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Daniel and I occupy a corner of Peregrine Espresso at Eastern Market one recent rainy afternoon. As he prepares to move to Philadelphia, he reflects on his time in DC at Moishe House Columbia Heights (which is open for resident applications!), his work as a legal advocate for our First Amendment rights, and maintaining a diverse Jewish community while staying true to your religious values.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Daniel: I grew up in Pennsylvania and went to college in Pennsylvania. After college, I was in law school in California, then clerked for an appellate judge in Atlanta. I moved from Atlanta to DC for work and I’ve been here almost two years.
Samuel: What’s kept you here?
Daniel: Moishe House certainly kept me here. I really liked my roommates and the community we’re building. I have a lot of friends from growing up, from college, from law school in DC. I was able to find my place in the broader DC and broader Jewish community. It’s been a very tough decision for me to leave – I’m still grappling with it, and I think it’ll only truly be real to me when I move out. I definitely had no qualms with the idea of staying here longer. I’ve had a wonderful time. I’d be thrilled to come back.
Samuel: What’s set the DC Jewish community apart, compared to other places you’ve lived?
Daniel: The biggest difference about the DC Jewish community is that there’s more Jews, more diversity of Jews. You have middle spaces. I grew up Conservative and have become a little bit more observant [over time]. I think DC has a lot of people on my religious journey.
Samuel: What was it like being on your own religious journey while also living in Moishe House Columbia Heights?
Daniel: At any step of your Jewish journey, it’s important to know what matters to you. What’s going to matter in terms of your relationship with God and the Jewish people? When you’re living with people who have different relationships, different things that matter to them, it is important to learn about their why and be flexible, but also know what matters to you.
With Adin, Mitchell, and me, we have different things that matter to us – and that’s important in a Moishe House, because we want every Jew to feel comfortable at our house. If we all keep Shabbos, all keep kosher, all go to the same synagogue, all pray at the same place, that’s going to attract one type of Jewish person…and that limits us! One thing that’s really powerful about our house is that we have different aspects of Jewish practice that matter to us. We go to different places to pray. We belong to different [parts] of the Jewish community in the DMV, and that makes it a better Moishe House. You need to accommodate other people while also being true to yourself, and I think we’ve done it very successfully.
Samuel: What feels alive Jewishly for you?
Daniel: Learning feels alive. I love school. My grandmother was a teacher. My mother is a teacher. My older brother was a teacher. Three of my aunts are teachers. I teach at a religious school. Education is so prominent in my family, and Torah learning is continuous and lifelong. Some people view some Jewish practices as limiting or inhibiting – I don’t view them that way, but learning is something a lot of people understand. You can choose what to learn, what matters to you, where to learn, whom to learn with. That’s an aspect that can engage every Jew.
Samuel: Speaking of lifelong learning…you’re a lawyer! And specifically working on First Amendment issues. What does that look like day-to-day?
Daniel: A lot of litigation is research and writing. I work at a small nonprofit, so I can be involved at any step of the process. When we get a case submission, I’m interviewing that person and pitching it to the team on whether we should take this case. I’m thinking about what a win – ideally – and a loss – tragically – could mean for the First Amendment. Right now, I’m preparing an appellate brief, doing a lot of research and writing. I’m also preparing for a bench trial in California, so we’re preparing all these documents and presentations and exhibits. So, it depends on the day and depends on the case.
Samuel: What do you wish more people understood about the First Amendment?
Daniel: I think it’s always helpful for people to think about counterexamples when they are thinking about the First Amendment. I defend some content that I disagree with. But I defend that content because I can think about the counterexample, and I don’t want the government to have that power either.
Take a recent First Amendment issue that Jews might have different opinions about: whether noncitizens, like Mahmoud Khalil [and others], should be removed from the United States because of their pro-Palestinian views. I think it is very important to think about the counterexample. I would feel very uncomfortable if the government had the power to remove a noncitizen who was voicing pro-Israel views, so I’m very uncomfortable if they’re able to remove a noncitizen who is voicing pro-Palestinian views. One of the reasons why I like the First Amendment is that it requires a principled approach: Can you advocate for speech you disagree with as long as it is advancing principles that you do agree with?
Samuel: Do your professional identity and Jewish identity overlap at all?
Daniel: I think Judaism really prioritizes adherence to deeply held principles and having those act out in every aspect of your life. Like, with really observant Jews, every aspect of their life is related to a Torah principle, from keeping kosher and the way you eat to how you dress, how you wake up, how you wash your hands. In everything I do, I’m trying to be cognizant of how I’m being true to my principles, both as a Jew and as a citizen and as a person. I view myself as trying to pursue justice. Ideally, every lawyer is trying to pursue justice. And, ideally, every Jew is trying to pursue justice.
Samuel: Okay, a few quick ones to close. What are you feeling proud about right now?
Daniel: I’m feeling proud about staying connected to people that matter to me. Especially since I’m leaving a place soon, and every time you leave a place there’s the potential for people to slip through the cracks when you’re not seeing them often. I’m trying to reaffirm and reach out to keep in touch with people who have mattered to me at one moment, to make sure they continue to matter to me.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Daniel: Waking up. It’s a running joke in my Moishe House that, you know, you see Daniel in the morning and he doesn’t speak and doesn’t smile and just walks down the stairs and directly out the door to go to work.
Samuel: You can bring any three people to Shabbat dinner. Who are you inviting?
Daniel: I would invite my great-grandma. I was named after her, and I’ve heard so many stories about her, but I never got to meet her because she died shortly before I was born. I would also invite Wilana, my grandmother’s best friend, who my older sister is named after. I always think about meeting people who are related to me because they matter to me…but it’d be fascinating to meet the people who mattered to them. Like, I knew my grandmother. I got an incredible 26 years with her. But meeting her best friend would be so illuminating.
The third person I’d bring is anyone who needs a Shabbat dinner. We host a ton, and it’s really about making the Shabbat dinner open to anybody who needs it.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Daniel: They affect each other’s lives!
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