbert
Grandpa and my niece Phoebe
My brother Billy’s family and my dad
Cousin Josh Willow visit
Lyman and Mary Davis adored my dad
At his lifelong friend Jerry Smith’s Daughter Karen’s Wedding
Smiling with his cousin Marilyn
Enjoying his Colorado home
Cousin Cheri and her grand-daughter Lexie - Disney On Ice Seattle
Visit with my dad’s first cousin Mark Schneider
Showing off a photo of downtown Long Beach where my Grandpa Max’s store Maxwell’s was located on Pine Avenue
My sister’s son Cody with my dad’s four great-grandchildren and my friend Rhonda and Cyril Gordon’s family - Disney On Ice
Thanksgiving 2005 when my husband Dan recovered from a horrible accident
Visit from my cousin Cheri and husband Tim
88th Birthday party!
My dad with his first cousin Mark Schneider
Daddy was part of my family
Celebrating furnishing my son’s condo with my good friend Adam Pennington
At Sun Valley outdoor rink with my dear friend Maureen
Daddy loved breakfast!
Darlene Gilbert and my dad showing off new condo rug in Long Beach
Sal Mancini gave my dad a private concert!
Ice skating with the great-grandchildren
Loving Sun Valley 2021
Spending time with my cousin Harold and his wife Carolyn
Daddy and I with his cousin Marilyn
My sister in law Amy and my dad
Daddy loved his grandfather clock and wound it regularly
Dinner with my husband Dan’s family
In the yard with my sister Lynnellen and her son Cody
My nephew Drew and Daddy
Daddy with my niece Cori and her dog Cooper - Summer of 2021 - Daddy loved dogs!
Daddy and my Niece Cori
Grandpa and Cori
My nephew Drew and his grandpa
My sister’s entire family (children and grandchildren) with Daddy
With Michael and Rosie Finocchi
Dinner out with my brother and his wife Amy and grandson Charlie
Grama Farris and Uncle Mike meal out
There’s nothing like a good bowl of Matzah Ball Soup
With my nephew Drew and sister Lynnellen
With Rosie Finocchi
Grandkids Charlie and Phoebe and with my brother Billy
Joel, Jo Ann, Daddy
Daddy was in better shape than my husband Dan
Daddy loved a good meal with friends Lyman and Mary Davis!
Scootering at the Air Force Academy with Lyman Davis
Lyman Davis and Daddy
My friend Kathie Fry adored my dad
This announcement was posted at the Portofino Condominiums on Naples Island, Belmont Shore in Long Beach, California
This plaque above left out “Grandfather” - Plaque below is what is up at Forest Lawn
What a fun and stimulating discussion we had today! Jo Ann, Dan, Karen, Dave, David, Cindy, Odette, and Merrill attended. We missed Diana and Robin.
We studied and discussed Romans Chapter 11.
Chapter 11 of Romans talks about the Jewish people are the original people of God. Paul says that Jewish people that don’t believe in Jesus are like a broken branch on an olive tree and gentiles that believe are like olive branches from wild olive trees that are grafted into the same tree that Jewish people are/were branches of.
The last verse of Romans 11 (verse 36) refers to God as “him” in lower case in the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Jo Ann got sidetracked and asked why some people write in their Zoom box “he, him, his.” Cindy explained that the person who does that wants to be identified as someone of the male gender. Note from Jo Ann: “I learn something new every day from this group!”
Merrill had questions about Christian history and in response David shared a lot of his extensive knowledge of Christian history. We learned that Romans had all kinds of gods. Jews had an exemption from the imperial cult so they didn’t have to worship the emperor. King Herod (a Jew) was raised and educated in Rome.
We noticed that Paul said he was an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and member of the tribe of Benjamin. We talked about that most Jews are descendants from the tribe of Judah which is where the term Jew comes from.
When we got into where Paul was descended from we began to discuss a bit about Jewish heritage. Karen shared some wonderful stories about where her family came from. Of course she mentioned the Ukraine and Romania. Jo Ann commented that so many Jews in America have stories similar to Karen’s regarding family history.
Merrill asked what Messianic Judaism is. David explained it is Christianity mixed with Jewish terms and practices. There is a essay in the Jewish Annotated New Testament on Messianic Judaism we could perhaps study as a group.
Dan mentioned that many Christians including the Roman Catholic Church at one time said they were the true Israelites. Dan called this “Christian Identity Theft.” Dan also mentioned there is a group of African American Jews who set up displays in New York City claiming they are the true Jews.
Dave shared a photo of a olive branch that is on display that is in Jerusalem where supposedly The Last Supper took place. It was a picture of an olive tree with olive branches in it which represents what is discussed in this chapter.
Odette joined us for the first time. It was great to have her join us. She shared how her co-worker has been sharing his Christian perspective on the New Testament and prophecy,
We will study Romans Chapter 12 next week.
If anyone has anything to add to this summary, please do!
Wow! What a class we had today! Such an amazing and interesting discussion it was!
Karen, Jamus, Jo Ann, Dan, Robin, Merrill, David, Cindy, and Diana attended. We missed Dave.
We read chapters 9 and 10 in Romans. As we read, we paused to discuss certain paragraphs or verses.
Verse 7 in Romans 9 states that true Jews are descents of Isaac, not Abraham. From there we talked about how in Orthodox Judaism a Jew is considered really a Jew based on having a Jewish mother, but in Reform Judaism that does not matter. There was some discussion of how at Temple Israel and in Reform Judaism it doesn’t matter if someone is a convert. Everyone is accepted. Jamus, who is not Jewish, talked about the things he has been allowed to do and not do when he has gone to synagogues with his wife Karen who is Jewish.
Jo Ann mentioned a book she reviewed, Girl Meets God, where the author went through an Orthodox conversion although her father was Jewish, but not her mother, in order to be accepted by the Orthodox community. Even after her orthodox Jewish conversion, she never had the same status in the Orthodox community as those born to Jewish mothers. She eventually left Orthodox Judaism and sought God in Christianity.
Diana pointed out that Romans Chapter 9 is where the strict Protestant sects idea of predestination might come from.
Karen read out loud from a different version of the New Testament than the rest of us. David noticed that Karen’s version said about the same things just in a different way. Jo Ann shared how when the deaf use sign language, they usually don’t sign in exact English phrases which is similar to how different versions of the New Testament can say the same things
Dan said that Paul supposedly met Jesus in person on the Road to Damascus. That explains why Paul believed so much. Today, we don’t have that advantage. We do know that many of today’s evangelicals may have conversion experiences not quite similar to Paul’s that are told in the form of testimonies though that seem to be life changing.
Robin read the grey box that is in reference to Romans Chapter 10 verse 4 titled CHRIST IS THE GOAL OF THE TORAH. Paul said that the Torah is obsolete because Christ replaced the need to follow the law. We, as Jews, of course, disagree with this.
The verse from Romans Chapter 10:9 “…because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” was discussed. Jo Ann mentioned that does this mean that if Hitler did this just before he killed himself, he is “saved” but the Jews that he sent to their deaths were not? And…what about babies and toddlers? How does a baby or toddler do what this verse in Romans says to do?
David explained the Midrash story that in the womb a baby knows the whole Torah, but once born forgets it all and spends his or her entire life trying to retrieve Torah. The crease on your upper lip is the mark the angel left on your upper lip at the moment she made you forget all of Torah the moment after you were born. Did you ever have the feeling right after you realized something important about Torah, that you knew it all along?
Merill shared with us he is in the midst of studying and understanding Judaism. He believes in God. His thoughts were about how seeking God can be done in different ways. Jo Ann agreed.
David gave his thoughts on how Judaism and Christianity don’t mix. David explained Temple Israel’s policy on Christians attending Temple Israel events and programs: they are always welcome as long as they don’t use their presence to proselytize and they can’t become members unless their spouse is Jewish. He talked about the dilemma messianic Jews face in being accepted by the Jewish community. Also the religious persecution Jews have endured throughout history from Christians is always a reminder that perhaps Judaism and Christianity don’t mix.
David also spoke about the Torah not mentioning Jesus. The Torah mainly refers to the law and not really about Messiah. As he noted, the Jewish scholars processed Messiah later.
We talked too how there are some Jews that do celebrate Christmas without Jesus, but with a tree, presents, and Santa Claus. Is that something should Jews do or not do? That controversy will probably continue to be debated.
Karen believes that Paul spoke honestly from his heart. He had a lot to do with starting the first churches after Jesus’s death. Like Jesus, he was also Jewish. From the previous chapters, he was clear about equal treatment and fairness among people and did not think of himself above any one else.
Cindy listened during our time of study, but was unable to give us input today. We were so happy she was there though.
We are so glad that Merrill joined us and I hope he joins us again.
These discussions and weekly studies have been great! Today Jo Ann, Dan, Karen, Diana, Dave, and Robin attended. We missed Cindy and David. Those who drop in once in a while, were also missed. Hopefully Debbie will have a free evening in Israel to join in again. I hope Athena too can visit.
Romans Chapter 8 was the subject of today.
We started with reading the first two verses:
“ Therefore, there is now no condemnationfor those who are in Christ Jesus,2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you[a]free from the law of sin and death.”
We came to the conclusion that we really didn’t understand what this meant, so Dave suggested we read the notes that went with this chapter in The Jewish Annotated New Testament. After Dave read those notes, we concluded that Paul was saying a new and wonderful future is in store only for Christians.
Dan mentioned that a very well known Jewish evangelist named Moishe Rosen (the founder of Jews for Jesus) once said that Jewish people are not interested in a relationship with God but are concerned with living Jewishly.
Robin commented that there is nothing wrong with “living Jewishly” since those in our temple are living out their Judaism by social action outreach and working to provide food for those less fortunate than us.
We talked about how the Ultra Orthodox certainly “live Jewishly” but does that not mean they have a relationship with God? Of course they do.
As we read more of the chapter we talked about Paul saying “living according to the flesh” and how there are born again Christians that definitely drastically change their lives once they decide to embrace Jesus. In comparison, Jews don’t have a dramatic change like that, but it is true that those who follow the Torah do wish to live holy and godly lives.
This got us on to the Torah. We realized that everything that Paul suggests to these gentile believers in Rome is already in the Torah. Robin gave the example of the Ten Commandments. Karen mentioned how holy a life her orthodox Jewish grandfather lived.
The very end of the chapter stood out: “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We decided that Paul was convinced that belief in Jesus is the only way. Dan mentioned that after one believes he is then required to do many things though like go to church, pray, give money, get baptized, and study the Bible. Paul truly the founder of Christianity because Jesus didn’t tell his followers they had to do those things.
Also verse 28 is a famous one:
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Dan said it reminded him of a statement by the philosopher Voltaire who was making fun of a person who said “this is the best of all possible worlds,” so Dan said “is this the best possible world for those who love God? Really?” He mentioned that is an SUV driving into a holiday parade in Wisconsin and killing five people…was that a way God was working things for good? Huh?
Then we got to verse 35: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”
Dan said this sounded like the persecution Jews experienced in the Holocaust. Did they go naked to gas chambers to be killed for not following Christ?
After we were done discussing and studying we again talked about how difficult this book of Romans is to understand. Diana said we really need a “Romans For Dummies” book! Jo Ann mentioned she read the entire Bible in a comic book once and wished that Romans could be found in comic book form.
Jo Ann will try to buy the Kindle Version of the Jewish Annotated New Testament to put on the screen so we can follow what we are reading better together.
Again, we had a lively and interesting discussion! Jo Ann, Karen, Dave, Dan, and Diana attended. David, Cindy, and Robin could not attend today and we missed them. Marlene and Shari expressed interest, but did not come today. Hope they can visit us soon. It was Diana’s first time joining us and it was a delight to have her with us!
The beginning of the chapter talks about adultery and widowhood, so we talked about how even today, that being a widow or widower does give a person the freedom to date and remarry. We also talked about how in the Orthodox Jewish circles that divorce is okay, but in Christian circles it is frowned upon. Jo Ann mentioned a friend who is divorced who was not allowed to participate in the music ministry of a messianic congregation once he remarried. Karen told the story of her parents’ divorce and how it had to be an Orthodox Jewish divorce. Adultery still exists and is still considered a bad thing.
Paul was using the death of a spouse and the freedom to remarry as a comparison on how those who embrace Christ are free from The Law (following all the rules in the Torah).
We discussed the term “sin” and decided that Jews don’t use that term or idea except around Yom Kippur. At churches it is common to hear the phrase “I am a sinner” or “I have sinned” or “We are/were sinners.”
Dan talked about Paul’s idea of being free from sin and death through Jesus. In Jewish circles we don’t think in those terms.
We discussed the phrase “You shall not covet.” (Paul was using that phrase in reference to that he once followed The Law.). I talked about it is hard not to want what others have. Karen mentioned a very jealous and mean person who she knows who has a lot.
Dave read the grey box associated with Romans 7 which explains how Paul goes back and forth between “I” and “We” in this chapter.
We noticed that the word “sin” was used a lot in this chapter! Again we came to the conclusion that the Christian religion is about gaining eternal life.
We ended our study with me giving us a preview of what we’ll read next week, Romans 8, by me reading the first two verses: “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”
We also chatted a bit after the study ended at 10:45 am and talked about how Zoom meetings like this have changed our lives, but it is good to see people in person too and are glad that Temple Israel is giving us the option of doing some things in person but continuing to also meet and study on Zoom.
Please add to this summary since I am sure I have not mentioned all the comments that were made in our very lively and fun discussion!
Today was quite fun! Karen, Dave, Jo Ann, David, Robin, Cindy, and Dan attended.
We first read Romans chapter six and then we read the introduction to the book of Romans that is included in the Jewish Annotated New Testament on pages 285 and 286.
All sorts of subjects were brought up and we discussed those things in a lively Jewish style! I like it that we don’t have to wait our turn or mute ourselves in order to share our thoughts and I am committed to keeping this style of learning and discussing. Everyone’s thoughts are so important.
After we read today’s chapter in Romans, Dave pretty much summarized Romans 6. Paul said that following Jesus frees from sin and gains eternal life.
We read all three sections included in the introduction to the book in Romans in the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Much of our discussion today was about who this book was written to: gentiles in Rome who wanted to be part of a religious community. The Romans of the time may have been intrigued with the Jewish community. Paul told them they did not need to become Jews (get circumcised) in order to follow Christ, but that they should understand the Jewish community and try to be part of it.
Cindy mentioned that today’s religions like Unity and the Center for Spiritual Living embrace the idea of community just like we do in the reform Jewish community. Jo Ann reflected on the sense of community we have at Temple Israel and remembered the sense of community she felt when she and her husband shared a house at the beginning of their marriage.
David remembered his high school days in Berkeley (before hippies) where he met Fringies (people that hung around the colleges, but didn’t attend classes) who wanted to be part of the college community without going to college.
We talked about how excited Paul was about this new religion. He believed that it would be an entirely new religion that would completely take over and Judaism would fade away. I mentioned that did not happen.
Dan mentioned that when these books were written there were not very many Christians. Christianity was not a separate religion yet.
Karen discussed that Christians are not holy. She said they still sin as do all of us. She shared that the Old Testament is the root of New Testament.
Robin said that Paul felt that for Judaism to be complete Jews needed to embrace Jesus. We discussed the idea of Completed Jew (a term sometimes used by Christians) which is a term that can sound offensive. Karen said that Jews who believe in Jesus prefer using the term “Believer” which is less offensive.
We discussed the idea of evil persons standing behind religion as a defense for their conduct. We all agreed that Hitler was religious but not holy evidenced by the mass killings that he ordered.
There was an enlightening discussion of Revelation (written by John) and end of world events as well as a time of trial and trouble. Karen shared that she believes that we know not the day or hour but must remain alert. Jo Ann shared an amusing story of how she really thought her husband was raptured and disappeared when they were young! (She was even looking inside drawers and under the bed for a remnant of his clothes!)
David gave us insight into history of the Christian religion. There were several movements.
We agreed to finish Romans. We also realize that to using the Jewish Annotated New Testament for this study is useful, but those in this group who don’t want to purchase it can still get by with any New Testament.
Again, please add anything you can remember we discussed to this summary.
Today we re-read chapter 4 in Romans and also read chapter 5. We took a peek at the end of chapter 6 too. We also read most of the notes associated with chapters 4 and 5 in the Jewish Annotated New Testament.
Sadly, just as we got started, as we were readying the notes, Renee decided she did not understand any of what chapter 4 and what the notes said and suddenly decided to leave the group. She said it was just not making any sense at all to her and she had better things to do.
I agree with Renee, these chapters in Romans are hard to understand. The New Testament has sounded like gibberish to me for most of my life, but I want to understand it. I want to understand too why the words in these chapters seem to mean something to Christians. Although so much of this can be confusing, I am determined to understand it.
For the entire hour, Jo Ann, Karen, and Dave were present, but we did get a quick visit from Athena and my husband Dan was able to join us during this lunch hour. We did miss David. I am sure David would have helped us understand more about what we read today.
Just as Dan joined the group, we were trying to figure out what summarized what we read today. Dan mentioned that Judaism was not just about atoning for sin. He said that the Judaism and the Torah is about this life and is not all about seeking eternal life. It is about a good life here on earth. Paul brought in the ideas associated with Christianity.
When Dave read Chapter 5, we noticed that references to circumcision were repeated over and over again, but Paul was trying to make it clear that there was no difference between Jew or gentile when it came to having faith and following Jesus. Circumcision we learned last week refers to becoming a Jew.
Karen pointed out that all this was about faith. She shared that Paul looked at Jews and gentiles as equals and spoke his messages to all of them, Jew or gentile. She shared that Jews during Paul’s time were very tied to the law, commandments, and clean living. The believers of the time had faith and belief in what Paul shared in chapters 4 and 5 of Romans. It involved faith over observation of the law.
There was a comparison of Adam and Jesus in chapter five. They are opposites according to Paul. Adam is guilty of bringing the whole issue of sin into our world. Jesus is responsible for wiping out sin for those who believe.
We learned that believing in what Jesus did, according to the text, leads to eternal life. Eternal life Dave noticed, is also mentioned again at the end of chapter 6, so it looks like Romans is a book describing how one can obtain eternal life based on belief.
Please…add to my summary if you can. This was hard for me to summarize.
Added entertainment: After the study today, I asked my son Joel for his thoughts. They are embedded in the videos below as we were driving away from an ice rink. Also…by he way…I had to facilitate today’s study from inside of our car since Joel wanted me to go with him from a trampoline park in Huntington Beach where he was doing back flips to an ice arena where he is learning to do a back flip on ice skates! I think it is great that Zoom makes it possible for us to learn from anywhere!
