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Hannah and I sit outside at Simona Cafe near Union Market. Amidst the late afternoon din of school letting out, we chat about Hannah’s time in the Peace Corps, why anyone can host, giving up Instagram, Yom Kippur, and vacuuming.
Samuel: What brought you to the DMV?
Hannah: Work! After college I did Peace Corps service in Ukraine, teaching English as a second language. I was a Volunteer from 2017 to the end of 2019. I got back to the States in January 2020 and lived in Vermont for a while and was lucky enough to land a job at Peace Corps Headquarters [in DC]. I was able to work remotely, but eventually we had to go hybrid, which brought me to DC in September 2021. I’ve now lived here five years!
Samuel: How has working with the Peace Corps affected you as a person?
Hannah: Peace Corps has been such a huge part of my early career both personally and professionally. My time in Ukraine was life-changing and I learned so much about community/relationship building, working in an unstructured environment with limited resources, flexibility, and the importance of cross-cultural exchange. I feel like the ultimate spokesperson for Peace Corps service. If anyone ever wants to talk about it, I’m your girl! Happy to talk about it and answer questions for anyone interested in applying. It’s never too late to think about dedicating time to service whether that’s a two year commitment or finding another volunteer opportunity locally. I think it’s so important to give back in whatever way you can.
Me and my friend Rachel recently started a Giving Circle through the JCC where we picked different places to volunteer at throughout the city. It was very fun to volunteer with friends but also challenging to figure out scheduling and coordination of which organizations to volunteer with.
Working with the Peace Corps both as a Volunteer and at HQ has informed my daily life – I still have a lot of really close friends I served with, and I have been really fortunate to gain a lot of skills by working in multiple different offices within HQ. I’ve come to have a lot of knowledge on federal budgeting and procurement. I now constantly think about random logistics, especially living in DC.
Samuel: I’ve heard you’re an enthusiastic host, and this all seems to fit with that.
Hannah: I love hosting! I think, in our internet-infused world, it’s really important to just bring people together. I don’t want to say that I’m anti-social media, but…
Samuel: You can!
Hannah: I gave up Instagram in 2020 and I think it’s the best decision of my life. I found myself interacting with the platform in a very negative way and it became such a large source of anxiety. Not to mention a major time suck. I got rid of it and I’ve never looked back. I will say sometimes I feel like I miss out on certain events, or friends are annoyed that they can’t send me memes or reels…but the real ones will screen-record and send it to you.
Being off social media has really made me want to find other avenues of connecting with people specifically in person. I think Partiful is the best social app since Venmo for organizing and getting people together. I enjoy mixing friend groups and seeing people get together and connect. It really just brings a smile to my face.
And, specifically the Jewish community in DC is phenomenal! When I first moved here in 2021 I signed up to be a Shabbat Cluster Coordinator with the JCC. I am now an Ambassador for the program and I have really enjoyed meeting people and being active in the community. It’s really fun to meet people and introduce them to other people I think they would vibe with. Being a Shabbat Cluster Coordinator has also made me way better at hosting and shown me how easy it can be! Like, anyone can host and get people together. You don’t necessarily need to have a large space or have it be at your house.
Samuel: Something we hear from a lot of people is that they want to host, but don’t feel like they have space. If you’re in a studio apartment, how are you bringing multiple friend groups together?
Hannah: DC has so many phenomenal public spaces. Go to Malcolm X Park or the National Mall with a picnic blanket and some Trader Joe’s snacks. The Portrait Gallery has that beautiful space – get your friends together and hang out there! And I hate these luxury apartment buildings [Editor’s note: Sorry, NoMa, but…] – they’re like dorm rooms for adults – but if you live in one of these, hopefully you have really nice amenities. You have a rooftop? Invite four people and have a quick dinner. I really love and recommend the book The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker. It showed me the importance of gathering and that it really does not have to be this big elaborate thing! The best types of gatherings are the spontaneous ones with good friends.
Samuel: What do you like to host?
Hannah: I’m such a big fan of hosting Shabbat dinners. Again, getting involved with the Shabbat Cluster Program has forced me to have monthly Shabbat dinners. It really helped me fall back in love with Judaism as an adult. GatherDC’s Beyond The Tent Retreat also made me reflect on what I want my own intentional Jewish practice to be and I have really learned that I need to have at least one form of a Shabbat dinner a month. For me, Shabbat is just a way to have a fun dinner party and catch up with friends both new and old. I think it’s really cool that within Judaism we have this concept of taking a breather. Everyone interprets it differently, but it’s so nice that we value rest and renewal.
Samuel: How do you interpret it?
Hannah: For me, Shabbat means slowing down. The week is finally over, and it’s a chance to pause, reflect, spend time with the people I care about, light candles, and enjoy a delicious meal together. I find that my phone can be a huge distraction, so on Friday nights, I really try to stay off of it. I’ve found that the best way for me to do that is to surround myself with people. Socializing, hosting, and creating a space where people can come together helps me feel present and connected to my own version of Judaism.
Samuel: What are you looking forward to with the High Holidays?
Hannah: I really appreciate Yom Kippur and the way it forces you to slow down and reflect. I crave structure, and I crave ritual, so I think there’s something really beautiful about having a dedicated day to atone for your mistakes. It gives you a reason to stop, take stock of your actions, think about where you may have gone wrong, and consider how you want to do better moving forward.
Without Yom Kippur, I think I’d carry a lot of that guilt around with me. There’s something really freeing about having a built-in opportunity to acknowledge what you’ve done, make amends, and let some of that weight go.
I also think it’s important to learn how to advocate for yourself—to be able to clearly communicate when something is wrong instead of shutting it off or letting it sit with you. Yom Kippur creates space for that, too. It gives you an excuse to reflect, right wrongs, and have the difficult conversations you might otherwise avoid.
I’m also really big into goal-setting. I honestly think people should talk about their goals much more, especially with their friends. When you say out loud what you want for yourself, it makes it feel more real. You’re putting it out into the universe, but you’re also giving the people who care about you a chance to ask about it, encourage you, and hold you accountable. I think we should challenge our friends to set goals more often.
Yom Kippur is obviously a time for reflection, but I also see it as an opportunity to celebrate the people in my life, to hear what they’re working toward, what they’re proud of, and what they hope to do differently in the year ahead.
Samuel: Okay, a few quick ones to close. What’s something you love in NoMa?
Hannah: The Metro Branch Trail, specifically the metropolitan beer trail! I’m also a big fan of Nice & Easy, which is a fun dive bar.
Samuel: What’s something you’re bad at?
Hannah: Vacuuming. I hate it. I never want to do it.
Samuel: You can invite any three people to Shabbat dinner – who are you bringing?
Hannah: Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton, Alanis Morissette and of course my two older sisters who I frequently want to scream sing karaoke with but sadly we all live in different states.
Samuel: Favorite Taylor Swift album?
Hannah: Folklore.
Samuel: Last one. Finish the sentence: When Jews of the DMV gather…
Hannah: They build community.
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