The Historic Sanctuary

Enter one of the Museum’s most treasured artifacts—a synagogue opened in 1876, in time for the US centennial. Since then, the building has been relocated several times to accommodate construction in a changing city. Today, it provides a space for visitors to imagine the experiences of the past.

The restored and historic sanctuary serves as a backdrop for an immersive film experience depicting highlights of Jewish life in Washington in the late-19th century with a focus on the founding of the city’s first congregations—Washington Hebrew Congregation (1852) and Adas Israel Congregation (1869).

The film transports visitors to 1876 with period music, narration, and visuals using excerpts from primary documents, historical maps, and photographs. Visitors can view the film while seated on the gallery’s five historic pews from three early synagogues. In the front of the sanctuary hangs the ner tamid (eternal light) donated to Washington Hebrew Congregation when it was in its first building on 8th Street, NW.