Who We Are

Helen and Irving Schneider z’l were major donors to Schneider Children's Hospital in Long Island, where Dr. Phil Lanzkowsky served as CEO. When Mr. Schneider and Dr. Lanzkowsky recognized that Israel had no dedicated pediatric research hospital, they traveled to Israel to explore whether a similar model could work. A feasibility study concluded that “yes” – if centrally located, research driven, and integrated into Israel’s health system, a dedicated children’s hospital would transform pediatric care across the region.

Photo: President Chaim Herzog (center) welcomes Helen and Irving Schneider and healthcare leaders during planning for Israel's first dedicated children's hospital.

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At the groundbreaking ceremony on April 11, 1988, the Schneider family laid a cornerstone into the hospital's foundation, declaring it would serve as "a bridge to peace linking this nation [Israel] to its many neighbors." Given the region’s security realities, construction included two underground floors with purpose-built pediatric spaces and infrastructure designed to function during national emergencies.

Photo: Helen and Irving Schneider lay the cornerstone at the hospital's groundbreaking ceremony, April 11, 1988.

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The Children's Medical Center of Israel opened on October 29, 1991. As soon as the doors opened, the sickest children from across Israel arrived to be treated.

Photo: After a decade of imagining and planning, and four years of construction, Helen Schneider cuts the ribbon, surrounded by hospital staff.

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By 1993, the hospital had become Israel's definitive referral center. Pediatric subspecialties that had been scattered across hospitals throughout the country were now consolidated under one roof — including hematology-oncology, cardiology, cardiac catheterization, and neonatology.

Photo: A father's blessings and love felt through the walls of an incubator, early 1990s. Photo: Ziv Koren / Heartbeat.

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On July 6, 1995, the hospital officially became Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel. For four years, the hospital had operated as Children's Medical Center of Israel because Helen and Irving Schneider initially resisted using their name. A distinct identity became necessary after continued confusion with the neighboring adult hospital, and the founding family deserved recognition. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin attended the ceremony.

Photo: Irving Schneider gives Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin a tour of the hospital's main foyer during the naming ceremony, July 6, 1995.

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In 1998, Jordan's ambassador visited a Jordanian child receiving oncology treatment at Schneider Children's — the cornerstone vision realized. By the late 1990s, Schneider Children's was redefining what was medically possible in Israel. A kidney transplant in a one-year-old. Six infant heart surgeries performed in one week. An artificial heart implanted as a bridge to transplant in a critically ill teen. The most complex pediatric cases no longer required treatment abroad.

Photo: Ziv Koren / Heartbeat

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By the early 2000s, Schneider Children's had matured into Israel's pediatric anchor institution. In 2003, hospital physicians identified a pattern of severe neurological damage in infants. An investigation traced it to vitamin-deficient Remedia baby formula, and within 24 hours of the hospital's alert, the Ministry of Health removed all products from shelves nationwide. That same year, a Palestinian family's organ donation enabled transplants that saved four children's lives.

Photo: Photo: Ziv Koren / Heartbeat

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As a research and teaching hospital, Schneider Children's integrated clinical care with scientific discovery. Physicians identified disease-causing genes, pioneered pediatric endocrinology advances, and trained generations of specialists. Prof. Rina Zaizov and Prof. Zvi Laron were awarded Israel Prizes—Israel's highest civilian honor, comparable to the Nobel Prize—for medical research. Schneider Children's academic stature now matched its clinical reputation.

Photo: Training the next generation of pediatric specialists.

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While Israel led globally in health-tech, children's health remained underfunded. Schneider Children's became a testing ground: artificial pancreas systems giving diabetic children normal lives, minimally invasive cardiac interventions, advanced genetic diagnostics. As innovation accelerated and demand surged, the hospital expanded—renovating emergency medicine, intensive care, and surgical capacity. Groundbreaking for an expanded hospital began in 2016.

During COVID-19, Schneider Children's established sterile wards and reorganized staffing while maintaining life-saving operations. Transplants, cancer treatments, and complex surgeries continued even as the country locked down.

The Schneider-Lesser Family Pavilion — a six-story glass building adding surgical suites, intensive care beds, and advanced diagnostic facilities — opened on March 20, 2023. Helen and Irving's daughter, Mindy Schneider Lesser, and her husband, Dr. Michael Lesser, continued her parents' legacy as lead donors. The expansion prepared Schneider Children's for the country's demographic growth and increasing demand for specialized care.

Photo: Aerial view of the Schneider-Lesser Family Pavilion

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In November 2023, following the October 7th attack on Israel, Schneider Children's received 19 rescued children, 6 mothers, and 2 grandmothers, providing immediate medical and psychological care. Throughout the war, surgeries continued, transplants proceeded, chemotherapy was administered – even as staff and patients sheltered from missile attacks.

Photo: American Avigail Idan, 4, pictured with her aunt Liron and uncle Zuli during her first hours in the special unit at Schneider Children's designated for released captives, November 26, 2023.

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Since its earliest years, children from Jordan, Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Iraq, and beyond have received treatment at Schneider Children's. Shanghai Children's Medical Center sent delegations to learn from Schneider Children's model. The hospital's founding principle — to serve as a bridge to peace — remains central to its mission.

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