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Jake and I wedge ourselves into a downtown Starbucks. Amidst the afternoon rush, we chat about Jake’s museum jobs, fencing, engaging with the historical side of Judaism, finding joy in contradiction, and Cleopatra.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Jake: I graduated from William & Mary in May 2024. I’m from Montclair, New Jersey, so I applied to a bunch of jobs in New York and DC. The first one that said yes was in DC, so here I am!
Samuel: What has kept you here?
Jake: I’m not a country boy. I’m chilling, being in the city. I’ve got two good part-time jobs.
Samuel: Yeah, I heard you had two really interesting ones.
Jake: It’s the Spy Museum and The People’s House.
Samuel: What’s that like?
Jake: At The People’s House, I stand as guests come through and make sure no one’s upset or anything. At the Spy Museum, I sell tickets, scan tickets, and give speeches to help people get set up on their missions. I also lead scavenger hunts; we have companies come in and do a scavenger hunt as sort of a fun team-building exercise.
Samuel: Does that work?
Jake: I think it builds camaraderie for some…and maybe breaks it for others. Some people get very competitive. Which I can appreciate.
Samuel: What’s your Jewish community look like right now?
Jake: I’m looking to expand it – that’s why I’ve been getting involved with GatherDC. I went to Hebrew school, and did some Hillel events [in college]. I’m ideally looking for a place where I can make friends. I’ve been doing Shabbat Clusters and meeting people there.
I also want to learn Jewish stuff; I’m kind of academic about it. I was a History major and Religion minor. When I got to college and took Religious Studies classes, I was like: Wow, there’s so much that I did not know about, learning about the complexities and contradictions and interpretations of Judaism. I think there’s something beautiful about that.
Samuel: It’s interesting that you read that as beautiful. I feel like contradiction might be frustrating for some people.
Jake: Oh, I feel that too. Judaism could be one hundred percent non-contradictory. But there’s a certain amount of stasis in that. When you have the contradictions that allow people to expand upon [Judaism] in ways that the people who began it probably never could have imagined, that allows for growth and change.
Samuel: What else is feeling alive for you Jewishly?
Jake: It’s the traditions that are, ironically, thousands of years old. Seders and lighting Shabbat candles are not new in any sense. But the fact that I’m chanting words that are thousands of years old…it was alive before me and it’ll be alive after me. That makes me feel alive.
Samuel: You’re a fencer. What’s the story there?
Jake: Fencing is actually fairly big in New Jersey [Editor’s note: Can confirm, having done two years of saber at a strip mall fencing warehouse]. I started in high school because I was bored. My friend joined, and I was like: Why not? And it stuck! I did it in high school and college, and there’s a club I go to in Arlington.
Samuel: What’s the lasting appeal? Is it a social sport?
Jake: It’s not social in the way basketball is. By definition, there’s quite a few barriers to entry. You’re all covered up. It’s not a social outlet for me, though I talk to people and have made friends [fencing]. It’s just a way to get physical activity. I was never good at ‘the ball sports,’ but fencing is a whole other game.
Samuel: What do you take from fencing that shows up elsewhere in your life?
Jake: It’s about strategy. It’s just you on the strip, like it or not. And there’s sportsmanship. Being on fencing teams in high school and college definitely made me more of a team player. You rise and fall together. There’s glory and heartache, and I’ve been on both ends. Then, patience – in fencing, sometimes you need to be patient, and I think that’s an important skill in life.
Samuel: Okay, some quick ones to close. What’s something in your neighborhood that you think deserves more shine?
Jake: The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. One day, I just walked in, and it is gorgeous. I’d never been in a cathedral before and I thought that was really cool.
Samuel: What’s something you’re feeling proud about?
Jake: Working two different jobs has been a bit much to manage, but time management is something I got good at in college, and I’m keeping it up here.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Jake: Cooking. I can do a little – chicken and eggs – but nothing to brag about. I want to work on it, and I probably should be working on it more. I’m better now than I was a year ago, so I’ve made some progress.
Samuel: You’re hosting Shabbat dinner and can invite any three people. Who are you bringing?
Jake: Cleopatra. She’s been so mythologized. I want to see what’s true, and see what she makes of a religion that didn’t fully exist when she was around [Editor’s note: It is interesting to think about what someone who overlapped with Jews of 30 BCE would recognize or not in modern Jewish practice!]. Two: Tina Fey. She’s funny and interesting and could liven up the mood a little. And my third person would be Sigmund Freud. I’d like to probe his mind. And tell him what he got wrong.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Jake: They eat!
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