Doing the Work of the Nation: Jewish Federal Workers in the Collection
In 2025, the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum kicked off a special initiative to explore and collect the stories of Jewish federal workers in agencies and offices across the government.
The Jewish population in DC grew alongside the federal workforce in the 20th century. Jews from around the country came to serve the expanding federal government and the mobilization for World War I. And the growth continued as the federal government grew by leaps and
bounds during the New Deal and WWII. Who were these federal workers? What Jewish stories are embedded within the halls of the federal government?
Collection Highlights
Naomi Biron and co-workers in offices of legal section of Federal Register, 1947. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Naomi Biron Cohen.
Identification badge for Wendy Schumacher while she worked in the Land and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice, 1988-89. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection.
Wendy Schumacher ID Badge
A retirement ceremony held in honor of Steven Schleien, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Arctic and Global Resilience and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Defense Continuity and Mission Assurance, at the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, Arlington, Va., July 28, 2025. The event was hosted by Jennifer Walsh, former Performance Improvement Officer and Director of Administration and Management. (U.S. Army photo by Leonard Fitzgerald Jr.)
Steven L. Schleien Collection
Explore the Collection
From the Blog
Photograph, 1986. Jonathan Grossman (left) presents a silver loving cup to Harry Rubinstein (center) (Division of Political History for the National Museum of American History) in honor of the Department of Labor's Diamond Jubilee. James Taylor (coordinator for the Diamond Jubilee for the Department of Labor) looks on. Jonathan Grossman Collection, Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. Gift of Marilyn Grossman.
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Deep Dive on a Loving Cup
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Honorable Discharge certificate from the United States Navy for Herbert Harold Houser, Aviation Radioman Second Class, January 23, 1946. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Staci Houser.
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We collect a lot of certificates here at the Capital Jewish Museum. In fact, according to our database, we have over 150 of them! These certificates are made… (Read more)
Card, Leave for Federal Employees, 1961. | Gift of Harold Wallace in memory of Elliot Sivowitch
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Go Team Blue!
Sleepaway camps are giving way to back-to-school season, but I’m clinging to August even as it slips through my fingers… (Read more)
Color photograph of Wendy Schumacher at the train station she took to work for the Peace Corps in Casablanca, Morocco, 2001. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Wendy Schumacher
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Spotlight On: Wendy Schumacher’s Federal Career
With government funding in the news a lot lately, we’re taking the opportunity to learn some new stories about the… (Read more)
Naomi Biron and co-workers in offices of legal section of Federal Register, 1947. Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum Collection. Gift of Naomi Biron Cohen.
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Doing the Work of the Nation
The future of the US Civil Service has been in the news a lot lately. But beyond the headlines, who… (Read more)
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The museum continues to collect materials relating to Jewish federal workers in the Greater Washington region. If you or someone you know has materials for the archive to consider, please email [email protected].
The Museum’s initiative to collect items telling the stories of local Jewish federal workers is supported by Sue Ducat in memory of Stanley Cohen z”l.