Staff

Morgan Blum Schneider, MA, Director

Morgan has been an instrumental leader in the development and success of the JFCS Holocaust Center in San Francisco since 2005. As Director, she leads a team that inspires students, teachers, and individuals to be socially responsible and morally courageous citizens. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Clark University (2002) in history, with a concentration in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, she went to Deakin University in Australia where she focused her MA thesis on the forced removal of Aboriginal children as a case of genocide. A staunch advocate for innovative and interactive Holocaust education, Morgan has published articles and appeared in the press on topics such as the patterns of genocide, best practices for teaching the Holocaust, and the future of Holocaust education in the post-survivor era. Morgan is deeply invested in the California education system. She often serves as an advisor to school districts, California legislators, and civic leaders on Holocaust and genocide education, confronting antisemitism, and best practices for teaching the Holocaust. She is currently on the advisory board of the Genocide Education Project.

Beth B. Cohen, PhD, Director of Education

Beth B. Cohen brings decades of experience as a historian and educator to her role as the Director of Education at the JFCS Holocaust Center. Her PhD in Holocaust history (Clark University’s Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies) and her master’s degree in education (Harvard University) combine her lifelong commitment to and belief in the transformative power of Holocaust and genocide education. Beth is the author of two books on survivors’ postwar experiences and how they adapted to life in the aftermath of trauma. She has also been a consultant to documentary films, educational organizations, and museums. Most recently, she developed a permanent exhibit on the Holocaust for the United Nations headquarters. Throughout her years of teaching, she encourages students of all ages to think critically about history and human behavior, and raise questions, especially those for which there are no easy answers.  During the current climate of rising antisemitism and hate crimes, Beth is eager to collaborate through her role with the JFCS Holocaust Center with educators and their students to address these challenges confronting us.

Patrick Dunne, Office Manager

Patrick is the Office Manager for 2245 Post Street, working with both the Holocaust Center and YouthFirst departments of JFCS. He graduated in 2014 with a B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Psychology from Chaminade University or Honolulu. Before joining JFCS, he worked in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors, and is currently studying Project Management to further improve his skills. Patrick believes in the mission of the Holocaust Center—that education can create a more empathetic society—and is excited to bring his passion for social justice to his work at JFCS. In his spare time, Patrick loves exercising, attending concerts, spending time with dogs, and playing games.

Rebecca (Becky) Hausammann, Associate Director

Joining the JFCS Holocaust Center in 2022 as the Associate Director, Becky brings educational and operational expertise to the team. She is passionate about expanding the work of the JFCS Holocaust Center – and advancing Holocaust and genocide education throughout the state of California  – as an important response to rising acts of antisemitism, racism, and hate. Deeply steeped in schools, systemic change, and the needs of students and teachers, Becky brings a strong practitioner and systems-awareness lens to her work which guides her approach to providing operational and strategic leadership. Becky has served as a leader in education for more than twenty years as an English teacher, school administrator, and in the nonprofit sector, most recently with PBLWorks where she coached school leaders to equitably implement and scale project based learning and managed one of the premier professional development consulting teams in the country. A graduate of University of California at Berkeley, Becky holds a Masters of Education from Stanford University, with credentials in Education Leadership and Secondary Teaching. 

Joe Hayes, Administrator

As Administrator, Joe is responsible for oversight of non-programmatic operating activities. He is also working across the team on the planned expansion of the Holocaust Center to increase its nationally recognized programming and the statewide response to rising antisemitic incidents. With prior roles in non-profit management at The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM), REDF, Climate Leadership Initiative and The Nature Conservancy, Joe brings leadership experience to the quickly expanding team and a passion to inspire empathy and action in future generations. Joe is a graduate of Skidmore College, with a dual degree in English and History.

Yedida Kanfer, PhD, Director of Collections and Programming

Yedida is the Director of Programming at the JFCS Holocaust Center. She has been teaching at the JFCS Holocaust Center since 2013, and loves to share her passion for Jewish history and social responsibility with high school students, educators, and the larger community. Yedida received her PhD in East European and Jewish history from Yale University.  Since then, she has been the recipient of multiple honors and awards, including the Twersky Education Fellowship (Jewish Women’s Archive) and Voices for Good Leadership Fellowship (Jewish Learning Works). She has published commentary on topics ranging from resistance in the Holocaust to immigrant rights. In Yedida’s free time, she enjoys playing with her dog and taking classes at the Academy for Jewish Religion―California (AJRCA).

Simone Miller, Marketing Manager

As Marketing Manager at the JFCS Holocaust Center, Simone brings a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set to her role. Prior to joining JFCS, she founded a successful catering company, taught popular cooking classes, and published three cookbooks. Throughout her career, Simone has consistently woven the threads of education and advocacy for social justice. Her commitment to these principles is deeply rooted, and she continues to make a meaningful impact by incorporating them into her professional endeavors. As a 3G descendant, Simone’s personal connection to the Holocaust drives her passion for preserving the memory of lives lost and fostering empathy and action in others

Andrew Roth, MA, Project Archivist

Andrew is the Project Archivist at the JFCS Holocaust Center. He obtained a BA in American Studies from Occidental College in Los Angeles and then pursued a career in publishing and marketing in New York, Berlin, and San Francisco. Andrew completed a Master’s Degree in Archives and Records Administration at San Jose State University in 2021.

Andrew has long had an interest in Jewish history. He is the author of the Goldapple Guide to Jewish Berlin and The Opposite of Treason, the story of the Jewish anti-Nazi resistance figure Helmut Hirsch. It was during the research for these two books that he became enthralled by the theory and practice of archives. He left publishing and marketing and completed a Master’s Degree in Archives and Records Administration at San Jose State University in 2021.

Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet, LCSW, Education Specialist 

Gloria, a seasoned Clinical Social Worker with 40+ years of experience, is a co-founder of My Digital TAT2, a Bay Area Non-Profit. She’s dedicated to promoting critical thinking and ethical online behavior among children and families. Gloria, a second-generation presenter, co-authored “It Rained Warm Bread: Moishe Moskowitz’s Story of Hope,” a book on her father’s Holocaust experience, winning accolades like the Kirkus Best Books and Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Passionate about educating youth on Holocaust history, Gloria joins the Holocaust Center Team to ensure its lessons endure against social cruelty, hate, antisemitism, and racism, both online and off.

The JFCS Holocaust Center is a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Services of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. For more information about JFCS and its leadership, please visit www.jfcs.org.

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