Zoe Bell and Mia Resnicow
The Capital Jewish Museum hosted its second annual gala at the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14 to raise money for continuing free admission to exhibits and increasing the museum’s security measures.
“The money we raise allows us to have admission-free access for visitors to the principal exhibit, [located on the second floor],” Chris Wolf, board president of the Capital Jewish Museum, said. “We still charge for the special exhibits, but for the main exhibit, people can come for free, and that’s only possible through fundraising efforts like the gala.”
The fundraising goal for the gala was $600,000, but, according to Wolf, the gala reached well over what they had anticipated, with a majority of the revenue coming from sponsors who bought tables for $20,000.
The proceeds of the gala will go to the museum’s operating budget, including security, which Wolf said has increased significantly since the shooting that occurred on May 21.
“[Security costs have] increased at all Jewish organizations … across the country unfortunately, because of the rise in antisemitism and the threats to the Jewish community,” Wolf added. “So, the costs for security are much greater than they have been in the past.”
The funds will also be used to support the museum’s educational programming and the free admission programming for many of the museum’s current and future exhibits.
Roughly 300 people were in attendance, each paying at least $1,000 for admission, to honor philanthropist David Rubenstein and Esther Safran Foer, an author, Capital Jewish Museum board member and the former executive director of Sixth & I.
The theme of this year’s gala was “preserving history and building bridges,” which the honorees “exemplified” through the contributions they have made to the community, according to Meg Flax, the co-chair of the 2025 gala and longtime community volunteer.
“We’ve been open for two years and a few months, and we were able to celebrate the fact that we’ve had numerous special exhibits that were important, starting with The Notorious RBG and including our now really wonderful exhibit called LGBTJews in the Federal City,” Wolf said. “It was an opportunity to celebrate all that we’re doing, the programs that we have and the educational things that we have for kids, ranging from preschoolers to law students at Georgetown [University].”
In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of the museum, Tina Small, one of the founders of the museum, said its leaders wanted to also give a proper memorial to Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were fatally shot in front of the museum this past May after attending a diplomatic reception.
“Sadly, there was tragedy outside of our building,” Small said. “We thought it was imperative to acknowledge that and to make sure that they received a proper memorialization from us, because these were young people that really were trying to do good in this world.”
The event included a moment of silence to remember Lischinsky and Milgrim.
“[Capital Jewish Museum Executive Director] Bea Gurwitz put it perfectly — that [the shooting] doesn’t define us, but it is part of our history now, and we need to include that in what we do, because we are a museum of Jewish history in Washington,” Wolf said.
Wolf and Small said they couldn’t have asked for better honorees for the gala.
“It was easy [to select Rubenstein and Foer] because both of them have contributed so much to the community and to preserving history in the community,” Wolf said. “Esther is a historian. She ran Sixth & I, and she also wrote a book about her own family history in the Ukraine and in Poland.”
Her 2020 memoir, “I Want You to Know We’re Still Here,” delves into Foer’s journey to find the family that sheltered her father during the Holocaust and begin to heal the trauma of four generations of Holocaust survivors.
“David Rubenstein spends … millions of dollars on artifacts and also conducts programs on history,” Wolf said.
Rubenstein is the host of PBS and Bloomberg shows, including “History with David Rubenstein,” in which he interviews acclaimed American scholars and public figures. He also converses with historians and creative thinkers on his podcast, “For the Ages.”
“He’s a fantastic interviewer in his own right,” Wolf said of Rubenstein.
“It was truly inspiring,” said Small. “Our leaders were inspired. We were fortunate to hear from Esther’s sons, who spoke beautiful words about her, and Gov. [Wes] Moore, who honored David Rubenstein and spoke movingly about the work that David’s done in our community.”
“David has answered the call so many times in terms of offering his support, emotionally and financially,” Small explained. “What [Rubenstein and Foer] bring to the table and bring to our community is truly leadership and admiration. I mean, I admire them. I’m sure that the others in the room did too, and yet they’re very humble and very soft-spoken about what they have been able to give to the community in terms of legacy and continuing the work that we’re trying to do as the museum.”
Moore introduced Rubenstein at the gala.
“I will repeat a story that Gov. Moore said,” Small said. “When the boat hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore and their economy in the Baltimore area was imploding, one of the first calls he received was from David Rubenstein, son of Baltimore, who basically said, ‘I’m here. You let me know what I can do.’”
“[The honorees] were easy choices for us,” Wolf said.
