Three Trailblazing Women to Be Honored at the Center for Jewish History’s 25th Anniversary Gala
New York, NY (October 28, 2025)
The Center for Jewish History will mark its 25th anniversary with a gala on December 9, 2025, by honoring three extraordinary leaders who have dedicated their lives to preserving and protecting Jewish history: Amy Goldman Fowler, Michele Cohn Tocci, and Shelby White.
Visionaries, philanthropists, and guardians of history, these women have each played defining roles in making the Center into the world-class institution it is today. Alongside the Center’s late founder, Bruce Slovin, these distinguished honorees have ensured that the treasures of Jewish history are not only preserved but brought to life for future generations.
“Amy Goldman Fowler, Michele Cohn Tocci, and Shelby White have proven themselves time and again as passionate and undaunted leaders,” said Peter Baldwin, Chair of the Board of the Center for Jewish History. “Their vision has safeguarded the Jewish story and strengthened the Center, which stands as a fortress of memory and meaning at a moment when both are being tested.”
Amy Goldman Fowler is a former Chair of the Center for Jewish History and a trustee of the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, which has supported the Center since 1996. A grant from the Trust established the Center’s Lillian Goldman Reading Room, one of the most important places in the world for the study and appreciation of the Jewish past. The Lillian Goldman Reading Room invites scholars and the public to explore the rich and diverse history of the Jewish people reflected in the vast holdings at the Center, which make up the world’s largest collection for Jewish history outside of Israel. Amy Goldman Fowler has been the leading visionary for this precious space of research and learning, funding a renovation in 2014, and supporting the Center’s team of highly skilled reference librarians. She has also supported Center programs and academic fellowships, and she was a major contributor to the successful capital campaign to pay off the Center’s mortgage, making it a debt-free institution ten years after its public opening.
Michele Cohn Tocci is the President of the David Berg Foundation and a longtime Center board member. With Tocci’s support, the Center built the David Berg Rare Book Room, a jewel that houses illuminated manuscripts, rare first editions, and other historical artifacts. Under her leadership, the David Berg Foundation has sponsored numerous symposia and lecture series at the Center that have brought leading minds together to delve into topics of interest to scholars and the larger Jewish community -- from the Jews in Justice lecture series to symposia addressing antisemitism. The David Berg Foundation has also played a key role in bringing many world-class exhibitions to the Center, most recently, Anne Frank The Exhibition.
Shelby White is a Founding Trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation and dedicated Center board member. With her support, the Center established the Shelby White & Leon Levy Archival Processing Laboratory, where the public can witness the vital work of preserving Jewish history. With the support of the Leon Levy Foundation from 2007-2016, Center archivists working in this laboratory processed nearly 4,000 feet of archival source material, opening nearly 200 new collections for research. In 2023, White endowed the Leon Levy Fellowship to fund postdoctoral and early career scholars researching the history of antisemitism. Most recently, as the leading supporter of Anne Frank The Exhibition, the Leon Levy Foundation made it possible for Anne Frank House Amsterdam to realize this groundbreaking installation at the Center for Jewish History.
"Amy Goldman Fowler, Michele Cohn Tocci, and Shelby White are true guardians of Jewish history. Together with our founder, Bruce Slovin, they have made the Center for Jewish History the preeminent institution for Jewish historical research in the United States,” said Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History.
The Center for Jewish History’s 25th anniversary gala will celebrate a quarter-century of scholarship, exhibitions, and public engagement, while honoring these three pioneering women whose leadership and generosity have ensured that Jewish history endures.
