Washington DC

From the White House to Our House

Columbia Heights

The Columbia Heights neighborhood of Northwest Washington is off 16th St and three miles north of the White House. Although geographically close to downtown, the area is much further away culturally. Until recently Columbia Heights was a primarily low– and middle–income African-American neighborhood. However, beginning in the 1980s, a large influx of Central American immigrants began to move in and transform the area. The AVODAH Corp members live near the heart of the Latino community and are surrounded by pockets of other immigrant groups—Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and others. Now the area is facing yet another influx, this time from affluent homebuyers, commercial development, and gentrification. Though still largely a working-class neighborhood, more houses have been spiffed up by and for new buyers, new luxury condos are going up, and the neighborhood is becoming as economically diverse as it is ethnically.

The Columbia Heights bayit is within a half-hour walk of a number of synagogues and minyanim, including two traditional, egalitarian minyanim that are very popular with twenty-somethings in town. Within a short bus ride or half-hour walk are a Conservative synagogue, the DC Jewish Community Center, DC’s small 14th St. theater district, and the popular Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan neighborhoods. The neighborhood immediately surrounding the houses offers a supermarket, a number of smaller groceries and bakeries, a pharmacy, banks, and a number of restaurants. Along with gentrification has come commercial development and the neighborhood will soon have a few major chain stores, like Target and Best Buy.

Shepherd Park

The second AVODAH bayit is in DC’s Shepherd Park neighborhood. Homes in the area are primarily single-family detached or semi-detached, with beautiful trees and flowers and easy access to Rock Creek Park. The bayit is close to several bus lines and about a mile from the Silver Spring and Takoma Park Metro stations. Silver Spring, a racially-diverse community just north of Washington DC, is walking distance from the bayit and offers grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, and cultural events, including numerous film festivals at the American Film Institute.

Shepherd Park has an interesting Jewish history, with Jewish families moving to the community in the early ’40s and establishing businesses and synagogues. In the ’50s, middle-class black families, like the Jews, barred from living in other DC neighborhoods—moved into Shepherd Park. Although some white families fled to the suburbs, other residents joined together to stop blockbusting practices and to support and foster integrated neighborhoods. Shepherd Park is now home to a Chavurah, Conservative, Orthodox, and Humanistic Congregations, with a Reform Temple within walking distance.

There are seventeen participants in Washington, working at nearly as many partner agencies. View the full listing of the 2007-2008 Washington, DC placement organizations.