A Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester education leader is among 19 people appointed to help shape a permanent New York State Holocaust Memorial at Albany’s Empire State Plaza.
Monica Gebell, the federation’s senior director of the Center for Advocacy and Education, will serve on the advisory commission Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday.
The commission will guide the memorial’s vision, educational goals and commemorative elements. Educators, historians and community leaders will work through stakeholder engagement and a collaborative design process, including recommendations on interpretive programming.
The Office of General Services will provide logistical and administrative support for planning and development.
Memorial follows legislation signed in 2025
Hochul signed S.5784/A.7614 in December 2025 to establish the memorial at the Empire State Plaza. The site is intended to commemorate the six million Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazi persecution, recognize survivors and their families, and educate future generations about antisemitism and intolerance.
Hochul said the memorial would preserve victims’ and survivors’ stories at a time of continuing antisemitism. General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy said it would add a place for reflection to the plaza’s existing commemorative sites.
Sen. Patricia Fahy and Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, the legislation’s sponsors, said the project would preserve the history of the Holocaust and serve as a public educational resource.
The advisory group includes Judy Coe Rapaport, past president of the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum, and Lauren Bloomberg, director of the Holocaust Education Resource Organization at the Buffalo Jewish Federation.
Other members include Ariel Behrman, vice president of education at the Anti-Defamation League; Jack Britvan, president of Voices for Truth and Humanity; Michael Cohen, executive vice president of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation; and Tali Farhadian, CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
The commission also includes Sara Fredman Aeder, executive vice president of programming at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York; Millie Jasper, executive director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center; Ellie Kastel, executive director of Boro Park Y; and Rob Kovach, CEO and president of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.
Andrea Myer-Winograd, executive director of the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education; Masha Pearl, executive director of The Blue Card; Dave Reckess, executive director of 3GNY–Descendants of Holocaust Survivors; and Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the Center for Jewish History, will serve as well.
The remaining members are Daniel Rosenthal, vice president of government and external relations at UJA-Federation of New York; Rochelle Saidel, founding executive director of the Remember the Women Institute; Laura Shaw Frank, vice president for education at the American Jewish Committee; and Lori Weintrob, executive director of the Wagner College Holocaust Center.
State outlines survivor support and antisemitism measures
The announcement also described other state initiatives, including a statewide plan to combat antisemitism, the Division of Human Rights’ Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, and a requirement that every New York college campus designate a Title VI coordinator to address discrimination.
The fiscal 2027 state budget amended the law to criminalize harassment within 50 feet of a house of worship when committed with the intent to harass people attending services, according to the governor’s office.
The state has provided more than $200 million through the Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes program to hundreds of nonprofit organizations facing risks because of their ideology, beliefs or mission. The grants support security improvements.
The fiscal 2023 budget provided $2.6 million for the Holocaust Survivors Initiative to expand access to health-related services through community organizations. Funding has continued in later budgets, with more than $1 million appropriated in the fiscal 2027 budget.
The governor’s office also reported $183 million in compensation recovered for victims and families through the Department of Financial Services’ Holocaust Claims Processing Office, which helps pursue bank, insurance and other material losses.
Legislation signed in 2022 addressed schools’ compliance with Holocaust education requirements. Another law requires museums to acknowledge the origins of works stolen from Europeans during the Nazi era, primarily from Jewish families.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.
