Dr. Beatrice Gurwitz has extensive experience working with humanities and cultural organizations, and served as deputy director of the National Humanities Alliance in Washington, D.C. Recently, she began a new role as executive director at the Capital Jewish Museum.
Can you tell me about your Jewish connections and what got you interested in this type of job?
Finding a Jewish community that feels right for me has been one of the first things I do whenever I move to a new place. Since college, that has been New York City, then Berkeley, California, and now Chevy Chase, Maryland, for the past 12 years. We belong to Ohr Kodesh and have three children who have passed through Jewish pre-schools and Jewish day schools. These institutions have become sources of community for me and my family.
Given the centrality of Jewish community life to my own life, I have long been intrigued by the ways that Jews find their place and form communities, whether within a Jewish institutional world or beyond it. I love the way the museum both explores diverse Jewish experiences in D.C. and provides opportunities for visitors to connect with one another around shared experiences.
What prompted you to move into this role?
I spent the last ten years of my career in an organization that promoted the role that cultural organizations play in communities around the country — in exploring our past, in facilitating community dialogue and in bridging differences. And before that, I was a historian of the Jewish community in Latin America. When this position was announced, it struck me as a perfect opportunity to bridge those two phases of my career.
The museum has a unique role to play in the D.C. Jewish community, by bringing people together and using the experience of the Jewish community in Washington as a starting point for essential conversations. And, personally, I am excited for the opportunity to think about Jewish history on a day-to-day basis, especially around questions of how the local Jewish experience intersects with so many broader national stories.
What are your responsibilities as the executive director of CJM?
I oversee the staff and all their varied portfolios, which include education, exhibitions, collections and all that goes into operating the museum day to day. This requires working in close collaboration with the board and staff to define the strategic vision for the organization to ensure that we play a unique role in the D.C. cultural landscape. I am also responsible for working to sustain this institution in the short and long term through fundraising, which could be individual fundraising, soliciting foundation grants and corporate sponsorships, in close collaboration with our chief advancement officer.
What is something you’re excited about doing in your new role?
One of the things I am most excited about is connecting with pockets of the Jewish community that we have not yet connected with. The museum is very new and better known in certain circles than in others. We have a lot of work to do to make sure that we are engaging with organizations and people in other parts of the DMV, including the Maryland suburbs and Northern Virginia. We are equally interested in connecting with organizations and people that have decades of history in the area as well as relative newcomers. Fundamentally, I want Jews across the region to see us as an indispensable partner in telling their stories and exploring their histories.
What do you want people to know about you personally?
I do my best thinking in collaboration with other people. I enjoy working to synthesize the different ideas and perspectives in any room and figuring out a path forward that feels exciting and fulfilling to as many people as possible. I’m hoping this collaborative spirit will serve me well as I enter conversations with folks from all walks of Jewish life. These conversations will be essential as we work to develop a slate of exhibitions and programs that inspire people to return time and again to explore the vibrancy, complexity and diversity of Jewish life in Washington.
