Pam and Jeff Schneider with children Aaron and Alyssa, 1990s.

Pam and Jeff Schneider with family, circa 2000s.

Pam and Jeff Schneider have been prominent members of Congregation Brith Sholem since the 1980s. Both have participated in leadership roles for the congregation, such as presidency of the congregation, instructors of the religious school, and board members of the congregation.

Jeff Schneider was born on January 31, 1961, in Yorktown Heights, New York. He grew up in a Jewish household, attending religious services at Yorktown Jewish Center synagogue. While attending college at Clarkson College of Technology in Potsdam, New York, Jeff became a member of Congregation Beth El. A small synagogue comparable to Congregation Brith Sholem, Jeff found solace by being surrounded by a Jewish community while being over 300 miles away from his family in Yorktown. Jeff found this same comfort in Congregation Brith Sholem when he took a position at Morton Thiokol, now known as Northrop Grumman, in Ogden, Utah, in 1984. Once in Ogden, Jeff sought out a synagogue to join in their services, events, and become part of the local Jewish community once again. 

Jeff met Pam, who was also working at Morton Thiokol during this period, on a blind date shortly after Jeff moved to Ogden. Pam was born in Lander, Wyoming, on September 14, 1961, but grew up in Brigham City, Utah. Before Jeff and Pam married in 1988, Pam converted to Judaism at Congregation Brith Sholem under the guidance of Rabbi Wegner of Congregation Kol Ami in Salt Lake City. Since this commemorated occasion, Pam, Jeff, and their children, Aaron, Alyssa, and Amy, have involved themselves in all aspects of the congregation.[1] Jeff understands that “at Brith Sholem there seems to be something in the air that makes me want to be involved.  I thank the whole congregation, past and present, for all you do, for making it be that way.”