Theater J Presents The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler

FEBRUARY 19–MARCH 15, 2020 1

ANNOUNCING

THEATER J’S 20/21 SEASON!

Incident at Vichy

Tuesdays With Morrie

By Arthur Miller Directed by Joe Calarco October 14 – November 8, 2020 AN AMERICAN CLASSIC, REIMAGINED

Nathan the Wise

By Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom Directed by Jenna Duncan December 2 –27, 2020 FROM THE BEST-SELLING MEMOIR

By Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Adapted by Michael Bloom Directed by Adam Immerwahr Produced in association with Folger Theatre February 17 – March 14, 2021 AN 18TH CENTURY SHAKESPEAREAN FABLE

The Red Beads

By Rinne Groff Based on the The Rented Bridegroom by Osip Dymov Directed by Johanna Gruenhut April 7 – May 2, 2021 A FUNNY AND MOVING NEW PLAY

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

By Hannah Moscovitich Songs by Ben Caplan & Christian Barry Directed by Christian Barry January 6 – 24, 2021 AN EDGY NEW KLEZMERINSPIRED MUSICAL

Fires in the Mirror

By Anna Deveare Smith Directed by Adam Immerwahr Co-produced with Theatrical Outfit (Atlanta) June 9 – July 4, 2021 THE GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARY PLAY

Plus a Special Engagement!

The Kinsey Sicks in

Electile Dysfunction September 9 – 13, 2020

4, 5, and 6-show packages available!

The best prices, plus valuable benefits.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Purchase online at theaterj.org or call 202.777.3210

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FROM THEATER J’S LEADERS Dear Friends, Anna Ziegler’s The Wanderers is one of our favorite new plays. It invites us into the lives of two Jewish couples (one Orthodox, one secular), both straining inside marriages that confine them, as they imagine and hope for more. It is a story about the universal search for happiness, about the way we seek the new and exciting, about the fear of leading a small life. It is a play about how trauma is handed down from one generation to another. As with all Ziegler’s plays (including Photograph 51, about DNA discoverer Rosalind Franklin, and Actually, about a campus sexual misconduct hearing), it demands that you empathize with each character, mourn their flaws, and celebrate their victories. The play premiered in spring 2018 at San Diego’s Old Globe, and this second production allows Ziegler to put the final touches on the script as she prepares it for its next step Off-Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City.

Next season will mark Theater J’s 30th Anniversary. Over the last three decades, we’ve become the nation’s largest and most prominent Jewish theater company. This anniversary year will feature all the elements that have become signature to Theater J, beginning with a rarely-performed Arthur Miller masterpiece (the gripping Incident at Vichy), then going on a beautiful journey of friendship (Tuesdays with Morrie). The winter will bring us a Canadian production of a glorious, edgy new Klezmer musical (Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story), followed by a world premiere adaptation of one of the great classics of the German Enlightenment (Nathan the Wise—which is set in Muslim-ruled 12th century Jerusalem). Next is a gorgeous new play by Rinne Groff inspired by a Yiddish classic (The Red Beads, based on The Rented Bridegroom) and, finally, Anna Deavere Smith’s searing and unforgettable telling of the 1991 Crown Heights riots (Fires in the Mirror—produced on the 30th anniversary of the riots).

Whether you are new to Theater J or have been with us for thirty years, we invite you to join us for this entire powerful season, full of stories that illuminate the Jewish condition, celebrate humanity, and challenge us to empathize and think more deeply about the world around us. Please visit theaterj.org, call 202.777.3250, or write your email address on the sign-up sheet outside of the theater to get more information on subscribing for this very special anniversary season.

As always, we welcome your feedback. We can be reached at adam@theaterj.org and jojo@theaterj.org. We’ll see you in the lobby!

Yours,

Adam Immerwahr Jojo Ruf Artistic Director Managing Director

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THANK YOU TO OUR SEASON SPONSORS Leading Producer Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation Sponsoring Producer Cathy S. Bernard The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation Sari Hornstein Nancy and Saul Pilchen Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund The Shubert Foundation Supporting Producer Bruce A. Cohen Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Hank Schlosberg Patti and Jerry Sowalsky Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

THANK YOU TO OUR PRODUCTION ANGELS Supporting Angels Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres Janet Leno and Peter Harrold Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin Dr. Kathryn Veal Joan S. Wessel This production is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

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THEATER J

Adam Immerwahr Artistic Director

Jojo Ruf

Managing Director

THE TRISH VRADENBURG STAGE • AARON & CECILE GOLDMAN THEATER MORRIS CAFRITZ CENTER FOR THE ARTS

THE WANDERERS

By Anna Zeigler February 19 – March 15, 2020

Cast (in order of appearance)

Sophie................................................................................

Esther.................................................................................

Schmuli...............................................................................

Abe.....................................................................................

Julia....................................................................................

Kathryn Tkel* Dina Thomas* Jamie Smithson* Alexander Strain* Tessa Klein*

Artistic & Production Team Director Amber McGinnis Scenic Design Andrew R. Cohen+

Costume Design Heather Lockard+

Lighting Design Laura J. Eckelman

Sound Design Matthew Nielson+

Dialect Coach Nancy Krebs

Casting Director Jenna Duncan

Resident Production Stage Manager Anthony O. Bullock*

Assistant Stage Managers Aziza Joi Kelly Rebecca Talisman

Place

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Photography, video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association +Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 Originally developed and produced at The Old Globe, Barry Edelstein, Artistic Director, Michael G. Murphy, Managing Director.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Tessa Klein (Julia Cheever) is delighted to return to Theater J, where she previously she appeared in The Call, The Rise and Fall of Annie Hall, The Seagull on 16th Street, and Sleeping Arrangements. Broadway and Off Broadway credits include War Horse (Lincoln Center Theatre); The Weir and Philadelphia, Here I Come (Irish Repertory Theatre); and A Touch of the Poet (14th St Theatre).

DC credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Round House Theatre); Cry It Out, The Hard Problem (Helen Hayes Nomination), and Chimerica (Studio Theatre); Labour of Love (Olney Theatre Center); and An Ideal Husband and Argonautika (Shakespeare Theatre). Regional credits include work at McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Rep, and Alabama Shakespeare Festivial. Tessa holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University.

Jamie Smithson (Schmuli) is delighted to be making his Theater J debut.

Favorite area credits include Sense and Sensibility (Folger Theatre–Helen Hayes Nomination, Best Actor); Newsies (Arena Stage); Cake Off (Signature Theatre); Boeing Boeing (No Rules); Crimes of the Heart (Everyman Theatre); The School for Lies (Shakespeare Theatre); Twist Your Dickens (The Kennedy Center, The Second City); and Fly By Night (1st Stage–Helen Hayes Nomination, Best Actor).

He’s also appeared with Ford’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, WSG, American Repertory Theater, Portland Center Stage, The Guthrie Theatre, and The Acting Company,JAMIE among others. Upcoming: Big Love (Round House Theatre). MFA in acting from Rutgers SMITHSON University.

Alexander Strain (Abe) returns to Theater J having just appeared in Sheltered.

Previous productions at Theater J include New Jerusalem, The Whipping Man, Pangs of the Messiah, and Photograph 51. Other area credits include Oslo, My Name is Asher Lev, Seminar, and Glengarry Glen Ross (Round House Theatre); The School for Scandal, Tribes (Everyman Theatre); and Every Brilliant Thing (Olney Theatre Center/Studio Theatre). He has been nominated for five individual Helen Hayes Awards and is a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Dina Thomas (Esther) is thrilled to make her Theater J debut. She recently played Lina in Studio Theatre’s Cry It Out. Select New York Off-Broadway credits include The Metromaniacs (Duke Theater); Tribes (Barrow Street Theater); Clever Little Lies (Westside Theatre); and workshops at Red Bull Theater, National New Play Network, and The Lark. Regional credits include The Metromaniacs (Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Old Globe); Tribes (La Jolla Playhouse); Everything You Touch (Contemporary American Theater Festival); See How They Run (Barrington Stage); and Bad Jews (Unicorn Theatre). Other projects: the web series Tales of Toverud; and writing her one-woman show NON-GÉNUE, to be performed next year.

MFA from University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Kathryn Tkel (Sophie) is delighted to make her Theater J debut. DC area credits include An Octoroon (Woolly Mammoth); Timon of Athens and Sense and Sensibility (Folger Theatre); Jefferson’s Garden, Death of a Salesman, and The Guard (Ford’s Theatre); The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, A Doll’s House Part 2, and Miss Bennet Christmas at Pemberley (Round House Theatre); Promised Land (Mosaic Theater Company); Fickle! (Olney Theatre Center); and The 39 Steps, Venus in Fur, and Hunting and Gathering (Rep Stage). Regional appearances at Everyman Theatre, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Arizona Theatre Company, North Coast Rep, Perseverance Theatre, San Jose Rep, and SF Playhouse. MFA from the Academy for Classical Acting.

Anna Ziegler (playwright) has had plays produced in London’s West End, at The Melbourne Theater Company, The Roundabout Theatre Company, The Manhattan Theatre Club, The Williamstown Theater Festival, The Geffen Playhouse, The Court Theatre, Writer’s Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre,

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Seattle Repertory Theatre, South Coast Rep, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and many others. Her widely produced play Photograph 51 won Britain’s WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Play (for a production starring Nicole Kidman and directed by Michael Grandage); Actually won the Los Angeles Ovation award for Playwriting for an Original Play; The Wanderers won San Diego’s Craig Noel Award for Outstanding New Play, and Boy was nominated for the New York Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award for a New American Play. Oberon Books has published a collection of her work entitled Anna Ziegler: Plays One. She holds commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Second Stage Theatre, and The Geffen Playhouse.

Amber McGinnis (Director) is excited to be back at Theater J after The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Local directing credits include: How I Learned to Drive (Round House Theatre); Dancing at Lughnasa (Everyman Theatre); Girl in the Red Corner (The Welders—Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding Original New Play); Equus (Constellation Theatre—Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Production); Top Girls (Keegan Theatre); World Builders and Dry Land (Forum Theatre—Helen Hayes Nomination, Outstanding Direction); The Great Gatsby (National Players Tour); Lobster Alice and The Oregon Trail (Flying V Theatre); The Last Burlesque; (Pinky Swear Productions) Orlando (WSC Avant Bard); and The Uses of Enchantment (Source Festival). Amber is also a screenwriter, producer and film director. Her feature film debut, International Falls, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Seattle International Film Festival, will be available to rent and in theaters March 20. Amber holds an MFA in Directing from Baylor University and was the recent recipient of the Richard Bauer Emerging Artist Award. www.amberdirector.com Andrew R. Cohen (Scenic Designer) is happy to be back for his third collaboration with Theater J following The Jewish Queen Lear and Broken Glass. OFF-BROADWAY: Where Words Once Were (Lincoln Center Theatre); Occupied Territories (59E59). REGIONAL: Murder Ballad (Studio Theatre—Helen Hayes Award Nomination for Outstanding Set Design); King John (Folger Theatre); The Crucible (Olney Theatre Center); Eureka Day, Satchmo at the Waldorf (Mosaic Theater Company); Earthrise, Darius & Twig (Kennedy Center TYA); Charlotte’s Web and A Year with Frog and Toad (Imagination Stage). He received his MFA in Scenic Design from University of Maryland. www.andrewcohendesigns.com

BEYOND THE STAGE

Theater J is dedicated to taking its dialogues beyond the stage, offering public discussion forums which explore the theatrical, cultural and social elements of our art throughout the year. Below are the events planned during the run of The Wanderers.

All events are free and open to everyone. All events and times subject to change. Please theaterj.org for up-to-date announcements.

DATE

DISCUSSION

Wednesday, February 26 following 7:30 PM performance

CAST TALK-BACK Q & A with members of the acting company.

Sunday, March 1 following 7:30 PM performance

ENDNOTES: An informal gathering following the performance that gives audience members an opportunity to partake of conversation about the play and a glass of wine (provided by the Embassy of Israel).

Sunday, March 1 following 2:00 PM matinee

Sunday, March 8 following 2:00 PM matinee

CREATIVE CONVERSATION: Join members of The Wanderers’ creative team to get the inside scoop on what it took to get this production form page to stage.

SUNDAY SYMPOSIUM: What impact do family dynamics, systemic dysfunction, and inherited trama have on identity? On Jewish identity? Join us for a conversation with a family and sibling therapist, along with a rabbi as they help us unpack these challenging questions.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Heather Lockard (Costume Designer) is excited to make her Theater J debut. DC work includes 4380 Nights (Signature Theatre); Hum and The Events (Theater Alliance); What Every Girl Should Know, Dry Land, Angels in America Millennium Approaches & Perestroika, and Marisol (Forum Theatre); Lover’s Vows (We Happy Few); If You Give a Pig a Pancake (Adventure Theatre); and others. Regional work includes Nice Work if You Can Get It, Damn Yankees, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Music Circus at Broadway Sacramento); The Secret Garden (Manhattan Concert Productions at Lincoln Center).

Heather received an Emmy Nomination for her work on Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert on NBC. HeatherMLockard.com Laura J. Eckelman (Lighting Designer) is a MD-based designer, manager, and educator. Regional credits include: Girl in the Red Corner (The Welders); CARRIE the Musical (Studio Theatre); It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Actions & Objectives, Abundance, Snow Queen (Triad Stage); Animals Out of Paper (Perseverance Theatre); Bossa Nova, Romeo & Juliet (Yale Rep). Laura is Chair and Associate Professor of Theatre & Dance at Washington College. She is a proud alumna of Middlebury College and Yale School of Drama, and is a 2012 recipient of the S&R Washington Award. laurajeckelman.com Matthew Nielson (Composer/Sound Designer) has previously worked at Theater J on The Whipping Man, The History of Invulnerability, and New Jerusalem. DC-area: Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, The Kennedy Center, Woolly Mammoth, Signature Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Studio Theatre, Theatre Alliance, CATF, and The Smithsonian. Off-Broadway: The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, and 59e59. Regional: Denver Performing Arts Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, Portland Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Philadelphia Theatre Company. Film/TV: The Hero Effect, From Hell to Here, Epix Drive-In, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Delivery.com. Matthew has won five Helen Hayes Awards and several regional theatre and film festival awards. Samples online at curiousmusic.com.

Nancy Krebs (Dialect/Vocal Coach) is thrilled to return to Theater J, where she has coached Love Sick, Talley’s Folly, Everything Is Illuminated, Broken Glass, and Brighton Beach Memoirs. She is the Resident Vocal/Dialect coach for Annapolis Shakespeare Company, where most recent credits include A Christmas Carol, Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, and Oliver! The Musical. She has been the Dialect/Vocal coach for numerous professional theatre companies in the region including Studio Theatre (most recently The Children and Translations), Theatre Alliance, Rep Stage, Olney Theatre Center, Everyman Theatre, and Center Stage. www.nancykrebs.com Anthony O. Bullock (Resident Production Stage Manager) is happy be Theater J’s new Resident Production Stage Manager having previously worked on The Jewish Queen Lear and Actually last season. DC area credits include Signature Theatre, Arena Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, and Studio Theatre. Other regional credits include McCarter Theatre, Barrington Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Passage Theatre, and Shakespeare & Co. He toured with The White Snake by Mary

Classes for Theater Lovers Beyond the Script

Taught by Artistic Director, Adam Immerwahr 6 sessions, $289 (subscriber price $269) Tuesdays, April 7 – May 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM at the Edlavitch DCJCC Take a deep dive and get the inside scoop into Theater J’s 2020-2021 plays in a friendly, book club-like setting. Understand how a theater professional analyzes a script as we read and discuss fascinating Jewish plays. Gain a special insight into next year’s plays and how they are chosen. (Participants will need to purchase scripts.)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS Zimmerman in association with The Goodman Theatre, to The Wuzhen Theatre Festival in Wuzhen, China. Anthony received his BFA from Oklahoma City University. He is on the board of the Stage Managers’ Association as the Eastern Regional Director. Proud member of AEA. Adam Immerwahr (Theater J Artistic Director) has served as the Artistic Director of Theater J since 2015. He has previously served as the Associate Artistic Director at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ, and the Resident Director of Passage Theatre in Trenton, NJ. He has directed in NYC at The Public and Theater Row (both for Summer Play Festival), Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Wild Project, and NYU’s Studio Tisch. Internationally, he directed the African premiere of The Convert in Zimbabwe (nominated for the National Arts Medal Award, Zimbabwe’s highest arts award). He has directed and developed work for McCarter Theatre, Walnut Street Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Woolly Mammoth, Adventure Theater, Luna Stage, Hangar Theatre, Bristol Riverside, Premiere Stages, Playwrights Theatre of NJ, PlayPenn, The National Constitution Center, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Princeton Summer Theater, Westminster Choir College, Theatre Masters, and Passage Theatre Company. Recipient of a 2008 Drama League Directing Fellowship and the 2010 NJ Theatre Alliance “Applause Award.”

Winner of the 2014 Emerging Nonprofit Leader Award presented by Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Center for Excellence and the Center for Non-Profits.

Jojo Ruf (Theater J Managing Director) joined Theater J in early 2019 after serving as the Managing Director of The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University for four years. Prior to The Lab, Jojo worked for the National New Play Network for five years and served as the Associate Executive Director for two years. Jojo was the founding Executive and Creative Director of The Welders, a Helen Hayes Award-winning playwrights collective in Washington, DC. She was a Coordinating Producer for the 2015 Women’s Voices Theater Festival, and has worked with Arena Stage, the Kennedy Center, Ford’s Theatre, and the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival.

Jojo is in her fourth year of serving on theatreWashington’s Advisory Board. Most recently, her work has taken her to Cuba, China, Chile, Israel, Poland, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, and throughout the UK, among other places. She holds an MBA from Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits including health and pension plans for its members. Through its agreement with Equity, this theatre has committed to the fair treatment of the actors and stage managers employed in this production. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. For more information, visit www.actorsequity.org.

YIDDISH THEATER LAB

Theater J continues its initiative dedicated to preserving and reviving the forgotten literature of the Yiddish Theater.

UPCOMING READING:

One of Those by Paula Prilutski, adapted and translated by Allen Lewis Rickman, directed by Kevin Place April 6, 2020 at 7:00 PM

All readings are Pay-What-You-Choose. Advance purchase available at theaterj.org and 202.777.3210.

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SATMAR HASIDISM: A Moder Two of the characters in Anna Ziegler’s The Wanderers grew up, got married, and started their family within the Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism, a branch of ultra-orthodox Judaism that is shrouded in mystery for many.

If you’ve spent any time wandering around Brooklyn, you’ve probably encountered Hasidic Jews. Easily identified by their traditional dark clothing and distinctive headwear, Hasidim (meaning “pious ones” in Hebrew) represent the most traditional ultra-Orthodox brand of contemporary Judaism. But when Hasidism first emerged in Eastern Europe in the mideighteenth century, it was a modern movement. Unlike the more cerebral, traditional Judaism, Hasidism was a physically embodied movement in which all aspects of life carried spiritual significance.

Early Hasidism was characterized by ecstatic joy, a call to spiritual renewal, and the relationship between the “righteous men” and their disciples, rather than the narrow focus on traditional learning that was a hallmark of Judaism at the time.i By introducing a modified liturgy, flexible hours for prayer, new rituals and practices and a new model of religious leadership, Hasidism created “something entirely new in Jewish history, a movement of mass religiosity.”ii Over the next two centuries, Hasidism grew in popularity until it was the dominate form of Judaism in much of Eastern Europe.iii As it spread across

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i Biale, David. Hasidism: A New History. Princeton University Press, 2018, p 1. ii Biale, p 2. iii A Life Apart: Hasidism in America. Produced and directed

by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky, 1997. PBS Broadcast, August 25, 1998.

communities and countries, followers broke off into groups led by rebbes who took the name of the town in which their sect originated.

The Satmar dynasty originated in 1928 when Yo’el Teitelbaum – second son of the Grand Rebbe of Siget and thus not in the line of succession to inherit his father’s position –relocated to the Hungarian town of Szatmár, amassed a following, and founded a new sect of Hasidism.iv Although the larger Hasidic community was already in decline by the early twentieth century, it was ravaged by the Holocaust which obliterated many dynasties. Teitelbaum survived the Cluj Ghetto in Hungry and Bergen Belson in Germany, eventually immigrating to New York in 1946 where he was one of the key figures in the rebirth of Hasidism.v Today, Satmar is the largest Hasidic sect in North America, and perhaps the largest in the world. Although they live in communities scattered across North America, Israel, Canada, and Europe, the vast majority are concentrated in New York. In 2010, roughly 70,000 Satmars lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and another 21,000 lived in the village of Kiryas Joel,vi which is located sixty miles northwest of Williamsburg and was established by Teitelbaum in 1974.vii Due to their high birthrate, the community continues to grow.

Satmar Hasidism has a reputation as iv Nadler, Allan. "Satmar Hasidic Dynasty." YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe 14 October 2010. 2 January 2020. v “Joel Teitelbaum.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Dec. 2019. vi Biale, p 685. vii “Kiryas Joel, New York.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Dec. 2019.

rn Movement

By Ellen Morgan Peltz, Theater J Literary Director

the strictest Hasidic sect. The filmmakers of the 1997 PBS documentary A Life Apart recount an old Yiddish tale about a Torah scroll that wouldn’t fit into its new cover: Someone suggested they cut the Torah down to size. Ridiculous? Of course. It’s the cover that must be altered. The Rebbes said: we will not modify the Torah to fit America. We will tailor America to fit the Torah.viii The Satmar style of tailoring America leaves very little unaltered. Use of radios, televisions, computers, and even the public library are frowned upon. The community has their own schools, separate for boys and girls. These yeshivas focus primarily on religious studies, are taught mainly in Yiddish, with a particular emphasis on religious studies.

The distinctive modesty standards to which Satmar women adhere is further evidence of the community’s enormous efforts to resist acculturation. Unlike some of the less strict sects which allow married women to cover their hair with wigs, married Satmar women shave their heads completely and wear a cloth turban or a wig made of synthetic material so that there is no mistaking it for actual hair.

They also wear thick tan stockings with a seam running up the back, specifically designed by Teitelbaum so that no skin is able to show through and no one could mistake the stockings for bare flesh.ix There’s no denying that Hasidism’s attempt to conserve the “vanished world of Eastern Europe” is a key component of the movement’s identity.x Ironically, it is precisely this defense of traditionalism that is preserving the vitality and relevance of the movement today. What began as a modern movement remains quite connected to modernity by opposing it. The more closely modern culture encroaches on the Hasidic way of life—making it increasingly harder from them to operate in the world while still remaining separate from it—the more creatively and repeatedly they are forced to resist it. viii A Life Apart: Hasidism in America. ix Jerome R Mintz. Hasidic People: A Place in the New World.

Harvard University Press, 1992, p 31. x Biale, p 10-11.

BERKSHIRES, MA

NAOMI JACOBSON

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV

GET AWAY WITH THEATER J!

THIS JULY, SPEND A UNIQUE WEEKEND (OR TWO!) SEEING THEATER AT A FANTASTIC SUMMER DESTINATION

July 10-12:

Contemporary American Theater Festival Shepherdstown, WV Includes tickets to five or six plays, hotel, meals, transportation and insider access and experiences led by Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr and Managing Director Jojo Ruf.

July 23-26:

Williamstown Theatre Festival and Barrington Stage Company The Berkshires, MA Includes tickets to four plays, hotel, meals, transportation, and insider access and experiences led by Artistic Director Adam Immerwahr, Managing Director Jojo Ruf, and Helen Hayes Award nominated actress Naomi Jacobson.

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For more information and pricing, pick up a flyer in the lobby, visit Theaterj.org, or contact Tyler Carcy at tyler@Theaterj.org.

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BEHIND THE SCENES

WITH THEATER J Casting directors have a motto: cast early, cast often.

“The DC region is one of the most competitive parts of the country for hiring actors” says Theater J casting director Jenna Duncan. According to Actors’ Equity Association (the union of professional actors and stage managers), the DC/Baltimore region has the highest number of work weeks per union member. As a result, DC-area theaters must compete against one another to secure the region’s top actors in their productions; as soon as a theater company has selected its season, it is time to start casting.

interested in how a director and playwright see a particular role,” says Duncan, “but I also see my job as casting director to stretch their ideas, to push them, and to help them see possibilities where they would not expect them.” Duncan schedules appointments for each actor, where the director sees them perform a portion of the script with a designated “reader” (an actor who is not auditioning) as their scene partner.

The last step of auditions is callbacks, when the finalists are given a chance to perform additional material and be seen by the theater’s artistic director for approval.

That’s why Theater J’s casting process for the 2020-2021 season began in late 2019. The process starts with direct offers to artists. “When we all know an actor well, a director sometimes doesn’t need to see an audition” says Duncan. “Directors and actors who work together consistently can develop a shared vocabulary and already know how to collaborate.” The more actors who are secured via direct offers, the more audition time can be devoted to each of the remaining roles, allowing us to bring new talent to Theater J’s stage.

“Casting is certainly integral to the creative process,” says Duncan. “But ultimately my job is to learn what the team wants and show them all of the possible options. It’s up to them to make the decisions about which cast will best bring the production to life.”

Audition season kicked off in January, 2020, when Theater J began holding auditions.

After brainstorming with the creative teams about how they see each character, Duncan makes lists of actors who might be suitable to come in and read for each part. “I’m always

So why is the motto “cast early, cast often?”

Sometimes an actor has to withdraw from a production for a higher-paying job, for a show that performs longer, or for a dream role in another play. “I like to think it’s an opportunity for all parties when that happens,” says Duncan, “it’s always unfortunate to lose a cast member, but their career is taking a new step, the actor who takes over the role has a chance to shine that they wouldn’t have had, and the audience is experiencing the best part of live theater: it is always full of surprises.”

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COMING NEXT: BECOMING DR. RUTH

How I Designed It

By Paige Hathaway, Scenic Designer of Becoming Dr. Ruth In anticipation of the return of Theater J’s production of Becoming Dr. Ruth, we asked Paige Hathaway to share some insights into designing its signature set.

When [Director] Holly Twyford and I initially sat down to discuss the design for Becoming Dr. Ruth, we knew that we wanted to do something other than what was described in the stage directions. We weren’t interested in depicting a literal apartment and were more fascinated by the emotional journey of Dr. Ruth “unpacking” her life for the audience. We wanted Dr. Ruth and the audience to be able to explore and discover new objects and landmarks in her life as the play develops.

The white boxes allow Projection Designer Sarah Tundermann to project video and images at many places on the set.

Here, we see the George Washington Bridge, which Dr. Ruth mentions she can see out her window in the play.

Many boxes have hidden lids that Naomi can remove to reveal the various objects and photographs that she discusses throughout the play.

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We designed a "box mountain" upstage so that Naomi Jacobson [who plays Dr. Ruth] could climb and search for things she wanted to share with the audience.

The floor is painted to fade to black, making the wood floor an island of reality amidst a more abstract, liminal environment.

I was particularly drawn to Dr. Ruth’s love of doll houses.

Her preoccupation with the ideas of home and family, while having lived in so many different countries, led me to express the different locations she talks about by creating miniature doll house “dioramas” of each one.

The dioramas allowed Naomi to interact and explore these locations as she describes them to the audience; Dr. Ruth is then able to show not only objects and photographs from her life, but also physical places.

Every diorama has an LED frame in it, allowing Lighting Designer Colin K. Bills to highlight them at key moments.

Some of the white cardboard boxes in the set were reinforced to allow Naomi to stand and sit on them.

I designed the radio station box as the most complex prop: the switchboard is attached to the lid of the white box and the “on air” sign is wired to its inside. This helps to create one seamless transition into the location that Dr. Ruth is most strongly associated with.

See Becoming Dr. Ruth onstage March 27 through April 19!

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DEEPEN YOUR IMPACT

As we continue this ambitious season, we need you as a partner. 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 our 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 heart and the head, and where we produce art that reminds you of who you are.

WAYS TO GIVE Theater J accepts contributions by mail, phone, on-line, 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 contact Development Coordinator, Tyler Carcy at tyler@theaterj.org or (202) 777-3225.

ABOUT THEATER J

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

—The 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 theater-going 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.

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THE WANDERERS STAFF

Assistant Director: Bridget Grace Sheaff Head Electrician: Garth Dolan Satmar Consultant: Rabbi Ysoscher Katz Wig Design: Alison Samantha Johnson Light Board Programmer: Amanda Kircher Sound Board Operator: Will Steinthal Load-in crew: Matty Griffiths, Jonathan Dahm Robertson, David Higgins

EDLAVITCH DCJCC LEADERSHIP & THEATER J STAFF EDLAVITCH DCJCC Chief Executive Officer: Carole R. Zawatsky Chief Financial Officer: Craig Mintz Chief Operating Officer: Bini W. Silver THEATER J STAFF Artistic Director: Adam Immerwahr Managing Director: Jojo Ruf Associate Producer: Kevin Place Literary Director: Ellen Morgan Peltz Resident Casting Director: Jenna Duncan Commissioned Writers: Lila Rose Kaplan, Drew Lichtenberg, Alix Sobler Artistic Direction Fellow: Johanna Gruenhut Director of Marketing and Communications: Laurie Levy-Page Director of Patron Experience: Chad Kinsman Development Coordinator: Tyler Carcy Ticket Office Manager: Corinne Williams Technical Director and Master Carpenter: Thomas Howley Production Coordinator: Daniel Debner Resident Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock Head Electrician: Garth Dolan Lead Shop Associate: Ellen Houseknecht Scenic Charge Artist: Meaghan Toohey Resident Assistant Scenic Designer: John Ferry Arts Ticket Office Associates: Diana Abadi, Charles Aube, Arpan Bhattacharyya, Willette Coleman, Trevor Comeau, Rayna Cook, Carol Jones, Zenia Laws, Katherine Lim, KJ Moran, Kaitlin Pennington, Hadiya Rice, Sam Rollin, Jill Roos, Mary-Margaret Walsh PHOTOS: • Page 3: Adam Immerwahr, and Jojo Ruf. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

• Page 4: Susan Rome in Edward Albee's Occupant. Photo by C. Stanley Photography. Valerie Leonard in The Jewish Queen Lear, Jacob Gordin’s Mirele Efros, English translation by Nahma Sandrow. Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane, based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen. Adapted and directed by Hershey Felder. Photo courtesy of Hershey Felder Presents. Ofra Daniel in Love Sick. Written & Adapted by Ofra Daniel, Music by Ofra Daniel & Lior Ben-Hur. Photo by Teresa Castracane.

• Page 13: L-R: Cole Sitilides in Brighton Beach Memoirs by Neil Simon. Photo by Teresa Wood. Alexander Strain and Kimberly Gilbert in Sheltered by Alix Sobler. Photo by Teresa Castracane. Zack Powell and Madeline Rose Burrows in The Last Night of Ballyhoo. Photo by Teresa Castracane. Desiree Marie Velez and Brigid Cleary in Sotto Voce by Nilo Cruz. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

• Pages 14-15: Naomi Jacobson in Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain, photos by Teresa Wood. Diorama photo by Sarah Tundermann.

• Page 16: Naomi Jacobson in Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain. Photo by Teresa Wood. Daven Ralston and Billy Finn in Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated. Adapted by Simon Block. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

• Back Cover: Naomi Jacobson in Becoming Dr. Ruth by Mark St. Germain. Photo by Teresa Wood.

Illustrations by Donald Ely.

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JxJ

Presented in the new state-of-the-art Cafritz Hall!

JxJDC.ORG

WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL WASHINGTON JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL

FULL CINEMA: NEW MOVIES PLAYING NEARLY EVERY NIGHT! February 19 – February 27

STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN

A stand-up comedian (Ben Schwartz) and an alcoholic dermatologist (Billy Crystal) give each other the confidence to face the failures in their lives.

February 28 – March 5

BEANPOLE

Two young women search for meaning and hope in the struggle to rebuild their lives amongst the ruins of Leningrad in 1945.

March 6 – 12

THE UNORTHODOX

A crowd-pleasing comedy that dramatizes the founding of Shas, Israel’s Sephardi Haredi political party.

Back By Popular Demand! An Audience Favorite at JxJ 2019.

March 22, 11:00 AM

BREAKING BREAD

Dr. Nof Atamna-Ismaeel—the first Muslim Arab to win Israel’s MasterChef—founded the A-Sham Arabic Food Festival, where pairs of Arab and Jewish chefs collaborate on exotic dishes. A film about hope, synergy, and mouthwatering cuisine and shared society.

Presented as part of The 21%: The Lives of Arab Citizens of Israel with a post-screening conversation featuring Director Beth Elise Hawk and Chef Gazala Halabi. The conversation will be moderated by Soupergirl Co-founder, Sara Polon.

Sponsored by the Greater Washington Forum on Israeli Arab Issues and the Edlavitch DCJCC. Lead Support provided by The Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation and The Lois and Richard England Family Foundation.

Schedule and Tickets at JxJDC.org

WASHINGTON JEWISH FILM + MUSIC FESTIVAL

SAY HELLO TO HIGH STYLE IN DUPONT CIRCLE A neighborhood gem for urban explorers, located minutes from Theater J. • Blocks from Dupont Circle Metro Station • 3,000 square feet of stylish meeting & event space • Fine American fare at Chef Michael Schlow’s The Riggsby THEATER J VISITORS RECEIVE 15% OFF THEIR HOTEL STAY CALL 202-234-3200 TO BOOK 1731 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE NW | WASHINGTON, DC 20009 #THECARLYLEDC | WWW.CARLYLEHOTELDC.COM Subject to availability. Blackout dates may apply.

THEATER J COUNCIL 2019–2020 COUNCIL Patti Herman, Co-Chair Howard Menaker, Co-Chair

Bob Tracy, Treasurer Ann Gilbert, Secretary

Natalie R. Abrams Patty Abramson* Mara Bralove Bruce A. Cohen Mindy Gasthalter Cheryl Gorelick Nancy Firestone Rae Grad Daniel Kaplan

Arlene Klepper Kenneth Krupsky Stephen Lachter Ellen Malasky Meredith Margolis Alfred Munzer Sherry Nevins Saul M. Pilchen Elaine Reuben

Bella Rosenberg Evelyn Sandground Mita M. Schaffer Robert Schlossberg Terry Singer Patty Sowalsky Manny Strauss

HONORARY COUNCIL Michele G. Berman Marion Ein Lewin Paul J. Mason

Hank Schlosberg Trish Vradenburg*

Joan S. Wessel Irene Wurtzel

EDLAVITCH DCJCC 2019–2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Eric Zelenko, Vice President Jill Granader, President Saul Pilchen, Senior Vice President Jonathan Grossman, Treasurer Daniel Hirsch, Vice President Barbara Abramowitz Janet B. Abrams Patty Abramson* Andrew Altman Joseph A. Baldinger Joan Berman Michele G. Berman Jennifer Bradley Kenton Campbell Johanna Chanin Jaclyn Cohen Eva Davis Myrna Fawcett

David Goldblatt, Assistant Treasurer Benjamin Loewy, Secretary

Brian Gelfand Dina Gold Debra Goldberg Rena Gordon Ellen Kassoff Gray Elise Lefkowitz Julie Lundy Meredith Margolis Sid Moskowitz Alfred Munzer Alyson Myers Melanie Franco Nussdorf Arnold Polinger

Shannon Powers Norm J. Rich Sharon Russ Jonathan Rutenberg Michael Salzberg Janis Schiff Rhea Schwartz Michael Singer Tina Small Cathy Toren Mimi Tygier Diane Abelman Wattenberg Carole R. Zawatsky, ex officio

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

Mindy Strelitz Francine Zorn Trachtenberg Robert Tracy Ellen G. Witman

Lois* & Richard* England Susan & Michael Gelman Paula Seigle Goldman Jack Kay* Edward J. Lenkin Arna Meyer Mickelson Norman Pozez

Anne S. Reich* Lee G. Rubenstein David Bruce Smith Daniel Solomon Alan G. Spoon Matthew Watson

FOUNDING DIRECTOR Ginny Edlavitch PRESIDENTS EMERITI Stephen Altman Rose H. Cohen Martha Gross Stephen Kelin VICE PRESIDENT EMERITUS Lee G. Rubenstein AMBASSADORS COUNCIL Esthy & James Adler Diane & Norman Bernstein Joshua Bernstein Heidi* & Max Berry Ann Loeb Bronfman* Ryna & Melvin* Cohen Louie & Ralph Dweck Irwin P. Edlavitch 20

*of blessed memory

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FRIENDS OF THEATER J Theater J gratefully acknowledges the following donors who have given since January 23, 2019. This list is current as of January 23, 2020.

Leading Producer ($100,000+)

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation Sponsoring Producer ($25,000–$99,999) Cathy S. Bernard DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation Sari Hornstein Nancy and Saul Pilchen

Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund The Shubert Foundation

Bruce A. Cohen The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation

Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Hank Schlosberg

Patti and Jerry Sowalsky Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein

Esthy and James Adler National Endowment for the Arts James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler The Robert M. Fisher Memorial Foundation Patti and Mitchell Herman Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan

Arlene and Martin Klepper Marion Ein Lewin Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone Diane and Arnold Polinger

Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Helene and Robert Schlossberg Leshowitz Family Foundation, Terry Singer George Wasserman Family Foundation, Inc.

Patty Abramson* Les Silverman Michele and Allan Berman Joyce and Fred Bonnett Bonnie and Louis Cohen Myrna Fawcett Ann and Frank Gilbert

Dr. Kenneth and Cheryl Gorelick Fund Dianne and Herb Lerner Sherry and Louis Nevins Provisions Catering Elaine Reuben, The Timbrel Fund Bella Rosenberg

Toni Sharp Alan and Irene Wurtzel Ellen and Bernard Young Judy and Leo Zickler

Natalie R. Abrams Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel Alan and Shulamit Elsner Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Susan and Dixon Butler The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Sara C. Cohen and Norm J. Rich Bunny Dwin

Mindy Gasthalter Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy Meg and John Hauge Kathy Byrnes and John Immerwahr Elizabeth Karmin and Emanuel Strauss Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky Sandra and Stephen Lachter Janet Leno and Peter Harrold

Ellen and Gary Malasky Paul and Zena Mason Jeff Menick Mita M. Schaffer and Tina M. Martin Dr. Stuart Sotsky Dr. Kathryn Veal Joan S. Wessel Margot Lurie Zimmerman

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz Anonymous Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt Stuart Eizenstat Lois and Michael Fingerhut Patricia and David Fisher Linda and Jay Freedman Dina Gold Rena and Michael Gordon Michelle and Jonathan Grossman Linda Lurie Hirsch

Adam Immerwahr Embassy of Israel Bette and William Kramer Liza and Michael Levy Rona and Allan Mendelsohn Michael Osver Laney and Michael Oxman Dori Phaff and Dan Raviv June and Marvin Rogul Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein

Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin Jojo Ruf Ann Schwartz Rita and Steven Schwartz Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai* Les Silverman Michael Singer Dr. Stanley Tempchin Les and Lori Ulanow Christopher Wolf

Austrian Cultural Forum Beth Barnett Joan and Alan Berman Claudia de Colstoun and Roberto Werebe Susan and George Driesen John Edelmann Michelle and Glenn Engelmann Suzanne Fefer Susan and Michael Friedman

Benno Gerson Jerald M. Goldberg Jill and Robert Granader Sherry and Neil Green Bonnie and Alan Hammerschlag Carol and Robert Hausman Elizabeth Hodes Barry Kropf Melvin Leifer Arleen Enid Lustig Winton Eaheart Matthews, Jr.

Dorothy Moss and Lawrence Meyer Donald and Lynne Myers Samantha Nolan and Randall Speck Mr. William Roberts Grace Robinowitz Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff Robert Seasonwein Ruth Seif Michelle Sender Jonathan D. Strum T. Michael Wight

Supporting Producer ($18,000–$24,999)

Leading Angels ($10,000–$17,999)

Sponsoring Angels ($6,000–$9,999)

Supporting Angels ($3,000–$5,999)

Enthusiasts ($1,000–$2,999)

Admirers ($500–$999)

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FRIENDS OF THEATER J Devotees ($100 - $499)

Janet B. Abrams Nancy Alper and Scott Kimmel Anonymous (5) Susan and Alan Apter Linda A. Baumann Michael Bayer Mona and Mark Berch Sharon Bernier Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch and Stuart Bloch Goldie Blumenstyk Diane Boehr Vicki and Joel Breman Tamar Brill Wallace Chandler Edward and Ruth Cogen Dave Connick Beverly and Melvin Cook Belle Negrin Davis Paula Durbin Evelyn and Barry Epstein Estelle and David Feit Lois Fields Sheri and Stuart Fischer Suzan and Barry Friedman Kit Gage and Steven Metalitz Ellen Kramarow and Jared Garelick Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman Mark Goldberg Paula Seigle Goldman Dr. Jesse Goodman Roberta and Morton Goren Jody Green and Edward Max Dr. Larrie and Joyce Greenberg Shoshana and Peter Grove Susan and Allen Hanenbaum Nancy and John Harris Stephen Hellman Alison Drucker and Tom Holzman Reba and Mark Immergut Dr. Kenneth Ingber

Andrew Isen Helene and Allan Kahan Lori and Hal Kassoff Ellen Kassoff Gray and Todd Gray Keaton Family Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin Richard Kellogg Mrs. William Kingsbury Faith and Jim Kirk Carol Kleinman and Wayne Pines Nancy and Everett Korman Kenneth Kramer William Kreisberg Lisa Kurlantzick and Elliot Susseles Darryl Lynn Lefcoe, DDS Judy Leon Patricia and Randall Lewis Diane Liff and Georgia Korn Nancy Limprecht and Rick Haines Iris Lipkowitz Ken Ludwig Barbara and Steven Mandel Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather Marlene and Ken Markison Carol Mates and Mark Kahan Caroline Mindel Melanie and Rene Moreno Undine and Carl Nash Gayle Novig and Terry Mahn Marc Okrand Ms. Judith Peres Trudy and Gary Peterson Roberta Pieczenik Dr. Robert Pollin Drs. Dena and Jerry Puskin Francine Raizes Erica Raphael and Richard Friedman Barbara Rappaport Rabbi Fred N. Reiner and Susan Liss Sonya and Daniel Resnick

Catherine Ribnick Rhoda Ritzenberg and Ken Heitner Vicki Robinson Steven M. Rosenberg and Stewart C. Low III Cathy and Marc Scheineson Anne and Barry Schenof Gena Schoen and Rik Edwards Linda Segal Rachel and Rabbi Ethan Seidel Gladys Sharnoff Tempkin Sylvia Shenk Beverly and Harlan Sherwat Ann-Louise and Stuart Silver Mrs. Patricia Silverman Patricia Silverman Joan and Irwin Singer Arlene Farber Sirkin and Stuart Sirkin Tina and Albert Small, Jr. Robert Snyder Linda M. Solomon Harriett Stonehill Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Sheila A. Taylor Myrna Teck Philippe Tondeur Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Judith and Lester Turner Drs. Marion and Michael Usher Diane Abelman Wattenberg Valerie and John Wheeler Gregory Williams Adam Winkleman Muriel D. Wolf Carrie Wolfe and Mark Greenwood Rivka Yerushalmi Julie and David Zalkind *of blessed memory

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME.

Support the arts and culture programs of the Edlavitch DCJCC for generations to come by purchasing a seat in Cafritz Hall or the Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater.

Seats can be dedicated in honor or memory of family and friends.

For more information contact Emily Jillson, Director of Marketing and Development, at 202-777-3231 or emilyj@edcjcc.org.

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EDLAVITCH DCJCC DONORS The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the donors below, whose total program and Annual Fund contributions during the 2019 Fiscal Year (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) enabled us to serve the community.**

$100,000+

Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation

Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert and Arlene Kogod Family Foundation

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities DC Government

The Dweck Family The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation Melanie and Larry Nussdorf Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family

Foundation Revada Foundation of the Logan Family Share Fund

Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation Susie and Kenton Campbell Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch

Brenda Gruss and Daniel Hirsch Carolyn June Kaplan* Nancy and Saul M. Pilchen Deborah and Michael Salzberg

The Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc. United Jewish Endowment Fund

Anonymous Jamie and Joseph A. Baldinger Suevia and Rudolph B. Behrend Fund Cathy S. Bernard Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Rose and Robert Cohen Lois and Richard England Family Foundation

James A. Feldman and Natalie Wexler Rena and Michael Gordon Shelley and Allan Holt The Kay Family Foundation The Marinus and Minna B. Koster Foundation, Inc. Jacob and Charlotte Lehrman Foundation Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin

Marion Ein Lewin Linda and Sid Moskowitz Diane and Arnold Polinger Hank Schlosberg Rhea Schwartz and Paul Wolff The Abe & Kathryn Selsky Foundation Patti and Jerry Sowalsky George Wasserman Family Foundation, Inc.

Patty Abramson* and Les Silverman Esthy and James Adler Michele and Allan Berman Lisa and Josh Bernstein Bruce A. Cohen Stuart Eizenstat Jill and Robert Granader Amy Weinberg and Norbert Hornstein Impact1890

Kay Richman and Daniel Kaplan Arlene and Martin Klepper Elise and Marc Lefkowitz Leshowitz Family Foundation Randall Levitt and Johanna Chanin Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett The Morgan Fund at the Seattle Foundation Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi and Victor

Mizrahi Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind National Endowment for the Arts Melinda Bieber and Norman Pozez Elaine Reuben Charles E. Smith Family Foundation Judith and Robert Snyder Martha Winter Gross and Robert Tracy

The Family of H. Max & Josephine F. Ammerman and Andrew Ammerman Carol and Gary Berman Bonnie and Louis Cohen Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen Creative Print Group Scott Eric Dreyer and Ellen Clare Gillespie Dreyer Embassy of Israel Myrna Fawcett Federal Emergency Management Agency Lois and Michael Fingerhut Shelly and Joe Galli Gilbane Building Company

Dina Gold Debra Goldberg and Seth Waxman Goldblatt Martin Pozen LLP Alexander Greenbaum Erwin Gudelsky Patti and Mitchell Herman Susy and Thomas Kahn Joy Lerner and Stephen Kelin Dianne and Herb Lerner Liza and Michael Levy Amy and Alan Meltzer Sherry and Louis Nevins Patricia Payne and Nancy Firestone Perkins Eastman Sara C. Cohen and Norm J. Rich

Bella Rosenberg Lynn and John Sachs Ruth and Samuel Salzberg Family Foundation Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Janis and Philip Schiff Deborah Harmon and Robert Seder Craig Pascal and Victor Shargai* Tina and Albert Small, Jr. David Bruce Smith Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Cathy and Peter Toren Irene and Alan Wurtzel Ellen and Bernard Young Judy and Leo Zickler

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz Janet B. Abrams Monica and Gavin Abrams Natalie R. Abrams Amy and Stephen Altman Grace and Morton Bender Joan and Alan Berman Andrea Boyarsky-Maisel and Harvey Maisel Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Bronfman E.L. Rothschild

Nancy Taylor Bubes and Alan Bubes Susan and Dixon Butler Cornerstone Research, Inc. Bunny Dwin Jonathan Edelman Alan and Shulamit Elsner Mindy Gasthalter Jenny and Brian Gelfand Ann and Frank Gilbert Susan Sachs Goldman Meg and John Hauge

Kathy Byrnes and John Immerwahr Linda Klein Charitable Lead Trust Judy and Peter Blum Kovler Foundation William Kreisberg Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky Marvin Kuperstein Sandra and Stephen Lachter Janet Leno and Peter Harrold Joan Bialek and Louis Levitt, MD Ellen and Gary Malasky Jeff Menick

$50,000 - $99,999

$25,000 - $49,999

$15,000 - $24,999

$10,000 - $14,999

$5,000 - $9,999

$2,500 - $4,999

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*of blessed memory

EDLAVITCH DCJCC DONORS Alyson Myers Joan and Barry Rosenthal Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein Debra and Jonathan Rutenberg Mita M. Schaffer and Tina Martin Rae Grad and Manuel Schiffres Sanford Schwartz/The Schwartz Family Chaim Schwartz Foundation

Barbara Silverstein Michael Singer Richard Solloway Dr. Stuart Sotsky Katherine and Thomas Sullivan Tabard Corporation Dr. Kathryn Veal Matthew Watson

Diane Abelman Wattenberg Judith Weintraub Joan S. Wessel Eric Zelenko Margot Zimmerman Rory and Shelton Zuckerman

Adas Israel Congregation Clement and Sandra Alpert Designated Endowment Fund Ms. Dava Berkman Linda Lipsett and Jules Bernstein Max Berry Jane Gottesman and Geoffrey Biddle Lynn and Wolf Blitzer Ron Kaplan and Yoni Bock Deborah and Charles Both Anita Wolke and Ken Brooks Anne and Howard Clemons Cyna and Paul Cohen Jacqueline and Edward Cohen Stanley Cohen Patricia Alper Cohn and David Cohn Nadine Cohodas CORTJET - Bruce and Lisa Cort Eva Davis and Justin Kramer DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment Toby Dershowitz John Edelmann Patricia and David Fisher Meg and Samuel Flax Linda and Jay Freedman Edith and Michael Gelfand Morgan and Josh Genderson German Embassy Elizabeth R. Polsky and Samuel S. Glass Marilyn and Michael Glosserman Jerald M. Goldberg Dr. Kenneth and Cheryl Gorelick Fund Lois and Hadar Granader

Michelle and Jonathan Grossman Tamara and Harry Handelsman Linda Lurie Hirsch Margery and Joseph Hoffman Adam Immerwahr Rachel Gooze and Scott Kaplan The S. Kann Sons Company Foundation, Inc Irene and Lou Katz Aviva Kempner Lise Van Susteren and Jonathan Kempner Belman Klein Associates, Ltd. Bette and William Kramer Anita Lampel and Daniel Metlay Chani and Steven Laufer Roselin Atzwanger and Edward Lenkin Herbert Lichtenstein Susan Liss and Rabbi Fred Reiner Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin Ken Ludwig Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather Ellen and Ken Marks Zena and Paul J. Mason Jerry D. McPike Rona and Allan Mendelsohn Joy Midman Dorothy Moss and Lawrence Meyer Carl and Undine Nash Gayle and Steven Neufeld Jackie and Franklin Paulson Deborah and Juan Prawda Connie and Roger Pumphrey

Ratner Family Foundation Renay and Bill Regardie Jessica Reimelt and David Greengrass Carol Risher Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Mimi Tygier and Robert Rubin Jerry Shechtman Merrill and Mark Shugoll Deborah Tannen and Michael Macovski Anthony Tanzi Stanley Tempchin Deborah Topcik Les and Lori Ulanow United Way of the National Capital Area United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey WAEPA Caryn and Steven Wechsler Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman Christopher Wolf Carole R. Zawatsky

$1,000 - $2,499

Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Jerry Shechtman Merrill and Mark Shugoll Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt Anthony Tanzi Deborah Topcik Cathy and Peter Toren WAEPA Caryn and Steven Wechsler Helene Weisz and Richard Lieberman Christopher Wolf

Lead support of the Edlavitch DCJCC is provided by:

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch; Susie and Michael Gelman, The Morningstar Foundation; Arlene and Robert Kogod, The Robert O. and Arlene R. Kogod Family Foundation; Nussdorf Family Foundation; The Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation; Charles E. Smith Family Foundation; and the David Bruce Smith Foundation.

All of the programs at the Edlavitch DCJCC are supported in part by a generous gift from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. **Donation levels reflect total contributions made to the Edlavitch DCJCC between July 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. Due to space limitations, only donors of $1,000 or more are listed. The Edlavitch DCJCC would like to thank all of our donors for the important impact they have on our work.

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.

WAYS TO GIVE:

MAIL: Edlavitch DCJCC 1529 Sixteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20036

PHONE: 202.777.3240 EMAIL: development@edcjcc.org ONLINE: edcjcc.org/donate

OTHER: Contact us for details regarding stock and wire transfers, matching gifts, Combined Federal Campaign (CFC #54775), or planned giving.

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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DONORS

The Edlavitch DCJCC wishes to thank the following donors who have contributed to the ongoing Capital Campaign. Together, we will provide thriving, dynamic, and relevant Jewish experiences for the Washington, DC community for generations to come. $6,500,000

Ginny and Irwin Edlavitch $1,000,000 - $4,999,999

The Morningstar Foundation Charles E. Smith Family Foundation, Robert O. and Arlene R. Kogod Family Foundation, and David Bruce Smith Foundation

The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Nussdorf Family Foundation

$250,000 - $999,999

Diane and Arnold Polinger The Annette M. and Theodore N. Lerner Family Foundation George Vradenburg Francine Zorn Trachtenberg and Stephen Joel Trachtenberg

The Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation

Brenda Gruss and Daniel Hirsch Deborah and Michael Salzberg Diane and Norman Bernstein Foundation Rose H. and Robert L. Cohen

Dweck Philanthropy The Kay Family Foundation, Inc. Share Fund Tina and Albert Small, Jr. The Laszlo N. Tauber Family Foundation

Esthy and James Adler DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency Linda and Sid Moskowitz

Susie and Kenton Campbell Jill and Robert Granader Alan and Amy Meltzer Lisa and Josh Bernstein Marcy and Neil Cohen, Ryna Cohen

Naomi and Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Sarah and Bernard Gewirz Stuart S. Kurlander and David L. Martin Alfred Munzer and Joel Wind

Jamie and Joseph A. Baldinger Michele and Allan Berman Marilyn and Michael Glosserman Martha Winter Gross and Robert L. Tracy Carolyn June Kaplan*

Stephen Kelin and Joy Lerner Meredith Margolis and Gary Goodweather Nancy and Saul M. Pilchen Judith and Robert Snyder

Mindy Strelitz and Andrew Cornblatt and Family Carolyn and Bill Wolfe

Debbie Goldberg and Seth Waxman Cathy S. Bernard Johanna Chanin and Randall Levitt The Honorable Ann Brown and Don Brown Bruce A. Cohen The Duber Family

Lois and Richard England Family Foundation Rena and Michael Gordon William M. Kreisberg Jeff Menick John and Lynn Sachs Rhea S. Schwartz and Paul Martin Wolff

Deborah Harmon and Robert Seder Susan Wedlan and Harold Rosen Carole R. Zawatsky Eric Zelenko Jenny and Brian Gelfand, Edith and Michael Gelfand Elise and Marc Lefkowitz

Babs and Rabbi A.N. Abramowitz Patty Abramson* and Les Silverman Abby and Andrew Cherner Myrna L. Fawcett Dina Gold Dr. Kenneth and Cheryl Gorelick Fund Michelle and Jonathan Grossman Beverly and Stuart Halpert

Harman Family Foundation Arlene and Martin Klepper Marion Ein Lewin Howard Menaker and Patrick Gossett DC Minyan The Ratner Family Foundation Rae Ringel and Amos Hochstein Michael Singer

The Lynn Shapiro Snyder and Jeffrey M. Snyder Family Foundation Inc. Cathy and Peter Toren Matthew Watson Diane Abelman Wattenberg Rory and Shelton Zuckerman

Janet B. Abrams Patricia Alper-Cohn and David Cohn Carolyn Small Alper Steve and Amy Altman Bunny Dwin Ellen Exelbert Ann and Frank Gilbert Jerald and Debbie Greenspan Patti and Mitchell Herman

Bette O. Kramer Donor Advised Fund of Richmond Jewish Foundation Sandra and Stephen Lachter Dianne and Herb Lerner Liza and Michael Levy Benjamin and Saskia Loewy Rona and Allan Mendelsohn The Pokempner-Levine Family Kathy and Thomas Raffa Elaine Reuben

Norm Rich and Sara Cohen Carol Risher Jim and Trisha Ritzenberg Trina and Lee G. Rubenstein Sharon H. Russ and David S. Rubin Debra and Jonathan Rutenberg Evelyn Sandground and Bill Perkins Shirley and Albert H. Small Mary and James Speyer

$100,000 - $249,999

$50,000 - $99,999

$20,000 - $49,999

$10,000 - $19,999

$5,000 - $9,999

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CAPITAL CAMPAIGN DONORS $1,000 - $4,999

Grace and Morton Bender Joan and Alan Berman Jennifer Bradley Mara Bralove and Ari Fisher Nadine Cohodas Eva Davis and Justin Kramer Michelle and Glenn Engelmann Lois and Michael Fingerhut Morgan and Josh Genderson David and Amanda Goldblatt Renata Hesse and Josh Soven Emily and Kyle Jillson

Adina and Bryan Kanefield Aviva Kempner Sue King Bill and Norma Kline Tiefel Martha Kahn and Simeon M. Kriesberg Kenneth and Amy Eisen Krupsky Johannah and Jeremiah Lowin Ellen and Gary Malasky Zena and Paul Mason Paula V. McMartin Alyson Myers Glenna and David Osnos

Shannon and William Powers Renay and Bill Regardie Janis and Philip Schiff Elliot Schnitzer Leshowitz Family Foundation/Terry Singer Drs. Marion and Michael Usher Joan S. Wessel Ellen Witman Margot and Paul Zimmerman Fund

Martin Akerman DeAndre M. Anderson Anonymous Mike and Lissa Barry Gabriela Bebchick Toby Berman and Philip Gilbert Berman Beth Helman and Peleg Tal Victor Block and Phyllis Hockman Michael S. Bogdanow Elka and Sidney Booth Arlene A. Brown Sally Buckman Timothy Christensen and Walter Ochinko Jeffrey Jorge Cohen Neil W. Cohen Keith Cohen Rosemary M. De Rosa Toby Dershowitz Brad and Debbie Dockser Roslyn Eisner Stuart Eizenstat Dr. Stanley C. and Ronna Foster Rabbi Karen Fox Stuart Glickman David Goldstein Paula Enyart Goodman and Randolph M. Goodman

David Gooze Roberta and Morton Goren Lisie and Michael Gottdenker Dr. and Mrs. Neil and Sherry Green Gail E. Ross and Peter M. Haas Tamara and Harry Handelsman Steven Kaffen Eileen Kane Alma and Sid Kaplan Ellen Kassoff Gray and Todd Gray Charles Kelly Gladys Kessler Lynn and Morris Kletzkin Audrey and Wayne Kliman Susan J. Kline Phyllis H. Kline Barry Kropf Dr. Darryl Lefcoe Sandra and Arnold Leibowitz Laurie and Len Lipton Marsha Liss Jane and Robert Loeffler Grant, Janice, and William Logan Benita and Robert Lubic Susan and Donald Lubick Nadya and Vladmir Lumelsky Stewart Manela

Susan Mann Sandy and Howard Marks Hannah and Brian Meister Jeanette and Charles Miller Gail Neer Sherry and Louis Nevins Ruth and Stephen Pollak Mary L. Pope Allison and Daniel Rabin Nancy and Sam Raskin Nancy and Herbert A. Rosenthal Linda Rosenzweig and Sandy Bieber Mita M. Schaffer and Tina Martin Marissa Schlaifer Wendy Schumacher Nell and Ed Shapiro Marshall Soltz Patti and Jerry Sowalsky Jeffrey Stein Leah and Bill Steinberg Merna Wagshal Stern and Melvin Stern Harriett Stonehill John Tolleris Jennifer and Jonathan Weinberg Neil Cohen and Paul Wolfson Juliet Wurr Katharine Zambon

Under $1,000

*Of blessed memory

List as of December 11, 2019

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Get 36% off tickets until February 27 (code Lucky36), then 18% off until March 27 (code Lucky18)

AMERICA'S FAVORITE SEX THERAPIST IS BACK!

Directed by Holly Twyford | Starring Naomi Jacobson MARCH 27 — APRIL 19, 2020

Visit TheaterJ.org or call 202.777.3210 to purchase and for details

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