Recognizing Anita Altman

Floor Speech

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Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Anita Altman, a distinguished New Yorker and cherished member of our community, who will celebrate her 80th birthday on June 2, 2025.

Anita has devoted her life to building a more inclusive, compassionate, and just society. A proud daughter of the Bronx, Anita was raised in a working-class Greek Jewish household by her parents, Jack and Sarah, and her grandparents Anna and Zadick Coffino, who emigrated from the Ottoman Empire and made their home on the Lower East Side. From these deep roots, Anita cultivated a lifelong commitment to public service, Jewish communal life, and progressive social change.

After earning her B.A. from City College and a Master's in Health Services Administration from the New School, Anita began a career that would span urban planning, public health, and groundbreaking social advocacy. From her early work at the New York City Planning Department and Montefiore Medical Center to her service on Manhattan's Community Board 7, Anita has been a tireless force for equitable development, healthcare access, and community empowerment.

Anita's visionary leadership at UJA-Federation transformed the landscape of aging and disability services in New York. She was instrumental in launching the state's first programs for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, helping thousands of seniors age with dignity in the communities they helped build. She led one of the first Jewish communal responses to the AIDS epidemic and convened the Federation's Task Force on Family Violence, for which she was honored with the Governor's Courage Award and the Woman of Valor award from the New York Board of Rabbis.

Perhaps most widely known is Anita's creation of the Reel Abilities Film Festival, the nation's largest showcase of films by and about people with disabilities. Through ReelAbilities, Anita helped elevate underrepresented voices, challenge public perceptions, and promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in American life.

As she celebrates 80 extraordinary years, I recognize Anita Altman for her vision, her integrity, and her unwavering belief that all people deserve to live with dignity, visibility, and respect.

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