Samson Schames (1898-1967): Family and Friends
Conversation with Natalie Green Giles, James McCaffrey and Charlie Scheidt.
Moderated by William Weitzer
September 17, 2025 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
| FreeIn this virtual event, a distinguished panel comprising family members, friends, and their descendants from New York share memories of the German-born artist Samson Schames (1898-1967). His work, which blends modernist aesthetics with spiritual and historical depth, is recognized for its innovative technique and poignant reflections on exile, memory, and identity. Born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, he fled Nazi persecution to England in 1939 and later emigrated to the United States with his future wife, Edith, in 1948 and 1947.
Image above: Samson Schames, Blowing the Shofar, c. 1956. Shards of glass, polychrome, layered in relief, 25.4 x 29.7 in. (64.5 x 75.5 cm). Jewish Museum Frankfurt
A short film created by the Leo Baeck Institute-New York/Berlin introduces the artist. It is followed by the panel:
Natalie Green Giles is a descendant of the Schames family, whose roots in Frankfurt, Germany trace back to the 15th century Judengasse.
James McCaffrey grew up in Forest Hills, NY, the son of Catherine O’Neill McCaffrey, who became close friends with Edith and Samson.
Charlie Scheidt’s father was a childhood friend of Samson Schames in Germany. They stayed in touch and reconnected when Samson and Edith arrived in New York.
The conversation is moderated by William (Billy) Weitzer, who spent a decade until his retirement in 2022 as the Executive Director of the Leo Baeck Institute-New York/Berlin.
Natalie Green Giles
Charlie Scheidt
Natalie Green Giles is a descendant of the Schames family, whose roots in Frankfurt, Germany trace back to the 15th century Judengasse. Her great-great grandfather, Ludwig Schames, was a prominent Frankfurt art gallery owner who nurtured the successful careers of German Expressionist artists Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Max Beckmann, among others. Her grandparents fled Frankfurt in 1938 and settled in New York City, where her mother became the first American born family member in 1940. Professionally, Natalie spent decades working in New York City public school advocacy, policy, and oversight, including serving as a mayoral appointee to the city’s Board of Education, which oversees the system of nearly one million public school students. She continues to advocate for and support New York City public higher education through her service on the Foundation board of CUNY’s School for Professional Studies. She is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School, Williams College, and the Yale School of Management.
James McCaffrey grew up in Forest Hills, NY, the son of Catherine O’Neill McCaffrey. It is through his late mother’s love of Samson Schames’ work that he is the beneficiary of a large collection of Samson’s art. Through everyday life in Forest Hills, Catherine met and became friends with Edith and Samson. As a child, James would play with his friend, Demitri, who lived next door to Samson’s studio, and they would run through the studio with Samson looking on in quiet amusement. Over the years, Catherine and Edith became very close and during that time Catherine purchased a number of paintings which she cherished up to her passing in 2012. James shares his mother’s love of Samson’s works, and they are displayed throughout his home on Long Island. Following a career in civil service, James is retired and spends his time collecting off-beat vinyl records and continuing to explore the complexities of the bass guitar.
Charlie Scheidt, the son of German-Jewish refugees, grew up in a close-knit immigrant community in New York City. For over four decades, he served as the CEO of Roland Foods, growing the business his parents had founded when they arrived in the US in 1939 into the leading specialty food importer. Charlie now dedicates his time to refugee support and genocide prevention and serves on the board of the Leo Baeck Institute. Charlie’s father was a childhood friend of Samson Schames in Germany. They stayed in touch and reconnected when Samson and Edith arrived in New York. Samson and Edith were good friends of the Scheidt family, often guests for Shabbat dinner while Charlie was growing up.
William (Billy) Weitzer spent a decade until his retirement in 2022 as the Executive Director of the Leo Baeck Institute-New York/Berlin, a research library and archive dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of German Jewry. Billy continues to work on projects focusing on reaching new audiences at LBI, including the creation of an exhibition on the art and life of Samson Schames opening in September, 2025 at the Center for Jewish History. After earning his Ph.D. in environmental psychology, Billy spent much of his career working in higher education at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Wesleyan University, and Fairfield University.
This event is a continuation of our investigation into the impact of persecution and exile on Samson Schames’ identity and art, which started with our August 27, 2025 virtual event:
IDENTITY, ART AND MIGRATION investigates the experience of eight Jewish European artists who were forced to abandon their country of origin, or remain in hiding for years, in response to Nazi policies in effect from 1933 to 1945. These seven artists: Anni Albers, Friedel Dzubas, Eva Hesse, Rudi Lesser, Lily Renée, Samson Schames and Arthur Szyk emigrated to the United States, while one, Fritz Ascher, stayed behind in Germany, hiding in a basement for three years.
These artists’ lives and work address the multi-layered concept of identity and the particulars of its expression from slightly different angles. We invite you to explore with us how these wrenching experiences affected their sense of who they were, and the art they made.
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