washington district of columbia jewish community center inc 1 abbreviation washington d.c. jewish community center established may 3 1925 original ground breaking february 22 1926 official opening after closing in 1968 reopened january 12 1997 . tax id no. 52 1398151 2 legal status 501 c 3 nonprofit organization 2 location 1529 16th street nw washington d.c. 20036 2249 coordinates 38 54 39 n 77 02 10 w 38.910833 n 77.036111 w 38.910833 ; 77.036111 coordinates 38 54 39 n 77 02 10 w 38.910833 n 77.036111 w 38.910833 ; 77.036111 services provides and promotes educational physical cultural recreational civic and related activities and reflect jewish heritage and values . 2 chief executive officer carole r. zawatsky 3 president stephen kelin 4 revenue 2013 7 305 944 2 expenses 2013 8 029 014 2 endowment 2 913 684 2 employees 2012 215 2 volunteers 2012 9 156 2 mission to promote the welfare of our members through programs that reflect jewish heritage and values . 2 website washingtondcjcc.org the washington d.c. jewish community center dcjcc is a jewish community center located in the historic district of dupont circle . it serves the washington d.c. 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 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 . among the many notable programs sponsored by the dcjcc are theater j an award winning theater group that has hosted world premieres of plays by noted jewish playwrights such as wendy wasserstein richard greenberg and ariel dorfman ; the washington jewish music festival ; the jewish literary festival ; and the washington jewish film festival 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 . it is a constituent organization of the jewish community relations council of greater washington serving washington d.c. maryland and virginia . contents 1 history 2 programs and services 2.1 morris cafritz center for the arts 2.2 jewish living 2.3 jewish worship and interfaith understanding 2.4 tikkun olam 2.5 sports and fitness 3 2009 kosher cafe food incident 4 see also 5 references 6 external links history edit u.s. president calvin coolidge delivers a speech during the dcjcc cornerstone ceremony may 3 1925 . cornerstone ceremony may 3 1925 . 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 . 5 in 1852 twenty one washingtonian jews established the washington hebrew congregation and in 1863 after an act of congress 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 . 6 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 . 415 m street nw the original home of the ymha 1913 1914 precursor to the dcjcc . from 1914 1923 the building would house the hebrew home for the aged . later with the outbreak of world war i the influx of military and government officials included many jews and the need for a larger community center in the capital city was evident . 6 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 . 7 president calvin coolidge spoke at the laying of the cornerstone that day addressing the topic of the spiritual unification of america referring to the hebrew scriptures as a uniting force among the widely scattered diverse communities in america . 8 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 . 6 the official opening would be held in 1926 on washington s birthday february 22 . 9 the center would soon become the meeting place for six formal jewish organizations including bnai brith hadassah and the american jewish committee 7 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 . 9 abe pollin 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 . 9 roof dances were held in the summer with dancing moved inside the rest of the year and adas israel synagogue held classes in the building until it moved to woodley park in 1955 . among the many activities was even an annual queen esther beauty contest with pictures of the finalists featured in the pages of the washington post . 9 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 adventists who observe saturday as the sabbath similar to jewish practice . 9 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 . 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 . 9 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 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 . 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 . 9 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 . 9 as the jewish population in the district continued to grow the jewish community repurchased the original building in 1990 . 10 after extensive restoration the dcjcc opened for the second time on january 12 1997 5 with a display of photographs and artifacts that document the demise and rebirth of urban jewish spaces in america such as the dcjcc itself . 10 programs and services edit morris cafritz center for the arts edit main article theater j theater j type theatre group purpose jewish culture theater location 1529 16th street nw washington dc 20036 artistic director s adam immerwahr website www.theaterj.org 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 klezmer 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 andy warhol jules feiffer leonard baskin godfrey frankel helen levitt yefim ladyzhensky siona benjamin and mindy weisel . jewish living edit 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 the jewish museum and the via del portico d ottavia the old jewish ghetto now transformed into a setting for jewish shops and kosher restaurants . jewish worship and interfaith understanding edit members of the dc minyan light candles in celebration of the festival of hanukkah . the dcjcc is the home for two jewish community congregations the dc minyan 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