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Episode 135: LGBTQ Jews in the Federal City

Step into the history of queer Jews in Washington, DC, as Nahanni tours the Capital Jewish Museum’s current exhibit, “LGBTJews in the Federal City” with curators Jonathan Edelman and Sarah Leavitt. Through artifacts, photos, and oral histories, the exhibit looks at decades of federal discrimination and the fight for equality, the AIDS epidemic and national response, and the transformation of Jewish communal life locally and nationally. Highlights include a panel from the AIDS memorial quilt, a purple, sequined gown from DC’s favorite Jewish drag queen, and a pair of rotary phones that dial up oral history clips from local LGBTQ community members.  

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Released December 2, 2025
  • Capital Jewish Museum Curator Sarah Leavitt and Collections Curator Jonathan Edelman. Photo courtesy of the Capital Jewish Museum. 

  • Members of Bet Mispacha participate in National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, October 11, 1987. Part of the "LGBTJews in the Federal City" exhibition at the Capital Jewish Museum. 

  • Rotary phone oral history display, part of the "LGBTJews in the Federal City" exhibition a the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of Nahanni Rous. 

  • Display about Ester Goldberg, a popular Washington DC drag queen in the 1990s and early 2000s, in the "LGBTJews in the Federal City" exhibition at the Capital Jewish Museum. Photo courtesy of Nahanni Rous. 

  • Panel from AIDS Memorial Quilt, part of the "LGBTJews in the Federal City" exhibition at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy of Nahanni Rous. 

  • AIDS Memorial Quilt in front of the Washington Monument (via Wikimedia Commons).

  • Sarah Leavitt and Jonathan Edelman, Capital Jewish Museum
  • Members of Bet Mishpacha in 1987 Gay Rights March, Capital Jewish Museum
  • Rotary Phone Display, Capital Jewish Museum
  • Ester Goldberg Display, Capital Jewish Museum Exhibit
  • AIDS Memorial Quilt Panel, Capital Jewish Museum
  • AIDS Memorial Quilt in Front of Washington Monument

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "Episode 135: LGBTQ Jews in the Federal City." (Viewed on December 15, 2025) <https://jwa.org/podcasts/canwetalk/episode-135-lgbtjews-federal-city>.