page_title: Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C.
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. / History
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge delivers a speech during the cornerstone ceremony of the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center (DCJCC).
context_page_description: The Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. is a Jewish Community Center located in the historic district of Dupont Circle. It serves the Washington, D.C. area through religious, cultural, educational, social, and sport center programs open to the public, although many programs are strongly linked to Jewish culture, both in the United States and in Israel. It is part of the JCC Association, the umbrella organization for the Jewish Community Center movement, which includes more than 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs, and camp sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 180 local JCCs in the Former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin America, 50 in Europe, and close to 500 smaller centers in Israel.
context_section_description: Although the first recorded Jew settled in Washington, DC, in 1795, the first large immigration of Jews to the nation's capital took place with the arrival of a number of German Jews, in the 1840s. In 1852, twenty-one Washingtonian Jews established the Washington Hebrew Congregation, and in 1863, after an Act of Congress that certified the Jewish community's right to own property, they purchased a church at 8th and H Streets, NW, and after renovations, opened it as the city's first synagogue. East European immigrants arriving in the early 1900s raised the Jewish community population to approximately 4000. In 1911, a group of young Jewish men in their early twenties formed the Young Men's Hebrew Association(YMHA) in 1911, followed by the establishment of the Young Women's Hebrew Association the community established the Young Men's Hebrew Association (YMHA), in 1913. The YMHA, which moved from 415 M St, NW, to 11th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW, in 1918, which would serve as the first center to support the cultural, recreational, and some spiritual needs of the Jewish population.
  Later, with the outbreak of World War I, the influx of military and government officials included many Jews, and "the need for a larger community center in the capital city was evident."  After a five-year campaign to raise money, on May 3, 1925, following the war, the ground-breaking ceremony was held for the Jewish Community Center at its present location, at 16th and Q, NW. President Calvin Coolidge spoke at the laying of the cornerstone that day, addressing the topic of "The Spiritual Unification of America," referring to the Hebrew scriptures as a uniting force among the widely scattered diverse communities in America. He said that "This edifice ... is a fine example for other communities. It speaks a purpose to uphold an ancient and noble philosophy and to assure that such philosophy shall always be adapted to the requirements of changing times." The official opening would be held in 1926, on Washington's Birthday, February 22. The Center would soon become the meeting place for six formal Jewish organizations, including Bnai Brith, Hadassah, and the American Jewish Committee, as well as the place where informal groups, "just about every Jewish youth club in the city," and individuals from all levels of Washington Jewish society would meet. Abe Pollin, now known for his role in the world of Washington, D.C., sports, recalls that the JCC "was where all the camaraderie took place," including the time in the steam room, or the games of squash, handball, and table tennis in the men-only health club. Roof dances were held in the summer, with dancing moved inside the rest of the year, and Adas Israel Synagogue held classes in the building until it moved to Woodley Park in 1955. Among the many activities was even an annual "Queen Esther Beauty Contest," with pictures of the finalists featured in the pages of The Washington Post.
  In 1939, thanks to a gift from Washington Post owners Eugene and Agnes Meyer, a new wing was added to the center, to house a library and an expanded health club. The new facility included a squash court, and three handball courts—and a massage room that was staffed by Seventh-day Adventists, who observe Saturday as the Sabbath, similar to Jewish practice.
  Special events were held for military veterans, and no veteran was charged to participate in any center activity during or immediately after World War II. In 1942, a USO lounge was dedicated, open to both Jewish and non-Jewish veterans. Additionally, the Center hosted numerous programs in support of the U.S. war effort, including the 1943–44 "Program for Victory" that promoted the purchase of war bonds and war stamps.
  However, as a result of the 1968 race riots in D.C., the DC JCC closed. As many Jews in the city moved to the suburbs, a new JCC was established in Rockville, Maryland, opening on May 8, 1969. It still exists as a thriving JCC, known as the "JCC of Greater Washington", and is located on a "campus" that now also houses the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, the Jew
caption: U.S. President Calvin Coolidge delivers a speech during the DCJCC cornerstone ceremony, May 3, 1925.
exif: {"Image Software": "Picasa 3.0", "Image ExifOffset": "50", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "312", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7930", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2009:02:11 19:51:30", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "3096", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1750", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "182", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "b65821903750fefa08ea0c7b594907ff"}