The GatherDC blog strives to present a holistic portrait of the DMV’s Jewish community, sharing a wide variety of Jewish voices and perspectives. If you have a 20- or 30-something to nominate as our Jewish Person of the Week or for a Spotted in Jewish DMV feature, please email us!
Naomi and I sit down one rainy afternoon at Peregrine Espresso in Eastern Market to chat about community engagement at Honeymoon Israel, Naomi’s time in Rwanda, expanding the tent in Jewish life, what it means to take yourself seriously, joy, capitalism, and dogs wearing bowties.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Naomi: I had been living in Rwanda for two years, and before that I was in southern New Mexico for two years. My family moved to New Jersey when I was eight, so all my family and friends are on the East Coast. It was time to move a little closer to that network, and I didn’t want to be in New York, Philly, or Boston, so DC was it.
Samuel: What had brought you to Rwanda?
Naomi: I was a teacher for a really long time and had just finished my two years in Teach for America in New Mexico. I was looking for the next thing, and wasn’t really sure that I wanted to be a career teacher. That’s when I learned about JDC’s Entwine fellowship. They had an opportunity to go and be part of this youth village for a year called Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. It was the perfect opportunity to do something that was still teaching but also not teaching, expand my skills and dabble in what it could look like to pursue my interest in psychology.
It was supposed to be just a year, and it was really fun to work with those students. It took a good six months to get the hang of things, but by the end of the year, I felt like I knew what I was doing now, and wanted to go back and fix [everything]. So I stayed for a second year.
Samuel: How did you end up at Honeymoon Israel after that second year?
Naomi: I landed [in DC] and taught in charter schools for six years. Then, the war [began]. I was in my first year at a new school, and I just couldn’t function. I was overwhelmed by all the news coming out in the early days of the war. I have friends in Israel, deep connections to Israel, and I just felt this overwhelming sense of desperately needing to be surrounded by my community and people who get it – the grief, and complicated feelings, and all of the things that the Jewish community has been navigating and grappling with as the war has gone on. On the other hand, I happened to have a very finely curated set of skills that I could offer to my community, and I felt the burnout that American public school teachers are feeling all of the time. It’s a lot to do for 11 years.
And so it was just this perfect story – my classroom teaching career has come to an end, and I want to talk about Israel all day, and I want to be supporting my community, and I want also to feel the support of my community. It’s not even fair to say it’s the job of my dreams; I don’t think I’m creative enough to have come up with such a perfect position. It was the exact right opportunity at the exact right time.
Samuel: What does Honeymoon Israel offer that you think sets it apart as an organization?
Naomi: When we think about why a couple would want to engage with HMI versus any of the other pathways to enter the Jewish community or travel to Israel, I think there’s a few things that make us different and…sticky. We reach families that are not [necessarily] already engaged in the Jewish community; 70 to 75% of our couples are interfaith couples, 13% of couples are LGBTQ, and about 18% are interracial couples.
We’re able to connect with folks because we have an all-encompassing approach and mindset about being welcoming and excited about who you are. Your diverse family is a strength in our community, not a challenge to overcome. It’s something to be celebrated. If you’re Jewish, or you’re in love with somebody who is Jewish, you’re part of the Jewish community. There’s enough space under the tent for you and we want to welcome you in to have a seat at the table.
Another thing that makes HMI different is what happens after the trip. There’s really intentional community-building that we do with the cohorts. The trip is ten days, and then there’s a lifetime that comes after. You go and have this transformational experience with all these people, and then when you go home they’re people in the same metro area, so you have access to [each other]. Couples who traveled in 2016 still regularly see their HMI cohort. You do Shabbat, or your child’s godparents are a couple that you met on your HMI trip. Hearing those stories is really special for me.
Samuel: Apart from work, what else has kept you in DC these past few years?
Naomi: My mortgage, for one. I mean, it’s only three hours up to Jersey and back. I have access to Philly and New York. Where I live in the city, it’s really residential and quiet – I have Lincoln Park and Eastern Market. Then, if I want a big city, it’s ten minutes downtown. I like to go hiking with my dog, and in an hour we can be in Shenandoah. DC is a nice combination of all the things. There’s no reason to move anywhere else. Where else could possibly be better?
Samuel: What feels alive for you Jewishly right now?
Naomi: Israel’s an obvious answer. When I tease that out, it’s the idea of Jewish peoplehood. There’s this moment of connection that you feel when you encounter other Jewish people, even if I don’t know them or anything about them, and that’s always been powerful for me. Since the war started, we’re navigating antisemitism, we’re navigating how I feel about Israel or Israel’s policies on any given day, but when I’m out and about in the world and I see somebody wearing a star, or a yellow pin, or a kippah, there’s this moment of eye contact and it’s like: We’re family.
I’ve been thinking about what that means a lot. What are the responsibilities and obligations that that entails? I think any rational person is wrestling with updates from the war. I’m a part of the Jewish community, and I am always proud of that. Then, sometimes things happen that I’m not proud of, so how do I need to act as an individual? How can I be proud of my identity and my people, and also hold my people accountable? How do I need to act as a representative of the Jewish community – internally, as a person with authority as a Jewish educator with my HMI couples and people around me – and then externally, right? I have lots of friends who aren’t Jewish. I exist in a city where we’re a minority. I exist in a world where we’re a minority. What are the ways I need to be hard on myself to meet the standards of my stated values, and what are the ways I can give myself grace?
Samuel: We figured out in line here that we’ve actually met before – I bought a Philadelphia Eagles bowtie from you for my cat way back in 2022. How’d you end up making bandanas and bowties and scrunchies?
Naomi: I got a dog, Bailey, during Covid. She’s the cutest thing in the world, and obviously looks adorable in a bandana. I bought a few on Etsy, but I decided: It’s just three straight lines. How hard could it be to make them? I just don’t know how to sew! But I bought a sewing machine off Craigslist, and I went to Joanne Fabrics, rest in peace. I knew you bought fabric by the yard. I did not know that you could buy it by the half or quarter yard. So I bought a yard of this and a yard of that and a yard of this…and eventually I got good at sewing.
I sold them to friends. I just wanted the material out of my house, and then I bought more material, and sold them over Instagram, and then Etsy, and then strangers were buying them, and then Shop Made in DC put my stuff in their stores all around the city. Once that happened, I was like: Okay, I need to take myself seriously. I got my spot at Eastern Market, and I’m there every Saturday and Sunday.
Samuel: I’m really struck by the phrase “I need to take myself seriously.”
Naomi: I’ve always been a crafty person and doing things for fun, doing things just for the joy of it has always been part of what I do. I think it’s sad that we live in a world where you have to monetize your hobby. I spend hours a week sewing, but doing it is fun. And making money on the side is fun! As soon as it’s not fun anymore, I’ll stop. I’m lucky enough that I don’t need this to be my main thing. The joy of it isn’t actually in the business piece. It’s like: I made a thing with my hands, and now somebody else is delighted by it. I think as long as it’s fun, I’ll keep doing it, and I will only take myself as seriously as the joy will allow.
Samuel: You can bring any three people to Shabbat dinner – who are you inviting?
Naomi: It would be super cool to have three people from history, right? But when I think about Shabbat, I just want to be with my friends, and I want there to be love at the table. Shabbat is a warm, fuzzy feeling. So my three closest friends are coming.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Naomi: Our ancestors smile.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog and on this website are solely those of the original authors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the organization GatherDC, the GatherDC staff, the GatherDC board, and/or any/all contributors to this site.
