Youth Education: Programs

Bring your synagogue, school, or youth group for an unforgettable Jewish museum experience.

Programs are led by trained museum educators and last for 1–1.5 hours.

Due to space constraints, we can only accommodate 30 students at a time in the historic synagogue. Larger groups can be accommodated by adding a walking tour or multiple visits.

Advanced reservations are required.
For information and reservations, call (202) 789-0900, or email info@jhsgw.org

Historic 1876 Synagogue

1 hour - $136 for up to 20 students; $6/student thereafter

A Synagogue Story
(K - 3rd grades)

Students learn about the history and preservation of our 1876 synagogue and create models of the synagogue building. (Illustrated above)

An Immigrant Story
(3rd - 7th grades)

Students learn about the Jewish immigrant experience in Washington, D.C., at the end of the 19th century by analyzing primary source materials, including photographs, letters, and documents.

Building Detective
(3rd - 7th grades)

Students unlock the mysteries of our historic building by comparing it to other familiar sites and learn about the building's diverse history. A discussion of historic preservation follows.

Walking Tours

1 hour - $136 for up to 20 students; $6/student thereafter

Downtown Jewish Washington
(versions for 3rd - 12th grades)

Students tour former synagogue buildings, Jewish businesses, and homes in the "old Jewish neighborhood" of downtown D.C., now known as Judiciary Square and Chinatown.

Old Town Alexandria
(versions for 3rd - 12th grades)

Learn Old Town Alexandria's long and storied Jewish history, from the 1850s to today. Includes the sites of two former synagogues and Jewish businesses along King Street—even some with traces of past Jewish owners.

Arlington National Cemetery
(versions for 3rd - 12th grades)

Tour sites related to Jewish history and military heroes, including the Confederate Memorial by Sir Moses Ezekiel.  This tour includes a bit of walking.  Led by JHSGW Board members Les Bergen and Ernie Marcus.
(pricing is variable on this program)

Exhibition Programs

1 hour - $136 for up to 20 students; $6/student thereafter.
Dependent upon availability of accompanying exhibitions.

A Scrapbook of Jewish Washington
(4th - 6th grades)

Using our award-winning activity guide, students tour the exhibit, paying special attention to the themes of immigration, change, and tzedakah. Following the tour, Museum Teachers lead discussion.
With Jewish Washington: Scrapbook of an American Community exhibition.

Jewish Dilemmas
(8th - 12th grades)

Students use primary sources in our exhibit to examine some tough choices that Jews have had to make in D.C. -- from 1795 to the present. Museum Teachers guide students through the exhibition and lead discussion.
With Jewish Washington: Scrapbook of an American Community exhibition.

Jewish Life in Mr. Lincoln’s City
(3rd-12th grades)

Students connect with Civil War-era Washington and Alexandria. Includes reader’s theater (students play period characters), and an opportunity for students to create their own exhibition.
With Jewish Life in Mr. Lincoln’s City exhibition.

Living History

45 minutes -- $350/program at your location

Anna Shulman: The Queen of H Street
(3rd-12th grades)

This one-woman show tells the entertaining and true life story of Anna Shulman, her arrival in the U.S. and in Washington, and her impact on the H Street neighborhood, home to Jewish merchants in the 1920s and 1930s.  Contemporary students unfamiliar with their immigrant heritage will learn how immigrants such as Anna repaid their debt of welcome by helping subsequent immigrants in their turn.

For information and reservations, call (202) 789-0900, or email info@jhsgw.org.