Monica Arkin is DC’s biggest cheerleader. Although she currently lives – and works – in Bethesda, Maryland, she never ceases on an opportunity to take full advantage of all that our great nation’s capitol has to offer. From day-dreaming of free afternoons laying on the National Mall to enthusiastically attending Jewish events across the city to taste-testing hamantaschen at local DC bakeries, Monica is here to reinvigorate your love for the District. Read on to get to know this vivacious human!
Allie: How did you wind up living in DC?
Monica: I’m from Cleveland originally and went to University of Michigan (go blue!), where I majored in Psych and minored in Hebrew. After college, I knew that I wanted to go to Israel to learn more about PTSD in kids and adolescents. In Israel there is so much trauma, which is unfortunate, but given the circumstances they do a really good job of producing research about trauma and resiliency.
I went to Israel after graduating, and it was great. After a year in Israel, I decided to come back to the US, I and started looking for jobs online. My cousin sent me an opening for a job in Bethesda – to be a research assistant for a nonprofit, nonpartisan social science research organization called Child Trends. My first thought of Bethesda is that its where Carmen lived in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but when I looked it up on GoogleMaps I realized how close it was to DC! The job description was amazing, and I knew I liked DC from the two times I had been here. I got the job, and moved here, and have been pleasantly surprised time and time again with DC.
Allie: What do you love most about living in DC?
Monica: Honestly, I think it’s really special that our Jewish community has GatherDC, and no other city has anything like that [Editor’s Note: Monica received zero compensation for this shoutout — #humblebrag.]. It is really cool that every week I get one email that shows me what’s going on across the spectrum of observance levels, across all these different areas. One weekend, there might be a sephardic dinner and a social action Tikkun Leil Shabbat. If I wanted to, I could go to two Jewish events in DC every night.
Allie: Speaking of your passion for Jewish DC life, what was it like to be a part of GatherDC’s Open Doors Fellowship? [NOTE: The Open Doors Fellowship is a 6-month fellowship that trains a group of 8-12 young adults from across DC to become go-to leaders, conveners, and facilitators of DC Jewish life.]
Monica: It was really fun! We had a really good group of people. It was cool meeting other people in the Jewish community, and we did a lot of community mapping so I was able to learn about every Jewish organization in DC. Now, when I meet someone new, I’m able to be a sort of unofficial ambassador for Jewish life and can connect people with things they might like.
Allie: I hear you volunteer for the Israeli American Council (IAC) – tell me about that!
Monica: I volunteer for a youth group – Eitanim – through the IAC. It’s a biweekly youth group for high schoolers, half of whom are American Jews and half of whom are Israelis. It’s cool because I get to interact with people of different ages, not only those in their 20s and 30s.
Allie: Awesome! Now, let’s get to know some of your favorite things…what’s your favorite show to binge watch right now?
Monica: Blackish. I love it.
Allie: Favorite way to spend a free Sunday in the city?
Monica: I would probably sit outside at Tryst and each lunch. Then, I’d walk all the way from Tryst to the National Mall and just sit on the Mall with friends.
Allie: Favorite Jewish food?
Monica: At the moment, I’m into hamantaschen. Yesterday, I got these amazing hamantaschen from Sunflower Bakery – triple chocolate and cookie dough filled.
Allie: Favorite Jewish holiday and how do you celebrate it?
Monica: Passover! This year, I’m celebrating it in a very special way. we’re doing Pesach in Cleveland for Seder, which we always do. But, the week before we’re doing a huge “Pre-sach” (AKA: pre-Pesach) ski trip in Breckenridge, Colorado. My cousins are all going – family is coming in from California, Cleveland, and London. We’re going to do a Seder the week before Passover when we’re all together.
Allie: Complete the sentence: When Jews of DC Gather…
Monica: Jewish geography is played.
