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The Public Square with Sarah Leavitt

Exploring Jewish Washington D.C.

MLK Library celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month with an exploration of the people and places that have greatly impacted the city and its history.

You're invited to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library for an exploration of the history of Jewish Washington, D.C. Join us as we uncover the narratives and legacies that have profoundly influenced the identity of the capital city. 

Presenter

Sarah Leavitt, PhD, Curator of the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library proudly presents this opportunity to learn more about Jewish history in the DC region, featuring curator Sarah Leavitt, who has spent the last several years writing this history for the new museum. Together, we will trace the varied stories of Jewish Washingtonians as grocers, government workers, agitators, developers, community builders, and more.

Following the lecture, an interactive conversation led by Arno Rosenfeld, Enterprise Reporter at The Forward will take place. He'll deep dive into the discussed topics and facilitate audience participation through Q&A sessions. 

About Sarah Leavitt

Sarah Leavitt is the Curator at the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. She holds an MA in Museum Studies and a PhD in American Studies from Brown University and has worked in museums for over 30 years. Since moving to the DC area in 2000, she has worked at the museum of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and for 13 years at the National Building Museum in DC. Her previous exhibitions have covered a wide range of subjects from women’s sports, to the history of the parking garage, to the border wall between the US and Mexico. She curated the inaugural permanent exhibitions at the Capital Jewish Museum. Sarah’s publications include several books and articles that explore themes such as the history of the home pregnancy test, America’s first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill, the history of domestic advice manuals, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the television program Veronica Mars. Sarah has a goal of visiting every museum in the DMV, a project she works on just about every weekend. 

About the Capital Jewish Museum

The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum explores the Jewish experience in the national capital region and inspires visitors to connect, reflect, and act—Connect personally and collectively, Reflect on the relevance of the past to today, and Act on behalf of their communities and values. With its experimental spirit, the Museum connects the past to the present through thought-provoking exhibitions, dynamic programming, and creative public experiences. 

The Museum is proud to be one of the newest museums in DC having just opened in June 2023. Their Ongoing Exhibitions are always free and they're open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. They're located just one block away from the Red Line Judiciary Square metro station. 

About The Public Square Series

The Public Square is one of DC Public Library's signature speaker series, presented in partnership with the DC Public Library Foundation and Pepco: An Exelon Company. Public Squares, like public libraries, are "third places" in our communities. They are social spaces that help us cultivate our sense of belonging outside of our first place, our homes and our second place, our workplace. They are spaces that foster good conversation and connection, where we can both learn from others and share our own knowledge. Through moderated discussions, The Public Square series realizes this idea of libraries as a third place by connecting leaders and innovators with the public to talk about the next phase of their work or scholarship. 

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