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Hannah and I jostle for seats in the ever-crowded Dupont Coffee Collective one recent morning. Over coffee and chai, we chat about Hannah’s work with the National Council of Jewish Women, wishing a rabbi would lie (just a little bit), being the oldest of five kids, bad landlords, and loving DC.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Hannah: I’m from the suburbs of Baltimore originally and went to the University of Maryland, just a couple miles down the road. I found myself spending a lot of time in DC on the weekends, just doing fun things. Pretty quickly I decided that I wanted to end up here post-grad. It’s a great city – a good combination of really cool buildings and a lot of nature. I’m a big fan.
Samuel: You just moved within DC. What’s the story there?
Hannah: I moved with three friends from college to Brookland, by Catholic University. It’s really calm and quiet and family-oriented…but we had some terrible experiences with our landlord there. I had a roof leak, and she wouldn’t send anyone for five days to look at it. And then, she sent a plumber, and the plumber ripped an eight-foot-wide hole in the ceiling, so we had to get a roofer. But the landlord, again, didn’t want to send anyone, so I found the real owner of the house’s wedding registry, and his Facebook, and his contact information, and I was like: He’s getting called tomorrow morning about the state of this house. And then magically, the roofer that was not available was there in 45 minutes.
So pretty quickly into living there, I decided I didn’t want to stay. We started looking in NoMa and ended up moving. It’s a lot more “in” the city, and a five minute walk from the metro. It’s amazing. I’m a big spreadsheet person. We had a massive spreadsheet with every apartment that we looked at broken down by how much we’re paying per square foot and all the amenities. It was a very tactical decision.
Samuel: What’s keeping you in the DMV?
Hannah: I love being around all my friends. I feel like this is the closest I’ll get to being in college again; a bunch of other friends from college also just all moved to NoMa. I’ll also say: I love the community in my hometown, I love my family, but I don’t think I could live there full-time. I’m the oldest of five kids, so my house is like chaos all the time. I really like quiet when I wake up in the morning, which I would never get at home.
I also love my job. I love being in person with everybody during the week. It’s just the best environment. I got so lucky with my job – I know a lot of my friends post-grad are still struggling to find what they want to do, or the job market is terrible…I really lucked out.
Samuel: You work at the National Council of Jewish Women. What’s made that such a central and positive experience in your DC life so far?
Hannah: It’s my Jewish community. It’s really comforting, and I feel like everything I do – no matter how big or small or exciting or annoying – feels like I’m making some kind of dent, because we’re so focused on advocacy and issues I really care about. I’m an Engagement Associate, so we give resources and guidance to the 45 sections of NCJW across the country. I’m a liaison between National and all of them on a daily basis, making sure we’re giving them the support they need.
The other thing I have to say: all the people are just amazing people to work with. My boss is one of my favorite people on Earth, and I’ve gotten to make friends like Anahi across the team. Wednesdays are our mandatory in-office days, and I will say that I maybe get a little less done on Wednesdays because I like to chat with everyone I know.
Samuel: What’s the process of finding Jewish community outside of work been like?
Hannah: I grew up in a big Jewish community in Baltimore, went to Jewish Day School. I went to Jewish sleepaway camp. Then I went to college – I think high school had drained me a little bit in terms of Jewish stuff – and I almost never set foot in Hillel in college. I was apprehensive, coming from a small high school. I didn’t want to keep running into the same people and being friends with the same people I’d grown up with and been with the whole time.
So, very much against my mother’s best wishes, I didn’t go to Hillel very often. The rabbi from Hillel visited a Baltimore event, and my mom went up to him like “You’re the rabbi at Hillel, you must know my daughter, because I’m sure she’s there all the time” and he goes “I’ve never heard of her in my entire life.” Which…he couldn’t lie for me? A little bit? I got a phone call after that.
I don’t know if I’m big on synagogue and ritual, but I really love the traditions. I really love holidays with my family, and I find a lot of comfort and drive in bringing my Jewish values into my work. With NCJW, everything is done through a Jewish lens, and I really identify and appreciate that.
Samuel: You mentioned you’re the oldest of five kids. I’m also an eldest child – I feel like your Hillel story is very eldest child-coded.
Hannah: I’m a big believer in birth order psychology. I can spot an oldest child a mile away.
Samuel: What are the tells?
Hannah: You’re organized, you’re a little bit of a control freak…or at least like being in control. You’re maybe a little tightly wound, but in a good way. I find myself parenting my parents a little bit, but they’re not the same parents for my youngest siblings as they were for me. My family’s like, the thing I’m the most proud of. We’re all really close. My sister is 14 and she’s my best friend. She’s a little mini-me. [Having a big family] teaches you a lot about how to be calm in chaos, pull it together and get what needs to happen done.
Samuel: A couple quick ones to close. What are you feeling proud about?
Hannah: We just had our big Washington Institute with NCJW. It’s a big, beautiful capstone program all about leadership, and then we end up on the Hill advocating for different issues we’re passionate about. I cannot tell you how much work went into that, not just from me, but from our entire team. Having that happen and go really smoothly was really nice.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Hannah: Sitting still. Having nothing to do. I wake up and I’m up and going, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes a detriment.
Samuel: You’re having Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people. Who are you bringing?
Hannah: First, Aly Raisman. She’s this amazing gymnast, advocate, public figure, strong woman. I’ve been a fan of her since she did a floor routine to Hava Nagila in the Olympics. That was my first exposure, and then she was on Dancing With the Stars, which is my singular obsession. She should have won. I love her.
Then, I would invite Rachel Goldberg-Polin, who is also an amazing advocate and role model. She’s been through so much and has so much strength that she lends other people. I would love to host her.
Then, I’ll go historical: I’d invite Hedy Lamarr. She was born in Austria and was an actress before WWII. She escaped her marriage to England, and then met the owner of MGM and was one of the most famous actresses…and also created technology with the alternating radio waves that we now call WiFi. She’s incredible and always welcome.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Hannah: I think we play Jewish geography. I’ve loved getting to do that with everyone I’ve met here so far.
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