Memories of Horror and Triumph

These two decades brought drastic changes worldwide—the ravages of the Great Depression, World War II, the near-destruction of European Jewry, and the struggle to secure and rebuild a Jewish homeland.

Washington also changed radically. The New Deal’s influx of government workers brought new voices, skills, and geographic diversity to Washington’s Jewish community. The horrifying extent of the Holocaust and the fight for a Jewish state forged a more cohesive community.

1944: Gunners manned D.C. rooftops in view of the Capitol.

Courtesy of Washingtoniana Division, DC Public Library.