Capital Jewish Museum

It's Yom Kippur, the most sacred day of the year in Jewish calendar, and I should be fasting. But I'm not.  Fasting doesn't make me look inward. It just makes me cranky. And since there are other things I can do to be a good Jew, I'm going to focus on those instead.

Learning and study are high on the list of mitzvot (obligations) for Jews, making a visit to the Capital Jewish Museum both a nice way to educate oneself about the history of the Jews in Washington, DC and a nice diversion from a book. The museum is built around the original Adas Israel synagogue which was dedicated in 1876 with President Ulysses S. Grant in attendance.  The congregation decamped in 1908 for the building that is now Sixth and I and later moved to Cleveland Park. Over the subsequent years, the building was home to multiple churches and retail establishments. Thankfully the building was never torn down and was actually moved several times until it reopened earlier this year at 3rd and F Streets NW, with new exhibition space and other facilities wrapped around it.  

The history of Washington's Jewish community follows a path similar to other localities. Its original members were relatively prosperous Sephardic Jews followed by middle class German immigrants post Civil War and those from Eastern Europe arriving later and into the early years of the 20th century. But since Washington was basically a small town until the New Deal and World War II dramatically expanded the size of the federal government and was under direct control of the US Congress until the 1970s, the story of the Jewish community is one of shopkeepers and artisans with few big personalities or stories. 

This changed over time, and the second gallery features 100 accomplished Jewish Washingtonians who have distinguished themselves locally and nationally through careers in arts, science, political advocacy, commerce, and other fields. This and other exhibits touch on important and sometimes sensitive subjects such as race, reproductive freedom, human rights, and environmental justice, with a clear intention to promote reflection and action. There are buttons to push and other interactive features that will keep kids happy while the grownups stay busy with lots of text.

Right now you can also visit The Notorious RBG, an exhibition focused on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's life and work, created by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. It's light on DC content (other than that she served on both the DC Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court) but full of interesting objects and successfully turns judicial decisions into visual displays for the non-lawyers among us (me included).

Museum entry is free although there is an additional fee for the RBG exhibit.