Letter from Louise A. Schneller to New Hope Congregation Regarding Her Family’s Connection to Jewish Cincinnati and Why She Was Donating a Torah Ark Curtain to New Hope Congregation

1951

caption:
MRS. FRED SCEINELLNR PRESIDENT 
J. H. LANTER VICE-PRESIDENT 
NEW HOPE SHUL. 
SCHNELLER AGENCIES, INC. INSURANCE SURETY BONDS AMERICAN BUILDING CINCINNATI 2, OHIO PAREwAy 2342 
-2- 
CARL S. SCHNEIDER SECRETARY 
STANLEY GORDON TREASURER 
had occasion to be helpful to the jews again, Rabbi Lesser gave him his blessing of "Long Wei 
A few years later a bill was introduced in the Legislature at Columbus, O. to abolish a real old (first one) jewish grave yard on Chestnus st. and Central ave.(west end) where my Jewish ancestors rest, and those families whose dead lay there, did not want this grave yard destroyed. Mr. Schneller appeared for my people, and this bill did not get out of Committee, and incidently it is still there. 
Then a few years later, a bill was introduced in the Legislature through some ambitious undertakers, making embalming compulsory. This bill reached Mr. Schneller's attention at once, because at this time he was Chairman of our Hamilton County Republican Organization, and kept in touch with every bill introduced, as one never knew just what might be presented, some unneccessary or offensive. He contacted thuCounty Chairmen of other Counties, and toot thisbill was killed proptly. 
Some years later, Henry Ford had some controversy in New York with bankers, who evidently did not want to loan him the money he was after, and he turned vicious against Jews, claiming it was the Jewish bankers who stopped him. In connection with this episode, he published a weekly newspaper called THE DEARBORN, which appeared on our streets every week for a long time, and in it his editors wrote viciously about the Jewish people. 
The Cincinnati jews resented this very much; we think the paper was nation-wide, but we only had jurisdiction here in our own home town. We were not sure either of our ground, but Fred Schneller on his own accord, put an ordinance through our City Council, prohibiting the sale of this paper on the streets of Cincinnati. With the passage of this ordinance, we saw the last of THE DEARBORN around here. Many of Mr. Schneller's personal jewish friends, as well as those who only knew him by reputation, wrote him gracious letters thanking him for what he had done for the jews of Cincinnati. I have always regretted he did not keep this file of letters, but anyone knowing Mr. Schneller, knew him to be a very unassuming man, never pushing himself into the limelight, but certainly a wonderful person to have as a friend. 
So you can see the feeling he always had toward the jewish race, as he knew them, and was raised with them. 
I think you folks should know all this, as your coming to America was long after the foregoing occurred; and to know he always thought it was a most courageous thing for the foreign Jews to get out of Hitler Germany, leaving dearly beloved possessions behind, and valiantly making a fresh start with stout hearts in a new and possibly bewildering country. It was, and is a noble thing to do, and shows great character among all of you.