 While being honored with the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Bill Clinton in 2001, Rabbi Schneier was described as “a Holocaust survivor who has devoted a lifetime to overcoming forces of hatred and intolerance and set an inspiring example of spiritual leadership by encouraging interfaith dialog and intercultural understanding, as well as promoting the cause of religious freedom around the world.” 

Rabbi Schneier graduated with a B.A.from Yeshiva University in 1951, was awarded an M.A.from New York University in 1953 and received his rabbinical Ordination from Yeshiva University in 1955.