Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center
Encyclopedia
Jewish Community Center
A Jewish Community Center or Jewish Community Centre is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities...
located in the historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
of Dupont Circle. It serves the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area through religious, cultural, educational, social, and sport and fitness center programs open to men and women of all religions, although many programs are strongly linked to Jewish culture, both in the United States and in Israel. It is part of the JCC Association (JCCA), the umbrella organization
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
for the Jewish Community Center movement, which includes more than 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs, and camp sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 180 local JCCs in the Former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin America, 50 in Europe, and close to 500 smaller centers in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Among the many notable programs sponsored by the DCJCC are Theater J
Theater J
Theater J is a professional theater company located in Washington, DC, founded to present works that "celebrate the distinctive urban voice and social vision that are part of the Jewish cultural legacy" as a self-mission.-Organization:...
, an award winning theater group that has hosted world premieres of plays by noted Jewish playwrights such as Wendy Wasserstein
Wendy Wasserstein
Wendy Wasserstein was an American playwright and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University...
, Richard Greenberg
Richard Greenberg
Richard Greenberg is an American playwright. He is the author of over 25 plays including eight South Coast Repertory world premieres: Our Mother's Brief Affair, The Injured Party, The Violet Hour, Everett Beekin, Hurrah at Last, Three Days of Rain Richard Greenberg (1958–present) is an American...
, Ariel Dorfman
Ariel Dorfman
Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman is an Argentine-Chilean novelist, playwright, essayist, academic, and human rights activist. A citizen of the United States since 2004, he has been a professor of literature and Latin American Studies at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina since 1985.-Personal...
, and Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates is an American author. Oates published her first book in 1963 and has since published over fifty novels, as well as many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction...
; the Washington Jewish Music Festival; the Jewish Literary Festival; and the Washington Jewish Film Festival
Washington Jewish Film Festival
The Washington Jewish Film Festival is a film festival that features films that represent the great diversity of Jewish experiences. It is held at the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater in the Washington, D.C., Jewish Community Center and other cinemas in Washington and suburban Maryland and Virginia....
, that includes screenings both at the Center itself, and at other Washington, DC, institutions, including a number of foreign embassies representing nations that produced the films.
The DCJCC also houses the Hyman S. and Freda Bernstein Library, which includes a Jewish Heritage Video Collection, a children's reading collection, and a collection of genealogy books and materials; and the District Cafe, one of the few kosher restaurants in Washington, D.C. It is a constituent organization of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
History
Although the first recorded Jew settled in Washington, DC, in 1795, the first large immigration of Jews to the nation's capital took place with the arrival of a number of German Jews, in the 1840s. In 1852, twenty one Washingtonian Jews established the Washington Hebrew CongregationWashington Hebrew Congregation
The Washington Hebrew Congregation is a Jewish congregation formed on April 25, 1852, in Washington, D.C., by twenty-one members.Solomon Pribram was elected the first president. By 1854, there were forty-two members...
, and in 1863, after an Act of Congress
Act of Congress
An Act of Congress is a statute enacted by government with a legislature named "Congress," such as the United States Congress or the Congress of the Philippines....
that certified the Jewish community's right to own property, they purchased a church at 8th and H Streets, NW, and after renovations, opened it as the city's first synagogue. East European immigrants arriving in the early 1900s raised the Jewish community population to approximately 4000. In 1911, a group of young Jewish men in their early twenties formed the Young Men's Hebrew Association(YMHA) in 1911, followed by the establishment of the Young Women's Hebrew Association
the community established the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA), in 1913. The YMHA, which moved from 415 M St, NW, to 11th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW, in 1918, which would serve as the first center to support the cultural, recreational, and some spiritual needs of the Jewish population.
Later, with the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the influx of military and government officials included many Jews, and "the need for a larger community center in the capital city was evident." After a five-year campaign to raise money, on May 3, 1925, following the war, the ground-breaking ceremony was held for the Jewish Community Center at its present location, at 16th and Q, NW. President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
spoke at the laying of the cornerstone that day, addressing the topic of "The Spiritual Unification of America,"
referring to the Hebrew scriptures
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
as a uniting force among the widely scattered diverse communities in America. He said that "This edifice...is a fine example for other communities. It speaks a purpose to uphold an ancient and noble philosophy and to assure that such philosophy shall always be adapted to the requirements of changing times." The official opening would be held in 1926, on Washington's Birthday, February 22.
The Center would soon become the meeting place for six formal Jewish organizations, including Bnai Brith, Hadassah
Hadassah
Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America is an American Jewish volunteer women's organization. Founded in 1912 by Henrietta Szold, it is one of the largest international Jewish organizations, with around...
, and the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
, as well as the place where informal groups, "just about every Jewish youth club in the city," and individuals from all levels of Washington Jewish society would meet. Abe Pollin
Abe Pollin
Abe Pollin was the owner of a number of professional sports teams including the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League , the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association , and the Washington Wizards in the National Basketball Association...
, now known for his role in the world of Washington, D.C., sports, recalls that the JCC "was where all the camaraderie took place," including the time in the steam room, or the games of squash, handball, and table tennis in the men-only health club. Roof dances were held in the summer, with dancing moved inside the rest of the year, and Adas Israel Synagogue
Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.)
Adas Israel, located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, is the largest Conservative synagogue in Washington, D.C.-History:The congregation was founded in 1869 by 69 members of the Washington Hebrew Congregation who objected to that congregation's move towards Reform Judaism.Sermons were given in...
held classes in the building until it moved to Woodley Park in 1955. Among the many activities was even an annual "Queen Esther
Esther
Esther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
Beauty Contest," with pictures of the finalists featured in the pages of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
In 1939, thanks to a gift from Washington Post owners Eugene and Agnes Meyer, a new wing was added to the center, to house a library and an expanded health club. The new facility included a squash court, and three handball courts—and a massage room that was staffed by Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
s, who observe Saturday as the Sabbath, similar to Jewish practice.
Special events were held for military veterans, and no veteran was charged to participate in any center activity during or immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1942, a USO lounge was dedicated, open to both Jewish and non-Jewish veterans. Additionally, the Center hosted numerous programs in support of the U.S. war effort, including the 1943-44 "Program for Victory" that promoted the purchase of war bonds and war stamps.
However, as a result of the 1968 race riots in D.C., the DCJCC closed. As many Jews in the city moved to the suburbs, a new JCC was established in Rockville, Maryland
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
, opening on May 8, 1969. It still exists as a thriving JCC, known as the "JCC of Greater Washington", and is located on a "campus" that now also houses the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA), The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and a number of Jewish senior citizen residences.
The JCC building was sold to the city, which turned it over to Federal City College, the forerunner of the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
. The Jewish community Center became Building T-5. However, within the next 15 years, the college made the decision it no longer needed the building. The city considered using it as a site for a prison, or as a shelter for the homeless. However, "Then a strange thing happened. The District's single Jewish population soared."
With this resurgence of Jews in the District, the Rockville JCC opened a downtown D.C. branch in 1979, and that branch "declared its independence in 1985. As the Jewish population in the District continued to grow, the Jewish community repurchased the original building in 1990. After extensive restoration, the DCJCC opened for the second time on January 12, 1997, with a display of photographs and artifacts that document the demise and rebirth of urban Jewish spaces in America, such as the DCJCC itself.
Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts
JCC programs for the Arts include live theater, films, music, dance, and literary events. Dance classes range from Israeli folk dance and modern dance, to middle-eastern belly dances. Theater J provides award-winning theater productions, plus play readings, and discussions on the themes of their theater series, often including the playwright, director, or actors. In addition to the annual Washington Jewish Film Festival, one of the largest in North America, "The Screening Room" is a year-round program of full-length features, documentaries, and short films from the around the world, almost always accompanied by discussions led by film makers and film scholars. The music festival features music from the international "Jewish scene," from klezmerKlezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
to jazz, and from classical to hip-hop and fusion. The literary series, "Authors Out Loud," brings in authors to sign and discuss their latest works, and many other special events, including prose and poetry readings and special lectures, often co-sponsored with other area organizations, provide opportunities to explore and learn about developments in Jewish magazines, the internet, and writing in Hebrew and Yiddish. Special art exhibitions are displayed at the Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, and are always free to the public. Past exhibits have featured artists such as Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn was a Lithuanian-born American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his left-wing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content.-Biography:...
, Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, Jules Feiffer
Jules Feiffer
Jules Ralph Feiffer is an American syndicated cartoonist, most notable for his long-run comic strip titled Feiffer. He has created more than 35 books, plays and screenplays...
, Leonard Baskin
Leonard Baskin
Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, book-illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher.-Life and work:...
, Godfrey Frankel, Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt
Helen Levitt was an American photographer. She was particularly noted for "street photography" around New York City, and has been called "the most celebrated and least known photographer of her time."- Biography :...
, Yefim Ladyzhensky, Siona Benjamin and Mindy Weisel.
Jewish living
Throughout the year, a series of retreats and special events focus on Jewish thoughts, ideas, and experiences, such as "Faces of Israel," an exploration of religion and state seeking ways different Israelis understand their lives in a nation that is both a "Jewish State" and a democracy. The Center's "Open University" offers both one-time special events, including speakers and films, and ongoing classes and study groups, including the "DC Beit Midrash for young professionals, and the "Behrend Adas Senior Lunch Fellowship," that includes both classes and activities for seniors. Other programs include "Dialogues and Public Affairs," an ongoing series of dialogues and discussions on Jewish issues including Mid-East affairs, and "J on Demand," social programs to bring together young professionals in the D.C. area.In addition to special and ongoing activities at the Center, the DCJCC also sponsors trips to destinations in the United States and around the world, under the heading of "JCC Travel." One example is the June 2010 trip, "Rome Judaica," which includes visits to the Great Synagogue of Rome
Great Synagogue of Rome
-History:The Jewish community of Rome goes back to the 2nd century BC when the Roman Empire had an alliance of sorts with Judea under the leadership of Judah Maccabeus. At that time, many Jews came to Rome from Judea. Their numbers increased during the following centuries due to the settlement that...
, the Jewish Museum, and the Via del Portico d'Ottavia
Roman Ghetto
The Roman Ghetto was a ghetto located in the rione Sant'Angelo, in Rome, Italy, in the area surrounded by today's Via del Portico d'Ottavia, Lungotevere dei Cenci, Via del Progresso and Via di Santa Maria del Pianto close to the Tiber and the Theater of Marcellus...
, the old Jewish ghetto now transformed into a setting for Jewish shops and kosher restaurants.
Jewish worship and interfaith understanding
The DCJCC is the home for two Jewish community congregations, the DC MinyanDC Minyan
The DC Minyan is a lay-led Jewish congregation in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C., with programs including Shabbat/Sabbath and Holy Day worship services, education, social events , retreats, and opportunities for tikkun olam, improving and transforming the world...
, a lay-led congregation that leads "traditional egalitarian" worship services and joins together for study as part of a movement following the model of a growing group of communities in the United States and overseas, such as New York's Kehilat Hadar; and Bet Mishpachah
Bet Mishpachah
Bet Mishpachah is a Jewish egalitarian worshiping community in the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C. It is one of a number of national and international Jewish communities of "LGBT affirming congregations" that specifically welcome and "embrace" the LGBT community, along with all others who...
, "a congregation for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews and all who wish to participate in an inclusive, egalitarian, and mutually supportive community."
In addition to these Jewish religious resources, "Interfaith Connections" is a program that welcomes interfaith couples, in an attempt to explore the "heritage, tradition and spirituality of both partners." Special presentations, courses, workshops for interfaith couples, and a series of interfaith couples Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
dinners are among the programs offered.
Tikkun olam
In the Jewish spirit of tikkun olamTikkun olam
Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world." In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam originated in the early rabbinic period...
, repairing, mending, and transforming the world, the Center sponsors many programs where both members and non-members can volunteer their time and energy to help others. "Camp Yad B'Yad" (Hand in Hand) trains students from grades 6 through 12 in ways "one person can make a difference" to the community in the areas of cooking, feeding, playing, organizing, and building. "Everything but the Turkey" is a Thanksgiving Day of service and outreach to the homeless and the hungry. "December 25th Day of Service" involves more than 1000 men and women of all ages and all religious backgrounds, working together to serve meals to the homeless, to entertain seniors and children, to renovate and paint shelters, and even to donate blood. Similar efforts are undertaken on other holidays, including Martin Luther King Day, and special dates are set to work on community projects, such as cleaning areas along the river and planting new flowers, trees, and plants, to help the environment.
Sports and fitness
The Hebrew Bible (DeuteronomyDeuteronomy
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch...
Chapter 4, Verse 15) teaches that we should "take good care of our lives," a teaching that life is precious, and we should do what we can to guard our health. Consequently, the extensive programs offered by the DCJCC in health and fitness training can be linked to the Jewish view of valuing life. The Center's sports and fitness programs include individual and group classes and training, including exercises and disciplines such as "Kung Fu-Qigong-Tai Chi Fusion Class," "Zumba, "Cardio Funk," and "Butts and Guts." Aquatic programs include classes for all ages, starting with "Little Flipper" classes for four-month old infants. Additionally, sports leagues bring men and women together for activities including soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball. The DCJCC also supports the JCC Maccabi Youth Games
JCC Maccabi Youth Games
The JCC Maccabi Youth Games is an olympic style event held annually for Jewish teens between the ages of 13 and 16. The games were first held in 1982 and more than 120,000 athletes have participated worldwide. The 2009 event was held in San Francisco, CA, San Antonio, TX, and Westchester County,...
, an annual event sponsored by the JCC Association in affiliation with the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
.
2009 JCC Cafe kosher food incident
In September 2009, as a result of a serious violation of kosher dietary laws and standardsKashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
, the kosher cafe inside the DCJCC—which had operated there for more than a decade—was closed. According to news reports, the Cafe was running out of steaks, and employees were found with non-kosher steaks purchased from a local supermarket, apparently intending to prepare and serve them to customers. The mashgiach
Mashgiach
In Judaism, a Mashgiach is a person who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment.A mashgiah may supervise any type of food service establishment, including slaughterhouses, food manufacturers, hotels, caterers, nursing homes, restaurants, butchers, groceries, or cooperatives...
(kosher supervisor) saw a supermarket bag, leading him to suspect the violation, and he later discovered the steaks. Although there was no evidence that any non-kosher meat was ever served, thanks to the quick actions of the mashgiach, the kosher certification authorized by the Vaad Harabanim (Rabbinical Council) of Greater Washington was withdrawn, and the restaurant was closed.
The Center took immediate action to find a replacement, and in October 2009, the announcement was made that Sina Soumekhian, the owner of two other local kosher eateries, ‘’Eli’s Restaurant’’ in DC, and ‘’Siena’s Pizzeria’’ in Rockville, MD, would open a new kosher cafe at the Center. The new cafe, “Cafe @ TheJ,” also under the kosher certification and supervision of the Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington, opened but eventually closed, replaced by "The Distrikt Bistro," which opened on January 28, 2011.
See also
- Lillian & Albert Small Jewish MuseumLillian & Albert Small Jewish MuseumThe Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum, located in the Judiciary Square neighborhood of Washington, D.C., houses the oldest surviving synagogue building in the District. It was erected in 1876 by the Adas Israel Congregation. The museum is operated by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater...
- National Museum of American Jewish Military HistoryNational Museum of American Jewish Military HistoryThe National Museum of American Jewish Military History was founded September 2, 1958, in Washington, D.C., to document and preserve "the contributions of Jewish Americans to the peace and freedom of the United States...[and to educate] the public concerning the courage, heroism and sacrifices...
- Sixth & I Historic SynagogueSixth & I Historic SynagogueThe Sixth & I Historic Synagogue is a non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditional Jewish synagogue located at the corner of Sixth Street and I Street, NW in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the city...
- United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumUnited States Holocaust Memorial MuseumThe United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...