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!
Jamie and I beat the line one morning to Rose Ave Bakery. Outside amongst the sparrows, we chat about why everyone’s in a book club, how Jamie found her community in the DMV, why she loves Capital Qvellers, how to make friends at Trader Joe’s, and her celebrity crush.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Jamie: I’m originally from Westchester, New York. I lived in the city for about eight years after college, then came down here because I got hired by Truth Initiative. I worked in the media agency world for my whole career in New York City, and Truth Initiative was the client I [most] wanted to work on. They have a good mission trying to get people to quit smoking and vaping. I’ve been there for six years, which is crazy. It’s gone by very fast.
Samuel: Other than work, what’s kept you here?
Jamie: A few things. Community is number one. I didn’t know people when I came down here, and it was Covid years, so it was bizarre. But I feel like people who were out at community events wanted extra [badly] to socialize, so it was almost nice to come in at that moment. If you were at an event, it was small and intimate and people really wanted the socialization. I had a lot of friends in New York who I went to college with or grew up with, and so I didn’t put myself out there in the same way as I did when I came here. Now, I found my way in, and my whole life is oriented around that community.
Samuel: How did you approach starting over here in terms of community?
Jamie: Meetup was a big one – I found groups that fit my interests. Whether it’s yoga or the Queer community or the Jewish community, you can find most of that on Meetup. I found my Bi group and made really close friends with the organizers. Honestly, when I first came here, I was like: I’ve got nothing to lose. I just need people to hang out with. I’d be standing in line to get into Trader Joe’s [Editor’s note: Remember that???] during the pandemic and just start chatting with someone in front of me. I hung out with people a few times from the Trader Joe’s line.
Then, there’s a lot of Jewish community. I’m always looking at different Jewish community events; I went on OneTable, I did Shabbat Clusters. And, I love yoga, so I went by myself randomly to a yoga festival and found the DC girls that were there. They introduced me to the DC Women’s Empowerment Group. It’s just finding what your hobbies are and going out and doing them, even by yourself. I attend events with enthusiasm!
Samuel: What’s feeling alive for you Jewishly right now?
Jamie: The community! It’s going to monthly Shabbat dinners and other similar events, whether at Sixth & I, the EDCJCC, or through Capital Qvellers. And always the food!
Samuel: For anyone unfamiliar, what is Capital Qvellers?
Jamie: It started from a group of friends who met, actually, in the Queer Shabbat Cluster. It’s mostly 20s and 30s, though I’ve never seen a rule around that. But the lore that I’ve heard is that this group of friends got along really well and started their own thing. It was just community organizers wanting to hang out. And so it’s on WhatsApp, pretty informal. Someone hosts a Shabbat every month and sometimes there’s other events, but people tend to make friends and then hang out with those friends and pop in and out of events. It’s pretty casual. You meet someone new or see familiar faces. Sometimes I know every single person there; sometimes it’s all new people, and you get to strike up a connection with someone totally new.
Three years ago, I started talking with two or three other people about books. We found that shared connection and now we’ve had a book club for three years.
Samuel: What have you – inside or outside of book club – read recently that’s stuck with you?
Jamie: For the book club, we alternate between Jewish or Queer stories. Often it’s both, which is awesome. I’m currently reading Sunburn, which is a sapphic book. I’m liking it so far. The last book I loved was called The Sirens. It was a sort of magical realism, feminist, woman empowerment sort of vibe. The book was really beautifully decorated. I felt like I was going into the ocean every time I was reading it.
Samuel: I feel like so many people I know are either in or starting book clubs. Why do you think that is? Why are they so popular?
Jamie: It’s like: I am entering this other world. Books make you think, but it feels private when you’re reading, and it spurs all of this thinking. Coming together. And talking about it means I get a glimpse of how you’re thinking about this thing that I was also thinking about.
Samuel: Okay, a couple quick ones. What are you feeling proud about right now?
Jamie: Career-wise, I’ve continued to grow. I’m grateful for a job in a world where jobs are hard to have in general and the environment is not always open or [working toward] a good mission. I love that I get to work on campaigns where we partner with drag queen stars as part of our ads and place them all over DC. I got to plaster Katya and Bob the Drag Queen all over Dupont Circle. Like, hell yeah. I did that.
Then, I’m working on volunteering more.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Jamie: Trivia. I’m there to hang, not answer questions.
Samuel: You can invite any three people to Shabbat dinner. Who are you bringing?
Jamie: I want my Mom and Grandma to be there, so I can reunite with all of them together. My Grandma passed away years ago. And I’ll invite my celebrity crush, G Flip. I love their music and vibe. And they’re hot.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Jamie: We have lots of yapping and food. And we cooperatively overlap.
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.
