Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington

Who we are:

The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington and its Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum preserve, chronicle and present the story of the local Jewish community through:

• archival collections
• exhibits
• educational programs
• publications
• the restoration and preservation of the oldest synagogue building in the nation’s capital

 

The Society stewards the oldest synagogue in the Washington, D.C. area -- the 1876 Adas Israel synagogue. The synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the D.C. Inventory of Historic Sites, and the Historic American Buildings Survey. It is an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures.

History:

In 1969, the Society saved the synagogue from demolition by moving it three blocks to its present location at 701 Third Street, NW. The synagogue was rededicated and opened to the public as the Lillian & Albert Small Jewish Museum in 1975. Plans for continuing restoration and a future building move to the corner of Third and F Streets, NW, are underway, with the goal of restoring the historic building and creating a new museum.

Archives, Exhibitions, and Programs:

The Society’s archival collections document the history of the Jewish community through personal papers, organizational and congregational records, and over 1,800 photographs dating back to the 1850s. The collection also includes artifacts, a reference library, and over 100 oral histories. The archives are open and accessible to our members and researchers by appointment.

Exhibitions travel to sites throughout the Washington area.  Online exhibitions feature specific exhibitions as well as a general history of the Washington-area Jewish community (from 1795 to today).

Adult programs include walking tours, lectures, book talks, and curator-led exhibition tours. Student programs include field trips, walking tours, and living history productions.

How you can help:

In addition to general operating support, we are asking for support for the following projects and programs:

Projects

• Historic Sanctuary (Synagogue) Restoration & Masonry Repair: Repairs are a priority to prevent water seepage into the sanctuary. The earthquake opened some pre-existing masonry cracks that require immediate attention.
• Soviet Jewry Project: Provide much needed seed funding for a new exhibit about the history of local activism and the Vigil for Soviet Jewry from 1970-1991.
• Arlington National Cemetery Brochure: Help fund publication of a new brochure highlighting Jewish sites in the cemetery including the new Jewish chaplains’ memorial.

 Programs

• Four Chaplains’ Day Commemoration (February 3, 2012): Underwrite Kiddish at Washington Hebrew Congregation when we sponsor a sermon by Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff about the history of the famous four chaplains and the Rabbi’s own experiences as a chaplain.
• Women’s History Month—Jewish Women in Sports (March 6, 2012): Underwrite this film screening and lecture by Dr. Linda Borish on the history of Jewish women in sports at the JCCs.
• Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 2012): Underwrite a poetry reading by Davi Walders author of Women Against Tyranny—stories in poetry about women who resisted during the Holocaust.  Davi’s reading will be accompanied by Doug Walders on the cello.
• Jewish American Heritage Month lecture at the National Archives (May 3, 2012): Support a reception and lecture by leading scholar Dr. Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University for his new book about President Ulysses S. Grant and Orders No. 11—the infamous expulsion order during the Civil War.
• Centennial Commemoration of the First Jewish Aviator, Al Welsh (June 12, 2012): Underwrite a program at the College Park Aviation Museum to commemorate the centennial of the death of America’s first Jewish aviator—and a Jewish Washingtonian.

 

 

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