Mensch of the Month: Larry Schnaid

As a wealth manager, family man and community leader, Larry Schnaid’s identity is multidimensional while his connections to Jewish Los Angeles run deep.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and raised in a predominately Jewish area of the San Fernando Valley, he spent his formative childhood years in the classrooms at Valley Beth Shalom, where he had his bar mitzvah, and Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School. 

“I grew up with a strong Jewish education, which I loved, and I’ve found it’s an important part of my identity,” Schnaid, 48, told the Journal. “Part of my identity is giving back and being an active leader in the community as well.”

As an impressionable undergraduate at University of Southern California, Schnaid continued to explore his Jewish identity. He joined fraternity AEPi and attended occasional events at the campus Hillel. He graduated from USC with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and earned an MBA in finance from New York University, working hard to reestablish himself in a new, unfamiliar city. A position at Citigroup’s corporate investment bank followed. 

When Schnaid moved back to Los Angeles in 2005, he entered the competitive wealth management business, and also became more involved in local Jewish organizations, which provided a much-needed balance to the stresses of his day job. He sought out roles at the Guardians, which raises funds and awareness for the Los Angeles Jewish Health (formerly Los Angeles Jewish Home) as well as Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), which supports the wellbeing of the soldiers of the IDF. He played instrumental roles in the respective organizations’ growth, fulfilling responsibilities on their leadership boards.

The Young Men’s Division of the Guardians, founded in 1994 as as “a group of guys hanging out, enjoying each other’s company and playing poker,” provides young men in their 20s and 30s with opportunities for leadership development and social activities. Schnaid welcomed the chance to get to know people who were similarly dedicated to a charitable cause, and he served on the board for several years before becoming president from 2017 to 2019.

The relationship-building aspect of his experience with the Guardians was immensely rewarding, he said. 

“I found not only a strong network of community builders, but brothers as well,” he said. “Some of my best friends have come from there. I’ve learned life lessons both professionally and personally.”

At FIDF, he created the Young Leadership (YL) division and served as the inaugural YL president. He was drawn to the organization because of a deep and steadfast appreciation for the role Israel plays in the lives of Jews all over the world. 

His own immigrant experience also strengthened his appreciation of Israel as a reliable destination for Diaspora Jewry. He emigrated to the United States with his family when he was five years old, with his family facing the choice of coming to the U.S. or South America when leaving South Africa.

“Knowing my family left one country and moved to another, it always made me realize the importance of Israel as a place all Jews can go to.” 

,“Knowing my family left one country and moved to another, it always made me realize the importance of Israel as a place all Jews can go to,” he said. “I don’t care if your politics are left or right, Friends of the IDF is about supporting the Israeli soldier and supporting Israel’s right to exist. An organization like that is more necessary now than ever.”

Schnaid said he was grateful for the profound role Rabbi Stewart Vogel and the congregation at Temple Aliyah have played in his family’s milestone occasions, instilling in him the value of a lifelong relationship with a rabbi or synagogue — a rarity in an increasingly transitive world. 

His gratitude to the Jewish community helps explain why he has opted to channel so much of his time and energy into supporting worthy causes. Though he is currently a past president at the Guardians, he continues to hold a leadership position within the organization. And at FIDF, along with serving as a member-at-large and treasurer of the board, he and two friends launched FIDF Next, which is focused on reaching out to young families that don’t fit within the Young Leadership division and aren’t ready for the main board. 

The recognition of inclusiveness has informed much of his approach to his work with nonprofits.

”You can’t call it a ‘network’ — it’s more than that. It’s more than, ‘Oh, we were on the board together.’ Ultimately, you form lasting relationships while learning about who you are and what you’re capable of contributing.” 

As for what he’s gotten out of giving back so much, “You get what you put into it,” he said. “I’ve always found if people aren’t getting involved for the right reasons, then they usually don’t last. It’s one of these things — when you meet people who do the same things as you or share your values, it’s so rewarding. You can’t call it a ‘network’ — it’s more than that. It’s more than, ‘Oh, we were on the board together.’ Ultimately, you form lasting relationships while learning about who you are and what you’re capable of contributing.”