International Survey of Jewish Monuments

New Exhibit Explores Migration of Jewish Community in DC
Through the Lens: Jeremy Goldberg's Washington opens April 3, 2005

Washington, DC, March 8, 2005 – A new exhibit, opening Sunday, April 3, 2005, at Tifereth Israel Congregation, explores the migration of the Jewish community in Washington, D.C. through its historic buildings. The exhibit, a joint project of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington (JHSGW ) and Tifereth Israel Congregation, is built around photographs taken by Tifereth Israel congregant Jeremy Goldberg (1941-2002). Goldberg, retired from the federal government, set out in 1998 to trace the paths of his hometown's Jewish community. Bicycling the streets of the nation's capital, he photographed the original and current sites of synagogues and other Jewish communal buildings in each of the city's quadrants.

The exhibit's panels follow the Washington Jewish community from a tight cluster of late nineteenth-century synagogues downtown to neighborhoods across the city, uptown and into the suburbs. Goldberg's photographs, supplemented with vintage images, bring to life the continuing story of Jews in metropolitan Washington as embodied in the buildings they created. JHSGW researched congregational archives and attics, local archives, and Library of Congress photograph collections to find images of the eighteen historic sites detailed in the exhibit. (A list of sites is included at right.)

Patterns of growth and migration resonate throughout the exhibition. In a few instances, Jewish congregations converted former churches for synagogue use, and in one case one congregation moved into a building vacated by another. More often, churches purchased synagogues. Jewish merchants founded small synagogues near their homes in Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast Washington. Many historic congregations migrated to the suburbs in stages, first establishing religious schools and then later relocating their synagogues.

As a member of the Jewish Historical Society, Goldberg shared his images and the story of creating them with the Society, which created and curated the exhibit. His work enhanced the JHSGW's ability to answer many of the research questions received about local congregational history. After Goldberg's untimely death, Tifereth Israel began working with JSHGW to create an exhibition using
Goldberg's photo archive.

Jerry's photographs gave us the impetus to record the history of our community's sacred architecture and its migration—something that had not been possible without these photographs,' says Laura Apelbaum, Executive Director of the Society.

Dr. Alan Kraut, professor of history at The American University and author of numerous books on the immigrant experience, will speak at the opening reception on Sunday, April 3 from 4-6 p.m. at Tifereth Israel Congregation, 7701 16th Street, N.W. The event is free to members of the JHSGW and Tifereth Israel and $10 for nonmembers. Advance reservations are required. Group tours of the exhibition are also available by advance reservation.

The exhibition will hang at Tifereth Israel through the end of June, and will then be available to travel to local venues for display. For information and reservations, call the JHSGW at 202-789-0900 or email to info@jhsgw.org.

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