 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sixth & I Historic Synagogue" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Sixth and I Historic Synagogue | |
|---|---|
 The synagogue, in 2020 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Multi-Denominational JudaismProgressive Judaism |
| Governing body | Jewish Emergent Network(member) |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 600 I Street NW,Washington, D.C. |
| Country | United States |
  Location withinWashington, D.C. | |
| Coordinates | 38°54′02″N77°01′13″W / 38.90059°N 77.020238°W /38.90059; -77.020238 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Louis Levi |
| Type | Synagogue architecture |
| Style | |
| Completed | 1908 |
| Specifications | |
| Dome | Three |
| Dome height (inner) | 69 feet (21 m) |
| Dome dia. (inner) | 25 feet (7.6 m) |
| Materials | Vitrifiedbrick andterra cotta |
| Website | |
| sixthandi | |
TheSixth & I Historic Synagogue is a non-denominational, non-membership, non-traditionalJewish congregation andsynagogue[1] located at the corner of Sixth Street and I Street,NW in theChinatown neighborhood ofWashington, D.C. It is one of the oldest synagogues in the city. In addition to hosting religious services for different Jewish denominations, the synagogue hosts many lectures, concerts, and art exhibitions for the general public.
The venue's sanctuary seats 750 people, split between two levels, and its social hall can accommodate up to 250 people. Two multi-purpose rooms each seat up to 75 people.[2]
The building was constructed by theAdas Israel Congregation and dedicated on January 8, 1908, near what was then the main commercial district in town and the center of the Jewish community in Washington. In 1951 the congregation moved to a new building onConnecticut Avenue and sold its building on the corner of 6th and I Streets, NW to theTurner Memorial A.M.E. Church.[3] The church in turn moved toHyattsville,Maryland, fifty years later.
Three local Jewish developers saved the historic building from being turned into a nightclub and restored it to its original roots as a synagogue. The main impetus for the restoration came from real estate developer Shelton Zuckerman, who contacted thenWashington Wizards ownerAbe Pollin, who in turn contactedDouglas Jemal. Working from wedding photos from 1949, the building was returned to its original design and decor. It was rededicated and opened to the public on April 22, 2004.
Sixth & I’s arts and culture programming includes talks, concerts, and comedy shows. Speakers and authors have included PresidentGeorge W. Bush; Supreme Court JusticesRuth Bader Ginsburg,Stephen Breyer,John Paul Stevens,Elena Kagan, andSandra Day O’Connor; Secretaries of StateJohn Kerry,Colin Powell,Madeleine Albright, andCondoleezza Rice; Nobel LaureatesToni Morrison,V. S. Naipaul,Orhan Pamuk,Kazuo Ishiguro,Elie Wiesel,Al Gore,Sir Paul Nurse,Kofi Annan,Paul Krugman, andDaniel Kahneman;Ta-Nehisi Coates,Salman Rushdie,Judy Blume,Sheryl Sandberg,Mindy Kaling,Joan Rivers,Chimamanda Adichie,Atul Gawande,Nancy Pelosi,Annie Leibovitz,Lewis Black,Temple Grandin,Brian Tyler Cohen,Jen Psaki,Van Jones,Tina Fey,Jenna Bush Hager andBarbara Pierce Bush,Cecile Richards,Ina Garten, andEmily Ratajkowski.[citation needed]
Bands and singers have includedAdele,Idina Menzel,Valerie June,Brooklyn Rider,Andra Day,Kris Kristofferson,Bryan Adams,Thirty Seconds to Mars,Art Garfunkel,LeAnn Rimes,Grizzly Bear,Idan Raichel Project,Yael Naim,Ani DiFranco,Joanna Newsom,Antony and the Johnsons,M. Ward,Devendra Banhart,Fiona Apple,Laura Marling,Marc Broussard,Kishi Bashi,Gavin DeGraw,Trey Anastasio,Rodriguez,Mick Jenkins,Esperanza Spalding, andMatisyahu.[citation needed]
Comedians have includedJim Gaffigan,Hasan Minaj,Amy Schumer,Marc Maron,W. Kamau Bell,Michael Ian Black,Michael Showalter,Whitney Cummings,Rachel Bloom,Todd Barry,Nick Kroll,Joe Mande,Russell Howard,Norm Macdonald,Lewis Black, Gilmore Guys, and theUpright Citizens Brigade Touring Company.[citation needed]
Sixth & I’s Jewish programming includes education, Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, and social justice work. During the High Holidays, Sixth & I rents space from nearby churches to accommodate over 3,000 people.
Sixth & I partners with a wide variety of local and national organizations, includingPolitics & Prose Bookstore,Live Nation,The New York Times, Washington Performing Arts,The Atlantic, Story District, TheMacArthur Foundation, the92nd Street Y,National Geographic,Slate,HIAS, theJewish Emergent Network, OneTable,Lewis Black and many others.[citation needed]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
