Two Jews Walk Into A War...

IN MEMORY OF BRUCE A. COHEN

Theater J dedicates this production of Two Jews Walk Into A War… to the memory of Bruce A. Cohen who passed away on November 11, 2022.

Bruce was a dedicated Theater J Council member and beloved member of the greater Washington theater community, sponsoring productions at Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and attending plays, musicals, operas, and concerts at venues throughout the region, all over the United States, and around the world.

Born and raised in Charleston, WV, he moved to Washington to attend The American University, Washington College of Law. Following law school, he worked on the Hill for Rep. Philip Ruppe and Sen. Philip Hart, both of Michigan. The bulk of Bruce’s legal career was spent at the Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor, from which he retired in 2006.

Bruce served on the board of Family and Child Services (Washington, DC) and was a volunteer at Children's National Medical Center, where he interacted with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. He was also known as an accomplished gourmet cook – providing many delicious baked goods to share with theater artists and staff on his many visits to rehearsals.

Bruce was predeceased by his parents Saul Cohen and Helen L. Marshall and his adored brother-in-law, the late Judge Robert E. Ginsberg. He is survived by his sister Gail Ginsberg, nieces Deborah and Dana Ginsberg, grand-nephew David Ginsberg and grand-niece Aurora Buntain as well as "dozens of cousins" and innumerable dear friends.

May his memory be a blessing.

Dear Friends, Happy New Year!

It feels wonderful to welcome you back to the theater with Two Jews Walk Into A War… With this production we also welcome veteran Theater J actors Bobby Smith and Sasha Olinick. It’s great to have them back on our stage. It’s also delightful to have Adam Immerwahr back in the building, helming this show. The reunion is joyous.

Two Jews Walk Into A War… Seth Rozin thought that the title alone is a great punch line, and the play tackles so much more than a good joke and good timing.

This comedy keeps with a great Theater J tradition, the opportunity to laugh as we wrestle with existential issues: faith and friendship, loss and community, grief and life.

Jews have long sought to understand great tragedy through comedy, an art rooted in deep discomfort and the need to explore boundaries. By letting go and laughing, we find an opening, a portal to empathy.

Our world at times seems unrecognizable. So, it feels good to laugh, and better yet, to laugh out loud.

I hope we can continue to laugh and be provoked and engaged for the rest of the season. We have two shows left to close out our 22-23 season, the urgent Gloria: a Life and the explosive dark-comedy One Jewish Boy. I hope to see you at the theater!

Yours, David

David Lloyd Olson, Theater J Managing Director

THANK YOU TO OUR

SEASON SPONSORS

LEADING PRODUCER

Covenant Foundation

Arlene and Robert Kogod National Endowment for the Arts

SPONSORING PRODUCER

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

The Government of the District of Columbia Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg

Sari R. Hornstein

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation Nussdorf Family Foundation Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Share Fund

The Shubert Foundation

SUPPORTING PRODUCER

Bruce A. Cohen*

Dianne and Herb Lerner Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Helene and Robert Schlossberg

THANK YOU TO OUR PRODUCTION ANGELS

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Bunny Dwin Marion Ein Lewin

Ellen and Gary Malasky Paul and Zena Mason

Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin

This production is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

THEATER J

David Lloyd Olson, Managing Director

TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR...

By Seth Rozin

JANUARY 11 – FEBRUARY 5, 2023

Director…........................................................Adam Immerwahr^

Set Design…………...........................................Jonathan Dahm Robertson+ Costume Design…....................................….Ivania Stack+

Lighting Design….........................................Alberto Segarra+ Sound Design…..........................................…Sarah O’Halloran+

Props Design……............................................Pamela Weiner

Cultural Competency Consultant…........Humaira Ghilzai

Violence Consultant…................................Cliff Williams III

Casting Director…....................................….Jenna Place

Production Stage Manager……................Anthony O. Bullock* Assistant Stage Manager…...................….Allison Poms-Strickland Assistant Stage Manager…….................…Margaret Warner

Cast (in alphabetical order)

Zeblyan…....................................................….Sasha Olinick* Ishaq……….......................................................Bobby Smith*

Two Jews Walk Into A War… runs approximately 80 minutes with no intermission. The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited.

Produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc. (www.playscripts.com)

*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

^The Director is a Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829

Sasha Olinick (Zebylan) is excited to return to Theater J where he has previously performed in: Our Class, The Hampton Years, Yentl, Life Sucks, G-d’s Honest Truth, The Last Schwartz, Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Love Sick. Other DC area credits include Hub Theatre (company member), Arena Stage, ExPats Theatre, 1st Stage, Folger Shakespeare Library, Imagination Stage, Kennedy Center, MetroStage, Mosaic Theater Company, Olney Theatre Center, Rep Stage, Round House Theatre, Spooky Action, Solas Nua and Studio Theatre. Regional Credits: American Shakespeare Center, Bald Mountain Theater, Merry Go Round Playhouse, Ocean State Lyric Opera, Trinity Rep Company, and Vermont Stage. Film and Television Credits: Enemy of The Reich: The Noor Inayat Khan Story, Minyan Duty, VEEP. Sasha holds an MFA in acting from The Trinity Rep Conservatory and teaches acting at Montgomery College, the National Conservatory of Dramatic Art, and with the Educational Theatre Company.

Bobby Smith (Ishaq) Broadway: Crazy For You. Off Broadway: Forever Plaid (original cast), Kander and Ebbs' The World Goes ‘Round, and the revival of George Gershwin’s' Of Thee I Sing National tours include Brigadoon and The World Goes ‘Round. Solo performances include The National Symphony Orchestra with maestro Kent Nagano; The Richmond Symphony under the direction of George Manahan, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Jack Everly Conductor and The American Pops Orchestra with Luke Frazier. After relocating to Washington DC, has been the recipient of 3 Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding performance by a leading actor. Most recently he was one of five artists to be honored with The AndersonHopkins Award recognizing actors and artists of the DC theater community whose creative lives demonstrate great accomplishment to date and promise for the future. Regional: Signature Theatre La Cage aux Folles (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor), and Spin (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor). Studio Theatre: A Class Act (Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Resident Musical), Paula Vogel’s' The Long Christmas Ride Home, Caroline or Change, Grey Gardens. Mr. Smith has had the pleasure of working with students for over ten years including at the Kennedy Center where he is the co-chair and instructor for the American College Theatre Festival musical theater fellows. He has also worked at Montgomery College, University of Alabama, Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore School of the Arts, and The Talent Machine in Annapolis, a free program producing 3 theatrical productions yearly focusing on artistic enrichment for young artists and their families.

Seth Rozin (Playwright) is the author of more than a dozen plays, including Men of Stone (produced by Theater Catalyst, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play), Missing Link (produced by InterAct Theatre Company, nominated for a Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play), Reinventing Eden (produced by InterAct), Black Gold (National New Play Network rolling world premieres at InterAct, Phoenix Theatre, Prop Thtr, Arts West), The Three Christs of Manhattan (produced by InterAct), and Human Rites (produced at Phoenix

Theatre & InterAct; winner of the 2018 Brown Martin Philadelphia Award). Seth has also written the book, lyrics and music for a musical entitled A Passing Wind: The (Mostly) True Story of Joseph Pujol, which received its premiere at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts’ inaugural Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts in 2011. He is the recipient of two playwriting fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, NNPN’s Smith Prize, as well as a new play commission from the Foundation for Jewish Culture. Seth is the founder and Producing Artistic Director of InterAct Theatre Company in Philadelphia, where he has directed over 50 productions, including 35 world premieres, and he has twice served as President of National New Play Network from 2002-2006 and 2014-2016.

Adam Immerwahr (Director) is the former Artistic Director of Theater J. Currently, he serves as Artistic Director of Village Theatre, a four-theater, two-city musical theater producing company in Washington state. He has previously served as the Associate Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre, a Tony Award-winning theater in Princeton NJ, and as Resident Director of Passage Theatre, in Trenton, NJ. Adam’s producing credits, several of which have transferred to Broadway or off-Broadway, include new works by Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Danai Gurira, Fiasco Theater, Will Power, Stephen Wadsworth, Tarell McCraney, and Ken Ludwig. As a director, Adam’s work has been seen at some of the top theaters in the country, including The Public and Theater Row (both for Summer Play Festival), Ensemble Studio Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, McCarter Theater, Cleveland Play House, Theater J, Passage Theater, Luna Stage, Hangar Theater, Bristol Riverside, and many others. Internationally, he directed the African premiere of The Convert (nominated for Zimbabwe’s National Arts Medal). He serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of the Alliance for Jewish Theater and is an inaugural member of the Drama League Director's Council.

Jonathan Dahm Robertson (Scenic Designer) is a scenic and projections designer for opera, theater, and events. Selected Opera credits: Nixon in China, Fidelio, Peter Grimes (Princeton Festival); Candide, Un Ballo En Maschera, Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera in the Heights); The Consul (A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute). Selected Theater credits: Nollywood Dreams (Round House Theatre); Day of Absence, Blood at the Root (Theater Alliance); The Agitators, Oh God, (Mosaic Theater Company); The Christians (Theater J); The Mamalogues, Broadway Bound, Member of the Wedding (1st Stage); Coolatully, The Frederick Douglass Project (Solas Nua); The Small Room at the Top of Stairs (Spooky Action Theater Company); Footloose, the Sound of Music, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Murder for Two, One Slight Hitch, Jesus Christ Superstar (Totem Pole Playhouse) and many more. Member USA829. www.jdahmrobertson.com

Ivania Stack (Costume Designer) is delighted to return to Theater J. Her Regional and DC area theatre credits include: Arena Stage, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company, Baltimore Center Stage, Gulf Shore Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Everyman Theatre, The Wilma Theatre, The Karski Project, Andy’s Summer Playhouse, The Second City, The Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (Company Member), Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, Imagination Stage, Studio Theatre, Olney Theatre, Pointless Theatre, Theatre Alliance, Rorschach Theatre, Metro Stage, and Gala Hispanic Theatre. She has an MFA in design from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Alberto Segarra (Lighting Designer) (he/him/El) is a Washington DC – based lighting designer. Recent selected DC credits include: The Till Trilogy at Mosaic Theater Company; The Joy that Carries You and Thanksgiving Play at Olney Theater Center; Acoustic Rooster and Beastgirl at The Kennedy Center TYA; Elegies and Yoga Play at Keegan Theatre; Quixote Nuevo at Round House Theatre; La Revoltosa at GALA Theatre; Blood at the Root at Theater Alliance (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lighting Design); and An Act of God at Signature Theatre. Regional credits include: The Great Leap at Hangar Theater/ Portland Stage; The Three Musketeers at Cleveland Play House; 1776 and The Gift Horse at New Repertory Theatre and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Blue Barn Theatre. He holds a MFA in lighting design from the University of Maryland, College Park. Mr. Segarra is a USA 829 union member, and Faculty Member at Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington DC. Upcoming projects include: Incognito at Constellation Theatre; Passing Strange at Signature Theatre; and Native Gardens at GALA Theatre. albertosegarra.com.

Sarah O’Halloran (Sound Designer) is a sound designer and composer. Her theater credits include Theater J: Compulsion, Nathan the Wise, Talley’s Folly; Woolly Mammoth/The Second City: She the People: The Resistance Continues; 1st Stage: The Phlebotomist, The Brothers Size, Swimming with Whales, Trevor, and When the Rain Stops Falling; Studio Theatre: Cry it Out; Rep Stage: The Glass Menagerie; E2, The 39 Steps, The Heidi Chronicles and Things That Are Round; Everyman Theatre: Sense and Sensibility, Be Here Now, Proof, Dinner with Friends; Mosaic Theater: In His Hands and The Return; Olney Theater Center: The Humans, Our Town and Labour of Love; Theater Alliance: A Chorus Within Her; Forum Theatre: Nat Turner in Jerusalem; What Every Girl Should Know, and Dry Land.

Humaira Ghilzai (Cultural Competency Consultant) (she/her) is a sought-after cultural expert, speaker, and writer with a mission to unveil the beauty, poetry, and humanity of the Afghan people through stories. Humaira made her Broadway debut in 2022 with the production of The Kite Runner. Other Theatre Credits: US and UK tours of the theatrical adaptations of Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner; J.T. Roger’s Blood and Gifts (La Jolla Playhouse); Gabriel Jason Dean’s Heartland (off-Broadway); Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul (Seattle Rep & Signature Theatre); Composer Sheila Silver's world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns Opera (Seattle Opera) Kevin Artigue’s The Most Dangerous Highway in the World (Golden Thread Productions). Film & TV Credits: Little America, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and Merry Friggin Christmas.

Anthony O. Bullock (Production Stage Manager) is the Resident Production Stage Manager for the 22-23 season. Past Theater J projects include Intimate Apparel, Nathan the Wise, Compulsion or the House Behind, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Wanderers, Sheltered, Occupant, Love Sick, The Jewish Queen Lear, and Actually. NYC credits include The School for Lies with Classic Stage Company and workshops with Project Springboard: Developing Dance Musicals. DC credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company (Red Velvet, Our Town), Arena Stage (The Pajama Game), Baltimore Center Stage (SOUL: The Stax Musical, Twisted Melodies), Signature Theatre (Billy Elliot), and Studio Theatre (The Children, The Hard Problem, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Moment, Between Riverside and Crazy, Chimerica, Jumpers for Goalposts, Laugh). Other regional credits include Barrington Stage Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, McCarter Theatre, TheatreSquared, among others. He received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is a proud member of AEA.

THEATER J LEADERSHIP

David Lloyd Olson (Theater J Managing Director) has spent over a decade managing nonprofit theaters, most recently serving as managing director of Quintessence Theatre Group in Philadelphia where he oversaw the organization’s largest ever fundraising campaign and the doubling of their annual foundation support. He was manager of the executive office and board engagement at the Shakespeare Theatre Company where he supported the transition of the theater’s artistic directorship from Michael Kahn to Simon Godwin. He was a founding company member of Pointless Theatre in Washington, DC, where he served for ten years as managing director, during which time the company was awarded the John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company at the Helen Hayes Awards. He was an Allen Lee Hughes management fellow at Arena Stage and served as a Fulbright English teaching assistant in Valmiera, Latvia. He has twice been the recipient of a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities fellowship program grant and was on the host committee of the 2016 Theatre Communications Group national conference. He attended the University of Maryland where he received a B.A. in theater from the College of Arts and Humanities and a B.A. in government and politics from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. He is a member of Adas Israel Congregation.

TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR... STAFF

Electricians: Logan Duvall, Michael House, Rex Hsu, Alex Monsell

Light Board Programmer: Mikayla French

Sound Engineer: Levi Manners

Assistant Costume Designer: Julie Cray Leong

Load-in Crew: Tyra Bell, Clare Cawley, Tad Howley, Justin Metcalf-Burtin, Abigail Olshin, Johnny Robertson, Meaghan Toohey

EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP

Edlavitch DCJCC

Chief Executive Officer: Jennifer Zwilling

Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz

Chief Operating Officer: Bini W. Silver

Senior Director of Institutional Advancement: Emily Jillson

THEATER J STAFF

Managing Director: David Lloyd Olson

Producing Director: Kevin Place

Associate Artistic Director: Johanna Gruenhut

External Affairs

Development Manager: Emily Gardner Director of Patron Experience: Jasmine Jones

EDCJCC Arts Marketing Coordinator: Lena Barkin

EDCJCC Arts Outreach Coordinator: Jacob Ettkin

Ticket Office Manager: Tabitha Littlefield

EDCJCC Creative Director: Molly Winston

House Managers and Ticket Office Associates: Mitchell Adams, Cristen Fletcher, Regev Ortal, Robert Reeg, Hadiya Rice, Kaneeka Rice, Sam Rollin, and Mary-Margaret Walsh

Production

Resident Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock

Director of Stage Operations: Danny Debner

Technical Director: Tom Howley

Head Electrician: Garth Dolan

Resident Casting Director: Jenna Place

Resident Props Designer: Pamela Weiner

Education & New Play Development

Education Programs Assistant: Jen Jacobs

Expanding the Canon Rosh Beit: Sabrina Sojourner

Expanding the Canon Commissioned Writers: Zachariah Ezer, Harley Elias, Carolivia Herron, Jesse Jae Hoon, MJ Kang, Thaddeus McCants, and Kendell Pinkney

Yiddish Theater Lab Commissioned Writers: Lila Rose Kaplan, Caraid O’Brien, and Aaron Posner

Teaching Artists: Dr. Debra Caplan, Evan Casey, Sarah Corey, Felicia Curry, Kimberly Gilbert, Eric Hissom, Naomi Jacobson, Chad Kinsman, Kate Eastwood Norris, Cody Nickell, Tracy Lynn Olivera, Jenna Place, Aaron Posner, Howard Shalwitz, Dani Stoller, Holly Twyford, Erin Weaver, and Em Whitworth

Founding Artistic Director: Martin Blank

Washington Post

Theater J is a nationally-renowned, professional theater that celebrates, explores, and struggles with the complexities and nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition. Our work illuminates and examines ethical questions of our time, intercultural experiences that parallel our own, and the changing landscape of Jewish identities.

As the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater, we aim to preserve and expand a rich Jewish theatrical tradition and to create community and commonality through theatergoing experiences.

The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.

ANTI-DISCRIMINATION

Theater J and the Edlavitch DCJCC commit to being an inclusive, safe, and welcoming space for all. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations from either patrons or staff. Please visit our website at theaterj.org to learn more about our policies and procedures.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Our building sits on the traditional homeland of the Nacotchtank (Anacostan), farmers and traders who lived along the banks of the Anacostia River. Beginning in 1608, European settlers decimated the Nacotchtank with disease, warfare, and forced removal. By the 1700s, the survivors fled to join other tribes to the north, south, and west, including the Piscataway Peoples, who continue to steward these lands from generation to generation. We know this acknowledgement is only a small step towards justice, and we ask that all of us learn about the past and present and invest in the future of our country’s Indigenous communities wherever we are.

PHOTOS:

• Page 3: David Lloyd Olson. Photo by Maggie Garrett.

• Page 4: Eric Da Costa as Chaim and Shaina Silver-Baird as Chaya in Old Stock: A Refugee Love

Photography.. Cast of Nathan the Wise by Gotthold Ephriam Lessing.

Wilson and Awa Sal Secka in Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage.

Pianist of Willesden Lane. Photo by Hershey Felder Presents.

.

• Page 11: Jamie Smithson in The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler. Photo by Teresa Castracane. Daven Ralston and Billy Finn in Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. Adapted by Simon Block. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

“The most influential Jewish theater company in the nation.” —The

Story

Photo by Ryan Maxwell

Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Renee Elizabeth

Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography. Mona Golabek in The

TRADITION!

LOOKING AT A PLAY THROUGH JUDAISM'S LENS

By Johanna Gruenhut, Associate Artistic Director

A SPIRITUA

L

AND PHYSICAL BINDING

Tefilin are the black boxes tied with leather straps that congregants adorn during morning prayer services. They have an English name, ‘phylacteries’, from the Greek root for ‘to guard or to protect.’ Inside the boxes are small parchment scrolls inscribed with the Shema, perhaps the quintessential Jewish prayer, taking its name from the Hebrew for ‘to hear,’ and beginning with the incantation, ‘Hear oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one.”

Where does this practice come from?

Like so many commandments, tefillin source to the five books of Moses (the Torah), and as with so many commandments, the instructions provided are rather vague, even cryptic.

The Jewish people are told to bind the Torah closely to their hearts and minds. The Rabbis, it seems, took these words quite literally, creating a viscerally physical and material symbol of the spiritual fulfilment intended to come through prayer.

Rabbi Aviva Richman, the head of Yeshiva Hadar sees the purpose somewhat differently, though. She reflects as follows:

“The idea is that the divine-human encounter, where God meets world happens through our bodies. God does not meet world on somebody else’s body… and not only in our disembodied souls. God’s presence in the world happens through my body. On my arm, and the work of my hands, and on my head in the depths of my thoughts.”

In other words, during prayer, during a time explicitly marked for inward focus and meditation, Jews are commanded to adorn a reminder that action is necessary to bring holiness into the world.

This is a message that resonates deeply with Two Jews Walk Into A War… Neither of the titular Jews has his tefillin. Yet they share a longing for them. One mimes the motion of putting them on, while the other shares that his grandfather used shoelaces to approximate the wearing of tefillin while in a concentration camp. Indeed, stories from the camps are filled with tefillin—smuggled, hidden, shared, fashioned from anything and everything—providing hope, inspiration, resolve, and under Rabbi Richman’s reading, a call to action.

The resolve of Ishaq and Zablyan, our characters, is to bring a Torah and with it some spiritual wholeness back to their lives.

Associate Artistic Director, Johanna Gruenhut, and playwright, Seth Rozin, corresponded over email about Two Jews Walk Into A War….

JG: Where did the idea for Two Jews Walk Into A War… come from?

SR: I was in rehearsal for a show in 2006 when an actor brought in a newspaper article with the headline something like “The Last Two Jews of Afghanistan,” suggesting I might find this to be fodder for a play. Not only was he right, but after getting started on it and doing some research, I discovered that there were already two other plays inspired by the same article! Both plays had been produced, though neither seemed to set the world on fire, I’m guessing because they both seemed to stick very closely to the real-life story. While I was initially discouraged, I decided to use the real story as a departure point for a more absurd allegory about community, tradition, belief, faith, and survival.

JG: How and why did the true events speak to you?

SR: I found two things quite extraordinary, and incredibly well-suited for a play, in the real-life situation: First, that there were now just two Jews remaining in Afghanistan, after a robust community of 30,000+ had thrived there for many decades. And second, that these two remaining Jews, who shared a commitment to rebuilding the Jewish community in Kabul, hated each other. In those two facts, there was so much pathos and humor. It felt like the beginning of a Jewish joke, which is how I ultimately set out to write the play and why the title is what it is.

JG: What do you hope your play will say to or spark for others?

SR: As with most of what I write, I set out to ask a question in the hope that the play might offer an answer. My question was “why would anyone continue to still believe there was a god with a plan for them and their people after so many generations of enduring such inhospitable circumstances and such unrelenting persecution?”

JG: I guess this leads to my next question – How do you see these characters? How do they see themselves? Sometimes it’s hard to parse– do Zeblyan & Ishaq see themselves as Afghani, or Jewish or Afghani-Jews – can you explain the subtle differences, if any exist?

SR: Ishaq and Zeblyan, while born in Afghanistan, were raised by parents from other (East European) cultures, and their families never felt fully embraced by the local Afghans. They were, as Ishaq says, a "tolerated minority," stuck in a situation that was not of their choosing and which has yielded considerably more hardship than prosperity. I have tried to write them to identify as Jewish first and Afghan second, so they have a complicated relationship to their home country, not unlike marginalized or oppressed communities in other countries. And, of course, there is a certain degree of risk that comes with identifying as Jewish first.

JG: Two Jews Walk Into A War… is a comedy! And, obviously, there’s some serious stuff going on in the play. How do you straddle those two worlds?

SR: One of my favorite things to write is the juxtaposition of the highbrow and the lowbrow, the sublime and the ridiculous, big ideas and normal human foibles. Once I arrived at the conceit of telling this story as a kind of absurd vaudeville I felt liberated to use a lot of humor to offset the very human, ultimately tragic circumstances of these two characters. So, the play includes arguments about the rules of life in Leviticus along with jokes about pork and masturbation; moments in which the characters wistfully imagine a life free of persecution along with moments when they bicker over why rock badgers, but not elephants, are mentioned in the Torah. Even many of the jokes in the play are punctuated by gunshots, instead of rimshots.

Last two Jews in Afghanistan

“Yitzhak Levy and Zebolan Simanto say they are the last two Jews in Afghanistan and they hate each other with a vengeance.”

By PAUL HOLMES

| December 3, 2001

In Afghanistan, a Jewish Community of One

“What was once a thriving Jewish community in Afghanistan is today made up of just one man. Zabolon Simantov lives alone in a small room next to a crumbling synagogue.”

By Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson July 19, 2007

The last two Jews of Kabul. And they hate each other “Life is not easy at the best of times for the last

Death ends feud of Kabul's last Jews

“For Years Afghanistan's last two Jews carried on a bitter feud. From the Taliban tyranny to the American occupation, Ishaq Levin and Zablon Simintov squabbled and plotted against one another in Kabul's Flower Street synagogue. The only thing they could agree on was their mutual loathing.”

By Declan Walsh

| May 7, 2005

Tsur Shezaf

The Last Jew in Kabul

The last Jews in Afghanistan argued so much the Taliban kicked them out of prison and stole their Torah

“As the old saying goes, two Jews, three opinions. Add one headache for the Taliban.”

By Laura E. Adkins |

October 31, 2019

“He didn’t look Afghani, the last Jew in Afghanistan. I climbed the dark, broken stairs after him to the single room where he lives, in what was once the building of the Jewish school. Yitzhak Levy lived with him until a few years ago. The two fought to be the last Jew in the country. Simantov won when Yitzhak Levy died and he was left alone. “

May 5, 2007

A TORAH COMPLETED HERE: THE BET MISHPACHAH HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL SCROLL

TheEdlavitch DC Jewish Community Center has been home to many Mitzvot, but among the most unique and poignant were those performed this September by members of Bet Mishpachah congregation who wrote in their Sefer Torah as part of its repair.

The scroll, which originated in the Czech town of Dolni Kounice, has been on permanent loan to the congregation since 1979 and was sent away to be restored. Once it was nearly finished, the scroll was brought back to the EDCJCC where members of the congregation were invited to join the Soferet (scribe) in completing the project, thus fulfilling what the Rabbis consider the last of the 613 Mitzvot: to write your own Torah.

Bet Mishpachah is an LBGTQ+ congregation founded in 1975 that hosts weekly services and many events in the EDCJCC building.

Al Munzer and Joel Wind, two long-time members, share of their experience with the Soferet, “Both of us have suffered the loss of family members to the Shoah. As we held a quill to write a few letters in a Torah scroll that had been rescued from the fires of the Shoah, we could not help but remember the people of Dolni Kounice who had held, read from, and revered this scroll. We prayed that the world might yet heed their call for a world free of the hate, prejudice, and bigotry that robbed them of their lives.”

Westminster Synagogue in Knightsbridge, London acquired 1,564 rescued Czech Torah scrolls and has loaned most of them to synagogues around the world. The Bet Mishpachah scroll was originally created for the Jewish community in Dolni Kounice sometime after its founding in the 14th century. Over the years, the community faced perils including the destruction of their synagogue, laws limiting the number of Jews allowed to live there, a fire in the 1830s, a devastating flood in 1862, and the forced deportation of the town’s entire Jewish community to the Auschwitz death camp. The only survivor was the Torah scroll.

Pictured: Bet Mishpachah member Rachel Wolkowitz and Soferet Alexandra Casser

Tell your story on the stage of Gloria: A Life

Gloria: A Life by Emily Mann is a celebration of human connection, and we need your help to demonstrate that connection in our community.

Five decades after Gloria Steinem began raising her voice and championing the voices of others, her call for equality is as urgent as ever. The play Gloria: A Life is one part history—an exploration of the iconic feminist’s extraordinary legacy and the women who inspired her (including Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, Coretta Scott King, and Wilma Mankiller)—and one part conversation. The second act of the play invites audiences to share their reaction to the play, their own story, and their thoughts for the future.

The conversation will actually begin, however, before audiences set foot in the theater. Director Holly Twyford and scenic designer Paige Hathaway, the team behind Becoming Dr. Ruth's tower of boxes, plan to cover the walls of the auditorium with stories, reflections, and testimonials.

We need your help to assemble these stories. Please take a moment to visit our survey link via the QR code or website below and respond to as many or as few questions as you wish. You may respond anonymously or with your name. We will take as many of your words as we can fit and assemble them into an immersive display.

Gloria Steinem’s stirring and uplifting narrative is a necessary reminder of the importance of speaking up and speaking out. Please join us in doing so now.

Scan the QR code or visit theaterj.org/gloriasurvey

Share your story.

Gloria: A Life runs March 8 – April 2, 2023. Tickets are available at theaterj.org.

Scenic rendering by Paige Hathaway

2022-2023 THEATER J COUNCIL

2022–2023 THEATER J COUNCIL

Rae Grad, Co-Chair Robert Schlossberg, Co-Chair

Mara Bralove

Bruce A. Cohen*

Nancy Firestone*

Mindy Gasthalter Ann Gilbert

Cheryl Gorelick Patti Herman Daniel Kaplan Arlene Klepper Kenneth Krupsky

Stephen Lachter Karen Lehmann-Eisner Ellen Malasky

Meredith Margolis Howard Menaker Alfred Munzer

Sherry Nevins Saul Pilchen Elaine Reuben Bella Rosenberg

THEATER J HONORARY COUNCIL

Patty Abramson*

Michele G. Berman Marion Ein Lewin

Paul J. Mason Hank Schlosberg Trish Vradenburg*

EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2022–2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS

Daniel Hirsch, President

Johanna Chanin, Vice President

Meredith Margolis, Vice President Janis Schiff, Vice President

BOARD MEMBERS

Barbara Abramowitz

Janet B. Abrams

Andrew Altman

Joan Berman

Michele G. Berman

Jordan Lloyd Bookey Jennifer Bradley Sara Cohen

Jaclyn Lerner Cohen Eva Davis

Jonathan Edelman Myrna Fawcett

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Ginny Edlavitch

DIRECTORS EMERITI

Stephen Altman

Rose H. Cohen

Jill Granader

Martha Winter Gross

Stephen Kelin

VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS Lee G. Rubenstein

Meg Flax

Brian Gelfand Dina Gold

Evelyn Sandground Mita M. Schaffer

Lewis Schrager Terry Singer Stuart Sotsky Patti Sowalsky Manny Strauss Bob Tracy Kathryn Veal

Joan S. Wessel Irene Wurtzel

Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer

David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer Benjamin D. Loewy, Secretary

Debra Goldberg Rena Gordon Brad Lackey Sid Moskowitz

Alfred Munzer Alyson Myers

Melanie Franco Nussdorf Arnold Polinger Shannon Powers

Norm J. Rich Ilene Rosenthal Michael Salzberg Rhea Schwartz Michael Singer Tina Small Mimi Tygier

Diane Abelman Wattenberg Eric Zelenko

Jennifer Zwilling, Chief Executive Officer, Ex Officio

William Kreisberg Saul Pilchen

Deborah Ratner Salzberg John R. Risher, Jr.* Lynn Skolnick Sachs

Mindy Strelitz

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg Robert Tracy Ellen G. Witman

DEEPEN YOUR IMPACT

Theater J is dedicated to producing work that illuminates ethical questions of our time, examines the changing landscape of Jewish identities, and celebrates inter-cultural experiences. It is because of you, our community, our audience, our supporters, that Theater J has grown to be “the nation’s most prominent Jewish theater” (American Theatre Magazine). Less than half of Theater J’s budget comes from ticket revenue. We are reliant on generous gifts from audience members like you, who see the value of having a thriving Jewish cultural center in the heart of the city.

We invite you to join your friends and neighbors in supporting our work. With your gift, you’ll be recognizing the vital role Theater J plays in our community–a place where the stories of immigrants are proudly told, where we ask that theater engage both the head and the heart, and where we produce art that reminds you of who you are.

WAYS TO GIVE

Theater J accepts contributions by mail, phone, online, or through stock donation. Checks can be made payable to Theater J and mailed to 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036. For more information or to make a donation visit TheaterJ.org/Donate or contact Emily@theaterj.org or call 202.777.3225.

COMMUNITY ACCESS TICKETS

In order to ensure our work is accessible to people of all socio-economic backgrounds, Theater J has launched the Community Access Ticket program. This allows DC, Maryland, and Virginia EBT cardholders to purchase tickets to any* performance for $5 per person!

HOW IT WORKS:

Bring a valid DC Capital Access card, Maryland Independence Card, or Virginia EBT card with a photo ID to the ticket office to purchase tickets.

Reservations can be made in advance by calling the ticket office at 202.777.3210 or emailing a photo of the EBT card and photo ID to theaterj@theaterj.org with subject line “Community Access Tickets” to have your theaterj.org account setup to purchase Community Access Tickets online.

EBT funds cannot be used as payment.

*Tickets are subject to availability and cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid only on Theater J-produced productions.

A maximum of 4 tickets can be purchased per card per performance.

ACCESSIBILITY AT THEATER J

Theater J, as part of the Edlavitch DCJCC, embraces inclusion in all of its programs and activities. Theater J strives to make our productions accessible to all by providing the following to meet the needs of our patrons, and to enhance their experience at the theater. For more information, please contact our Director of Patron Experience at 202.777.3268 or contact our ticket office at theaterj@ theaterj.org

ACCESSIBLE SEATING: The Edlavitch DCJCC has ramp access from the Q Street entrance and all our restrooms are ADA accessible. In the Goldman Theater, removable seats provide patrons with the opportunity to be seated with their companions while sitting in their wheelchair.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING: Assistive listening devices are free-of-charge and offered on a first-come, first-served basis at all performances.

OPEN CAPTIONING: Open Captioning is offered during one performance of each Theater J production.

LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS: Large print programs are available at our Ticket Office, located on the first floor.

Theater J respects and welcomes gender diversity. Please use the restroom which makes you most comfortable or most closely fits your gender identity or expression. An all-gender restroom is located on the Lower Level.

JxJ Year-Round continues this Winter

JxJ’s year-round lineup of film and music continues with an all-new slate of insightful documentaries, and local musical acts, all presented in our state-of-the-art cinema and concert space, Cafritz Hall.

FILMS

MUSIC

MUSIC

Thursday, January 26, 7:30 PM SPACE TORAH

In 1996, NASA astronaut Dr. Jeff Hoffman brought a small Torah scroll on board Space Shuttle Columbia. On Shabbat, while orbiting Earth, he read from the book of Genesis, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”

Screening followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker Rachel Raz and a NASA expert!

Sunday, January 29, 10:30 AM KLEZMER BRUNCH WITH NEFESH MOUNTAIN DUO Nefesh Mountain Duo and Seth Kibel Klezmer Trio are joining up to bring you an unforgettable Sunday Klezmer Brunch!

Kids under 7 years old attend free of charge. Presented in partnership with PJ library.

Sunday, February 12, 10:30 AM KLEZMER BRUNCH WITH WASHINGTON METROPOLITAN GAMER SYMPHONY

ORCHESTRA

We’re bringing in some special guests from the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra (WMGSO) to present a unique program of video game music, all with Jewish connections. You’ll enjoy the music of Israeli composer Inon Zur (Dragon Age, etc), memorable arrangements of songs from The Last Of Us and The Shivah, and more surprises for both gamers and lovers of music. Ready, Player Echad!

Kids under 7 years old attend free of charge. Presented in partnership with PJ library.

Browse the full lineup at JxJDC.ORG

Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have given to our 2022–2023 Season since December 10, 2021. This list is current as of December 11, 2022.

Leading Producer ($100,000+)

Covenant Foundation

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation The Government of the District of Columbia

Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999)

Bruce A. Cohen* Dianne and Herb Lerner

Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)

Cathy S. Bernard

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation

Stuart Eizenstat

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler Cheryl Gorelick

Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999)

Anonymous Michele and Allan Berman Ann Loeb Bronfman Fund

Susan and Dixon Butler Myrna Fawcett

Ann Gilbert

Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999)

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Embassy of Canada

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt Bunny Dwin

David and Patricia Fisher

The Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Mindy Gasthalter

Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)

Suzanne and Enrique Fefer Lois and Michael Fingerhut Dina Gold

Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger Michael R. Klein and Joan Fabry

Admirers ($500–$999)

Alliance for Jewish Theatre Marian and James Brodsky Michelle and Glenn Engelmann

Barry Friedman

Gertrude & Lawrence Gichner Fund for the Performing Arts

Devotees ($100 - $499)

Helaine Abitbol and Ros Zinaman Randi Altschuler

Anonymous Susan and Alan Apter

Anthony Bauer

Lisa Bell

Sharon Bernier

Laura Brown and Stephanie Fosburg Glenda and Gary Buff Michael L. Burke and Carl W. Smith

Arlene and Robert Kogod

National Endowment for the Arts Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999)

Norbert Hornstein and Amy Weinberg Sari R. Hornstein

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Nussdorf Family Foundation Revada Foundation of the Logan Family

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Helene and Robert Schlossberg

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation

Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone* Diane and Arnold Polinger Bella Rosenberg Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Hank Schlosberg

Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Meg and John Hauge Arlene and Martin Klepper Karen Lehmann-Eisner Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett Sherry Nevins

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy

Sandra and Stephen Lachter Paul and Zena Mason Jeff Menick Ellen and Gary Malasky M. Craig Pascal

Nora Roberts Foundation Ilene and Steven Rosenthal

Barry Kropf

Liza Levy

Arleen Enid Lustig

Vicki Robinson Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein

Michael Halpern and Glenda Turner

Helaine Harris and Jody M. Tavss

Lucia and Frederic Hill

Pamela Hunt

The Frank and Marta Jager Foundation Nancy Limprecht and Rick Haines

Jamie and Stuart Butler

Laurie Calhoun

Leslie Carothers

Wallace Chandler

Leah Chanin

Dave Connick

Rosemary Crockett

Alison Drucker and Tom Holzman

Evelyn and Barry Epstein

The Keaton Family

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Share Fund

The Shubert Foundation

Barney Shapiro and Susan Walker

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky

The George Wasserman Family Foundation

Saul and Nancy Pilchen

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin Dr. Kathryn Veal Judy and Leo Zickler

Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin Peggy and David Shiffrin Richard Solloway Dr. Stuart Sotsky

Les Silverman

The Tides Center Jews of Color Initiative Joan S. Wessel

Alfred Sanders

Irvin Wolloch Fund

Alan and Irene Wurtzel

Winton Eaheart Matthews, Jr.

Alan McAdams and Ellen Dykes

Avis and Ralph Miller

David Rutenberg Cathy and Marc Scheineson

Elise A. Feingold

Lawrence Franks and Ellen Berelson

Kit Gage and Steven Metalitz

Donna Garry Jerald M. Goldberg

Ellen Goldberg

Mark Goldberg

Daniel and Marion Goldberg Debbie J. Goldman

Stephen Goldsmith

David and Mitchell Goldstein

Robert Gramss

Sally Greenberg

Gail J. Gulliksen

Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag

Eric Hissom

Elizabeth Hodes

David and Stephanie Houseknecht

Carie Jasperse

Brian M. Jones

Karen A. Jones

Elaine Kaplan

Andrea Kasarsky

Patricia Keig

Aviva Kempner

Lynne Kennedy and Joan Darrah

Melinda Kingsbury

Joel Korn

Patricia and John Koskinen

Ellen Kramarow and Jared Garelick

Beth Kramer

Richard and Bonnie Kramer

Susan Kristol

Penney K. Lagos

Sandra Lapietra and Alan Helgerman

Dan Leathers

Darryl Lynn Lefcoe, DDS

Dr. Karen Levenback

Karen Lewis

Michael Lewis and Linda Singer

Patricia and Randall Lewis

Diane Liff and Georgia Korn

Elaine Ligelis

Laurie and Len Lipton

Sheila Lopez

Amy Lowenstein

Jennifer Madans and Terence Phillips

Noreen Marcus and Jay Sushelsky

Carol Mates and Mark Kahan

Dorothy Mayer James McGee

Janice Mehler

Robin Meyer Kim Mills

Caroline Mindel

Dennis and Laurie Moody

Michael Moore

Sally Morell

Cathy and George Murphy Adrienne Nelson

Ruth and Pedi Neta

Gayle Novig and Terry Mahn

Elizabeth Olchowski

James Osteen

John Parascandola

Dana Pashkoff

Elizabeth Peterson

John Peterson

Deborah and Alan Pollack

Jessica Pollner

Toby Port and Jeffrey Ahl

Drs. Dena and Jerry Puskin

Bernice Quay Kent Rader

Erica Raphael and Richard Friedman

Barbara Rappaport

Nancy and Samuel Raskin Daniel Raviv Grace Robinowitz

Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber

Alan Safran

Thomas Saunders Tia Scales

Leslie Scallet

Margaret Schaefer

Anne and Barry Schenof

Lois Schiffer

Gena Schoen

Leonard Schreiber

Linda Segal

Howard Shalwitz

Ruth and Phillip Shapiro

Sylvia Shenk

Rabbi Sanford H. Shudnow

Merrill and Mark Shugoll

Michael Singer and James Smith

Arlene Farber Sirkin

Myrna Sislen

Catherine Solomon

Linda Spector

Rochelle Stanfield and Edward Grossman

Carol Starley

Margaret Hahn Stern and Stephen Stern

Michael Stoller and Jyl Braff

Donald and Mary Street

Jay Sushelsky and Noreen Marcus

Lee Talisman

Peter Threadgill

Joan A. Treichel

Harriet and Randy Tritell

Jordana Tynan

Janice and Harold Ulmer

Marjorie Weingold

Valerie and John Wheeler

Sandra and Jon Willen

Adam Winkleman

Janet and Robert Wittes

Carrie Wolfe and Mark Greenwood Rivka Yerushalmi

*of blessed memory

DONORS

The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who enable us to serve the community. This list includes all fiscal year 2023 (July 1, 2022-June 30, 2023) donors who made commitments or donations of $1,000 or more. This list is current as of December 14, 2022. The Edlavitch DCJCC would like to thank all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work.

$100,000+

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation ◊

DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

$50,000 - $99,999

Covenant Foundation DC Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency

$25,000 - $49,999

Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt ◊ DC Government

Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch ◊

Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

The Kay Family Foundation ◊

$15,000 - $24,999

Michele and Allan Berman

Lisa and Josh Bernstein

Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey Charitable Foundation

Bruce A. Cohen*

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler ◊ Susan Sachs Goldman ◊ Cheryl Gorelick

$10,000 - $14,999

Ronald and Anne Abramson Anonymous Cathy S. Bernard Stuart Eizenstat Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres

Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy ◊ Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin

$5,000 - $9,999

Janet B. Abrams Monica and Gavin Abrams Joan and Alan Berman

Jordan Lloyd Bookey and Felix Lloyd Susan and Dixon Butler

Charles E. Smith Family Foundation

Cyna and Paul Cohen, Sara C. Cohen and Norm J. Rich

Rose and Robert Cohen ◊

Eva Davis and Justin Kramer ◊

Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer

Jonathan Edelman Embassy of Canada

Myrna Fawcett

Meg and Samuel Flax ◊

$2,500 - $4,999

Stephen and Amy Altman

Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher

Cornerstone Research, Inc. Bunny Dwin Embassy of Israel

William Kreisberg

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington ◊

Daniel Hirsch and Brenda Gruss ◊ Arlene and Robert Kogod

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation Sari R. Hornstein

The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation

The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Amy and Alan Meltzer ◊

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind ◊

Diane and Arnold Polinger ◊

Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Jill and Robert Granader ◊ Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation

Dianne and Herb Lerner Sid and Linda Moskowitz ◊ Bella Rosenberg Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Helene and Robert Schlossberg

Thelma Lenkin ◊

The Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer

The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation

Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone* Janis and Philip Schiff ◊

Mindy Gasthalter

Edith Gelfand, Jenny and Brian Gelfand ◊

Morgan and Josh Genderson

Ann Gilbert Dina Gold

Michelle and Jonathan Grossman ◊ Meg and John Hauge Arlene and Martin Klepper

Sandra and Stephen Lachter Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin ◊ Ellen and Gary Malasky Paul and Zena Mason

Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett

Jeff Menick Sherry Nevins

Brad and Ali Lackey

Saskia and Benjamin D. Loewy Carol Mates and Mark Kahan M. Craig Pascal

Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein Carol Risher

National Endowment for the Arts Washington Area Community Investment Funds

Nussdorf Family Foundation ◊ Saul and Nancy Pilchen ◊

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Ilene and Steven Rosenthal ◊

Martha and Philip Sagon Family Foundation

The Shubert Foundation

The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc.

Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff ◊

Shapiro Family Foundation

The George Wasserman Family Foundation

Hank Schlosberg

Richard Solloway

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky Matthew Watson

Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund

April Rubin and Bruce A. Ray Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin

Les Silverman

Tina and Albert Small, Jr. ◊

David Bruce Smith

Dr. Stuart Sotsky

Manny Strauss and Betsy Karmin

Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt ◊

The Tides Center Jews of Color Initiative

Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg ◊

Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin

Dr. Kathryn Veal

Diane Abelman Wattenberg ◊ Judy and Leo Zickler

Peggy and David Shiffrin

Michael Singer and James Smith

Heidi Wachs

Joan S. Wessel Eric Zelenko

$1,000 - $2,499

Anonymous

John Ashley

Elaine and Richard Binder

Ito Briones and Warren Coates

Dave Connick

Jessica Dodson and Jeremy Levine

Sonnie and William Dockser

Ilana Marcus Drimmer

John Edelmann

Suzanne and Enrique Fefer

Lois and Michael Fingerhut David and Patricia Fisher Jay Freedman

Samantha Galardi

Gail Ginsberg

Lois and Hadar Granader

Cragg Hines

Sandra Hoexter

Rob Kallman

The S. Kann Sons Company Foundation, Inc

Irene and Lou Katz

Michael R. Klein and Joan Fabry

The Kresge Foundation

Karen Lehmann-Eisner Marion Ein Lewin

Mary Stuart McCamy

Rona and Allan Mendelsohn

Morgan Stanley

Joan Nathan

Renay and Bill Regardie

Alan Roth and Michael Rodgers

Alfred Sanders

Susan Rubin Suleiman

United Way of the National Capital Area

Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman Janet and Robert Wittes

*of blessed memory

All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.

◊ These Community Champions have supported the Edlavitch DCJCC's Annual Fund with generous contributions of $5,000 or more. With their support, the Center’s unique programs continue to grow and remain accessible to everyone in our vibrant community.

With the support of our community of donors, the Edlavitch DCJCC remains the premier address in our nation’s capital for an expanding, diverse, and vibrant urban Jewish community.

Consider a tax-deductible contribution to the EDCJCC today. Visit edcjcc.org/support.

Sponsorships available. Contact Emily Jillson at ejillson@edcjcc.org for more information.