History of the Jews in Washington, D.C.

The history of the Jews in Washington, D.C. dates back to the late 18th century and continues today. From only individual Jews settling in the city to the waves of Jewish migration in the 1840s, during the American Civil War, and in the late 19th century to the early 20th century and beyond, the community has steadily grown.

As it has gained in numbers, it has also built up numerous communal institutions, including some of the oldest remaining synagogues in the United States, and has a legacy of pulling together in times of war and crisis for both the nation and the Jewish world at large. Today, the Greater Washington community is the third largest in the United States, and remains active and influential in American politics and the broader Jewish world.