A Shared Passion
David Seymour, Eileen and Samuel L. Shneiderman, and Ben Shneiderman chose different career paths , but all used the technology of their times to become leading figures in documenting world events and sharing them with widespread and diverse audiences.
David Seymour, or Chim, used his technological and artistic savvy to capture the major personalities and events of the twentieth century in enduring photographs that appeared on the pages of journals and newspapers throughout the world. Seymour’s sister Eileen Shneiderman and her husband Samuel L. Shneiderman worked together as print journalists, sharing news with a worldwide network of Yiddish and English readers during an astonishingly long career. Their daughter, Helen Sarid, was raised in New York City but moved to Israel, where she taught English at Tel Aviv University. Their son, Ben Shneiderman, is a pioneering computer scientist who has championed human-centered design in technology. His research was essential to the invention of hyperlinks, which billions of people click every day, and more recently he is applying his skills to the conversation about artificial intelligence.
From the battlefields and courtrooms of the 20th century to the computer screens and classrooms of our time, each member of this family used communications and networking skills to document current events and advocate for the well-being of Jews around the world.
Join the Weitzman as it celebrates Ben Shneiderman’s donation of materials related to his family. From pre-war Poland to cyber space, explore his family’s amazing saga below.
Image above:
Copyright © David Seymour/Magnum Photos
Gift of Eileen Shneiderman, 2012
Image at right:
Ben Shneiderman with an early mockup of a handheld tablet device, showing a guide to Washington, D.C.
Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
Photograph by Tara Theune-Davis
This virtual exhibition was organized by staff at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Unless otherwise indicated, all images are from the collection of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Gift of Ben Shneiderman and family.
The son of a Warsaw publisher and bookstore owner, Dawid Szymin (later David Seymour, 1911-1956) studied physics and chemistry at the Sorbonne. After borrowing a camera to support his academic pursuits in Paris, he revolutionized the field of photojournalism. Swipe to the right on a mobile device or click the “>” symbol above this paragraph on a computer, and click on each of the 12 images to learn more.
Shmuel Layb Sznajderman (later Samuel Leib Shneiderman, 1906-1996) became interested in literature as a boy after talking with vacationing intellectuals like Anatol Stern and Adam Wazyk in his picturesque Polish hometown of Kazimierz Dolny, or Kuzmir as it was called in Yiddish. He soon set off for Warsaw, to study poetry and language before turning to journalism. There, he also met his wife and writing partner, Halina Szymin (later known as Eileen, 1908-2004). Scroll to the right and click on each of the 16 images to learn more.
There’s always more to learn about David Seymour, a giant of 20th century photography who turned his camera lens on the people at the heart of global news. With new exhibitions, publications, and translations emerging, academic interest is rising in the work of Eileen and S. L. Shneiderman, who spread awareness of current events, with a special focus on issues affecting Jews, to audiences around the world for an astonishing seven decades. Among his fellow scientists, Ben Shneiderman has expertly advocated for centering the needs of the people who use technology, and he has recently offered guidance as we face the challenging new world of artificial intelligence.
