2023 Annual Report

OUR MISSION

Sixth & I is a center for arts, entertainment, ideas, and Jewish life in Washington, DC. We inspire more meaningful and fulfilling lives through an unexpected mix of experiences that embrace the multi-faceted identities of those we serve.

from our leadership

Dear Sixth & I community,

Thinking back on what we accomplished in 2023, we keep returning to a note we received from an attendee: “It’s institutions like Sixth & I that make our city a city and that bring magic to our lives.”

Since 2004, it has been our mission to reimagine how culture, community, and Jewish life can enhance people’s everyday lives, making your average weeknight a little more extraordinary. From acclaimed actor Henry Winkler greeting the audience with his iconic “Ayyyyy!” 40 years after The Fonz entered our lives, to bringing in the Jewish New Year with almost 7,000 people, there was no shortage of magical moments at Sixth & I in 2023.

This year saw a wide-ranging slate of timely talks, intimate concerts, and an expansion of our justice and service work. During an unprecedentedly difficult period for the Jewish community at large, we found new ways to be together and to make sense of the world.

As you look through the pages of this report and read about these moments of connection and community, we hope you feel proud knowing your support makes it all possible. It’s only with your investment that we have approached a new milestone: April 2024 marks 20 years of Sixth & I! We look forward to celebrating with you in the months ahead.

Thank you again for continuing to believe in our mission, and here’s to 20 more years of magic.

With gratitude,

Heather Moran CEO

Fishman Lerner Board Chair

Ilyse

44,670

6,890 people served programs produced High Holiday attendees

234

quotable and notable

“I love y’all!”

- Comedian Leslie Jones

“Turn up in a synagogue!”

-

Peloton instructor

Cody Rigsby

“Girls can do anything. And why? Because we are everything.”

- Voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams

“I feel...barchu et adonai ham’vorach.”

- Actor Henry Winkler

“Trust yourself. Trust your instincts. You know who you are.”

- Actor Elliot Page

“In this new year of 5784, help us connect to a sense of awe, no matter where we are on our journey.”

- Rabbi Nora Feinstein’s 5784 High Holidays sermon

windows restored 35 bricks replaced 622

50,435 linear feet of mortar joints repointed

scaffold set-ups 14

a fresh look

After years of wear and tear to the exterior of our 116-year-old building, we had the opportunity to repair the facade thanks to generous grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and Events DC. The restoration included a process called tuckpointing to repair damaged bricks and help protect the interior of our building from the elements for decades to come.

Our historic building has been home to several faith communities since it was built in 1908, including Turner Memorial A.M.E. Church. During their tenure from 1951 - 2002, Turner Memorial completed several building renovation projects in accordance with African Methodist Episcopal doctrine including installing precast covers on the exterior of the building. When we removed one of these covers, we discovered a decorative Star of David etching still intact underneath (pictured right). While we were unable to restore them at this time, the discovery offered a window into how the building originally appeared in 1908.

Before After

These essential repairs will help ensure the integrity of our beautiful building for years to come, giving our community the opportunity to feel a sense of pride for how this sacred space has endured across generations. Before After

JEWISHLIFE

come together

Opportunities to be together took on added significance this year as classes and holiday celebrations made space for levity, learning, and Jewish joy. Some of our most popular events included a class on the Torah of Taylor Swift and our Battle of the Bagels, where Sixth & I’ers decided once and for all who makes the best bagels in DC (congrats to the winner, Buffalo and Bergen). At small group meetups, Sixth & I’ers talked through life’s big questions using a Jewish framework.

Rabbi Aaron and Rabbi Nora gave Billy Crystal a run for his money as hosts of our awards show-themed Purim party, The Esties, where Sixth & I’ers walked the red carpet and enjoyed an irreverent spiel performed by our Jewish Welcome Workshop class.

There was also much to celebrate at our 5784 High Holiday services, including a new partnership with OneTable to reach more people in their 20s and 30s. Over 100 young professionals attended an Erev Rosh Hashanah dinner at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. Overall, more than 6,800 people welcomed in the new year with us across nine services.

Sixth & I has made me laugh, cry, think, and feel connected. I am so proud it is part of our community. “ ”

- Attendee at Rabbi Sharon Brous event

JEWISHLIFE

17,195 program registrations

26% of attendees came to at least 3 events

6,427 people came to Shabbat services

Purim

High Holidays

Chanukah

Volunteering

We reprised our popular themed Shabbat services which feature elements of justice, spirituality, and community-building.

First Person

During the height of the pandemic, Samantha Shimer began to reflect on what her life would look like if she didn’t achieve the traditional hallmarks of adulthood like marriage, children, and owning a home.

Through Sixth & I’s Jewish education classes, Shabbat services, and her participation in the Jewish Welcome Workshop—an intensive introduction to Judaism course—Samantha says she’s found a safe place to explore her spirituality and life’s big questions while surrounded by other people in their 20s and 30s navigating similar circumstances.

She’s come to see Sixth & I as her third place, a concept describing a space where people can make connections with others outside of home and work. At a time when isolation and loneliness are rampant, Samantha says: “Sixth & I is an antidote to that.”

MLK Shabbat

Ballpark Shabbat

Mardi Gras Shabbat

Labor on the Bimah Pride Shabbat National Refugee Shabbat

EIT LISPOAD, V’EIT LIRKOD

There is a time for grieving, and there is a time for dancing. “ ”

- Kohelet/Ecclesiastes (3:4)

From Jewish education to community-building, our work has never felt more salient than in this past year. Following the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack and ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza, our responsibility, and our challenge, was to offer a safe, nonjudgmental place for those in their 20s and 30s to come together to process, ask questions, learn from each other, and feel seen and heard. Some of our most meaningful offerings included:

ƒ Classes addressing the conflict through multiple lenses including contemporary antisemitism, diaspora and Jewish peoplehood, and the ethics of freeing captives.

ƒ Open space discussions guided by our rabbis to help people process the wide spectrum of emotions they’d been feeling.

ƒ A workshop offering practical tips on how to approach charged conversations around Israel-Palestine with friends, partners, and colleagues. This program was so popular we added a second date to accommodate the demand.

ƒ Thoughtful partnerships with experts and activists who are leaders in this space. An inspiring conversation with Sally Abed and Alon-Lee Green, founders of the grassroots organization Standing Together, shared how their community of Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel is working together for change in the shared interest of peace and security.

We continue to serve as a resource as the conflict, and the needs of our community, evolve.

At the first Shabbat service following October 7th, Rabbi Aaron rose to the exceedingly difficult challenge of delivering a sermon that could speak to everyone in our diverse community. His remarks addressed those who lost loved ones in the attack, those who felt confused, disengaged, alone, or afraid, those craving nuanced discussion, and nonJewish allies wondering how to support their Jewish friends. One attendee shared:

“That was an extraordinary and much-needed piece of wisdom. You covered it all and said everything that needed to be said. I pray that people will listen and take all of it to heart.”

The sermon resonated deeply with audiences online, with the video garnering 31,000 views.

Elliot

something to talk about

Sixth & I shines at the intersection of culture and spirituality, and 2023 was filled with unexpected conversations that felt singular to our space.

ƒ Rainn Wilson, best known as Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” exemplified this during his conversation with Rabbi Aaron on how art and spirituality can be a tool for social change: “Art at its best can be service. Art is the same as prayer.”

ƒ Comedian Keegan-Michael Key visited our sukkah before his talk about the history of sketch comedy, shaking the lulav and etrog with his wife and creative partner, Elle Key.

ƒ At a screening of the National Geographic series “A Small Light,” creators involved with the show discussed the continuing resonance of Miep Gies, who sheltered Anne Frank’s family during the Holocaust.

Real Talk

It was a banner year for celebrity memoirs, and audiences experienced rare access to Oscar, GRAMMY, and Emmy-nominated performers. Highlights included vulnerable and heartfelt conversations with Oscarnominated actor Elliot Page, who shared candidly about his journey to finding himself as a queer and trans person, comedian Leslie Jones on facing discrimination as she came up in the comedy world, and Crying in H Mart author Michelle Zauner’s poignant reflections on grief.

We also continued to serve as a forum for meaningful and topical conversations, from talks on the future of democracy with MSNBC anchor Ari Melber, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, and voting rights advocate Stacey Abrams, to curated panel discussions on pressing issues like book bans, gun violence prevention, and reproductive justice.

Keegan-Michael Key

Michelle Zauner

Rainn Wilson

Liz Cheney

Now We’re Cooking

From celebrated chef and humanitarian José Andrés to culinary star Molly Baz, audiences dug into conversations with cooking personalities like it was their favorite comfort food. We got to dish with cookbook authors B. Dylan Hollis, Alison Roman, Joshua Weissman, and Andrew Rea—who all gained popularity creating viral cooking content for social media—proving that food influencers aren’t just a flash in the pan.

Felt so safe and like a community. “ ”

Loved my experience so much.

- Attendee at Molly Baz event

First Person

DC resident Melinda Lim is one of our biggest talks fans: just ask her about any of the 25 conversations she’s attended in the past few years. We sat down with her to find out what keeps her coming back.

First ever Sixth & I event: Salman Rushdie in 2010

Favorite talk of 2023: Roxane Gay for her new book, Opinions.

Dream Sixth & I guest: Michelle Obama or cookbook author Samin Nosrat

Why Sixth & I? “I always say to friends or people who just moved here that if you love to learn something new, go to a Sixth & I talk. It is a lovely way to meet people in the community, challenge yourself to think differently, and to connect with someone you admire (in my case, a bunch of authors!).

It feels almost foundational to my experience of living in DC, where we get to do things that other people don’t have access to in other places across the country. Sixth & I offers such a wonderful opportunity to sit in the room with someone who I admire, whose work I have followed and has inspired me and my life, on a random Tuesday and at a very affordable price point. Sixth & I, to me, values not just accessibility but also quality and community.”

Alison Roman

talking points

Our 2023 authors did quite the number:

350,000,000

meals served by José Andrés’s non-profit, World Central Kitchen

10,000,000 people follow foodie B. Dylan Hollis on TikTok

5,000,000 copies sold of You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

95 weeks and counting that Bonnie Garmus’s megahit Lessons in Chemistry has been on the New York Times bestseller list (pictured with Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden)

7 costume changes during drag superstar Sasha Velour’s jaw-dropping performance

4 hours was all it took for Peloton star Cody Rigsby’s talk to sell out

Valerie June

sounds good

From pop punk pioneers New Found Glory to Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes, concerts with iconic 90s artists took us on a trip down memory lane this year. We also had opportunities to shine a light on local talent at a showcase of Jewish musicians including Rock Creek Kings, Eli Waltz, and Aaron Shneyer, who took center stage after years of leading our music team during Shabbat services. Artists Thao and Yasmin Williams, who both grew up in the DMV, came together with Rachael Davis and GRAMMYnominated singer-songwriter Valerie June for an evening of conversation and folk music.

Our intimate space lent itself to vulnerable and affecting musical moments that couldn’t have happened in any other venue, like when a few lucky Wilco fans had the chance of a lifetime to hear front man Jeff Tweedy play songs they requested. Tweedy shared: “I don’t get many opportunities to talk with people and play a song directly for them after hearing how it has woven itself into their life. Knowing that my songs have actually reached people carries a lot of weight, and it makes me really proud.”

“

Yasmin Williams

Jeff Tweedy

Your space is so warm and welcoming. The performers were amazing and I loved hearing the stories behind the pieces they played. So awesome to see this group of female musicians collaborating with such joy!

”

- Attendee at Valerie June event

EQUITY, & DIVERSITY,INCLUSION

Guided by Jewish values and demand from our community, we sought to expand our social justice work by offering more volunteer opportunities, deepening existing partnerships, and forming new relationships within our neighborhood and the broader DC community.

Working for Change

This year, our staff participated in a training led by Keshet to strengthen Sixth & I as an LGBTQ+-affirming space. Our team also came together with justice leaders at the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable Network Assembly, a network of nonprofits dedicated to making justice a core expression of Jewish life. Our internal Change Team, facilitated by Dr. Imani Chapman, continued to work towards Sixth & I’s equity goals regarding compensation, hiring, and increasing the diversity of the talent we host.

Nathan Mitchell Photography

We offered more direct service opportunities for our 20s and 30s community than ever before, including:

ƒ Fighting food insecurity by volunteering with the Capital Area Food Bank, DC Central Kitchen, and Dreaming Out Loud

ƒ Organizing a clothing drive for migrants arriving in DC and sorting donations at respite centers

ƒ Participating in an activism workshop and tour of The Utopia Project: Inspiration for Creative Activism exhibit at the Anacostia Community Museum, in partnership with the Edlavitch DCJCC Center for Social Responsibility

ƒ Coordinating a holiday donation drive and assembling care kits for the shelter residents at New Endeavors by Women

It Takes a Neighborhood

Alongside other neighborhood stakeholders, we had the opportunity to collaborate with the Downtown DC Business Improvement District on its large-scale street art installation, designed to promote pedestrian safety in Chinatown/Gallery Place. Thanks to the talented artists at Chalk Riot, street corners around our building are now decorated with colorful imagery of pomegranates, hamantaschen, challah, the lunar calendar, and other symbols of Jewish and Chinese culture, beautifully honoring the diversity and history of our neighborhood.

As an extension of this project, during Sukkot and the mid-autumn festival (traditional to Chinese and other Asian cultures), we teamed up with the 1882 Foundation to hear about their work promoting awareness of the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act and its continuing significance today.

Sixth & I’s programs reflect its deep commitment to the community, almost like a really kind and engaged neighbor. “ ”

- Attendee at Michele Norris event

our supporters

Sixth & I is deeply grateful to the community members who made all of our work possible through their generous support in 2023.

$100,000 and above

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation

Marcy and Neil Cohen

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Events DC

Dweck Philanthropies, Inc.

Arlene and Robert Kogod

Robert Pollin and Sigrid Miller Pollin

Shelton and Rory Zuckerman

$25,000 - $99,999

The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

Galena-Yorktown Foundation

Shelley and Allan Holt

Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation

Molly Levinson and Josh Wachs

The Morningstar Foundation

The Nussdorf Family

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family

Shapiro Family Foundation

Max Zuckerman

$10,000 - $24,999

Gary and Carol Berman

Henry and Carole Berman

Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation

Department of Homeland Security

Esther and Bert Foer

Carl and Rylan Hutzler

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Daniel Rosenbaum (z”l) and Mila Kagan

Patricia Karp

Bruce and Karen Levenson

Linda and Larry Mann

Jeffrey Menick

Shafer Philanthropic Family Fund

Stanley E. and Sally Harris Wertheim Family Foundation

$3,600 - $9,999

Anonymous

Leonard and Joy Baxt

Ellen Clarke

Robyn and Bill Collins

Anne and Evan DeCorte

Nancy and Marc Duber

Diane and Ron Eichner

David and Resa Eppler

Patricia and David Fisher

Durbin Family Fund

Peter Greenberg

Jewish Emergent Network

Herb Lichtenstein and Barbara Hylander

Sabina Menschel and Bill Priestap

Jacob I. Melamed and Robert A. Baker

Sid and Linda Moskowitz

Edwin and Sondra Schonfeld

Tina and Albert Small, Jr.

Laura Wertheimer and Andrew Pincus

$1,000 - $3,599

Anonymous (6)

3rd Coast Contractors Inc.

Jillian Andrews

Allison August and Baruch Ticho

Lisa and Joshua Bernstein

Robert and Kristen Birch

David Brown

Adam and Debra Cohen

Joel Croft

Han Cronig

Arielle Cronig

Nancy and Morris Deutsch

Bradford and Debra Dockser

Ron and Carolyn Drach

Alana Eichner

Mark Ellenberg and Nancy Abramowitz

Fred and Starr Ezra

Rebecca Fitch

Chris Foust and Shayna Cherry

Ilene Freed and David Rosen

Michael and Risa Freedman

Kathryn Gansler

The Garchik Family Foundation

Melissa and Steven Garfinkel

Mary R. Gasner

Mea Geizhals and Charles Plummer

Matthew Gever and Karen Livingston

Catherine and Michael Gildenhorn

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger

PG and Margie Gottfried

Marisa Guzman-Aloia and Gerri Pozez

Alex Hasson and Anne Clark

Steve and Sally Herman

Carol and Phil Horowitz

Aaron Hutman

Avital Ingber

David and Malka Karr

Susan and Stanley Katz

Leslie Kogod and Laurie Goldberger

Bruce and Marilyn Kressel

Barbara Kurshan

Elisabeth and Russell LaMotte

Jerry and Adina Leach

Ellen and Bob Leibenluft

Edward Lenkin and Roselin Atzwanger

Robin and Brian Levenson

Josh and Kara Levinson

Mandy Lippman and Mark Ohan

Geralyn and Martin Lobel

Jay B. Lurie and Rachel Schwerin

Carol and Richard Margolis

Marlene and Ken Markison

Noreen McGowan and Seth Fitter

Joshua Meyer and Andrew Wheeler

John Mintz and Emily Yoffe

Melanie and Joshua Olds

Trisha and Chris Pascale

Kathryn and Robert Pincus

Juan and Deborah Prawda

Garrett Preis and Jacqueline Mackey

Dennis and Julie Ratner

Amy Rifkind and Bruce Brown

Elizabeth and Meghan Robins

Leslie Rogoff

Jeremy Roschelle and Audrey Garfield

Jim and Marcia Rosenheim

Barry and Joan Rosenthal

Eric and Susan Rubel

Vanessa and Daniel Sacks

Bill and Ellen Sandler

Jason Scheff and Simon Jerome

Marissa Schlaifer

Schnitzer Family Foundation

Andrew Schon and Dallas McClendon

Eric Schultz

Estelle Luber Schwalb

Rhea S. Schwartz and Paul Martin Wolff

Dan and Teresa Schwartz

Susan Brett and Robert Shesser

Richard Silverman

Beth and Barry Simon

Shira Stutman and Russell Shaw

Anne Swift

Jodi Tirengel

Lawrence and Kari Uman

George Wasserman Family Foundation

Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen

Sandy and Jon Willen

Rachel Wolkowitz

Jean and Jeffery Yablon

Rita and Jay Yurow

Lauri and Jeffrey Zell

This list reflects contributions made to Sixth & I between Januar y 1 and December 31, 2023. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this listing. For more information, please contact development@sixthandi.org.

invest in us

Top 6 reasons to support Sixth & I:

Donations from our extended community fuel every aspect of our work. Your support is needed to:

Provide a welcoming space for dialogue and community, in times of stability and in times of uncertainty

Support our community outreach efforts to make an impact on our city through volunteerism and activism

Help people in their 20s and 30s connect to Judaism, on their own terms

Think outside the box and experiment with creative program ideas

Invest in accessibility services to include the widest possible audience

Preserve our 116-year-old-building for years to come

Income

our team

2023 Board of Directors

President/Chair: Ilyse Fishman Lerner

Vice-Chair: Max Zuckerman

Secretary: Yolanda Savage-Narva

Treasurer: Evan DeCorte

Immediate Past President: Marcy Cohen

Chair Emeritus: Shelton Zuckerman

Henry Berman

Reverend Thomas Bowen

Inna Dexter

Hannah Dweck

Alana Eichner

Esther Foer

Avital Ingber

Molly Levinson

Sabina Menschel

Robert Pollin

Elliot Schnitzer

Staff

Nathan Brodsky

Shirley Cooper

Kira Doar

Michelle Eider

Robin Farber

Rabbi Nora Feinstein

Brian Graber

Joshua Kagan

Ian Keener

Irella Lawless

Jackie Leventhal

Amanda Loerch

Eve Lustig

Heather Moran

Nixon Olaso

Mark Perkins

Rabbi Aaron Potek

Malaya Press

Molly Schantz

Shannon Segovia

Amelia Stanley z’’l

Rebecca Steward

Aaron Traub

Joshua Villalobos

Photos by Ari Strauss, @aristraussphoto, with additional photos by Josh Brick Graphics and Tom Gallo/GH Prime Media