Little has been written about the Jewish Community in Arlington, especially before World War II. Our speaker, Jessica Kaplan, shares her research about Jewish merchants, families, and community builders in the county from 1900-1940. Like other immigrant groups, Jews faced special difficulties assimilating to American society due to language and cultural differences. As Jews, they also had to contend with the age old prejudice of anti-semitism. Ms. Kaplan explores how Arlington’s Jewish residents adapted to these challenges and built a thriving community.

Ms. Kaplan is a retired archivist and has been a freelance historical researcher for more than 20 years. She has researched and written about other little known Arlington history topics for the Arlington Historical Magazine, including “The Bottom: An African-American Enclave Rediscovered,” and “‘I Was a Union Man’: James and Lewis Marcey’s Civil War Experience.” A member of the AHS Board of Directors, and now also the editor of the Arlington Historical Magazine, she encourages others to share their stories.

This video is 1 hour and 2 minutes in length. It was recorded during a hybrid public lecture, held on August 11, 2022, both on Zoom and at the Reinsch Library Auditorium at Marymount University, Arlington, Virginia. This event is one of the monthly series of public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society and Marymount University’s Department of History and Politics.