WASHINGTON, DC.- The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum's Board of Directors announced that Dr. Beatrice Gurwitz, an accomplished nonprofit leader and scholar of Jewish history, has been appointed the Museum’s next executive director, following an extensive search. As the executive director, Gurwitz will oversee the development of the Museum’s programmatic offerings, expand its network of partners, diversify funding sources, and initiate a strategic planning process. She will assume her new role at the Museum on September 23, 2024.

“Beatrice is widely admired and respected for her leadership and valuable scholarship in the field of Jewish studies. Simultaneously, she brings a deep understanding of the opportunities facing a 21st-century cultural property combined with a vast network of academic and humanities-based organizations for potential collaboration,” stated Esther Safran Foer, President of the Board of Directors. “She is the ideal candidate for this moment in the Museum’s young life. We are thrilled to welcome her to the leadership team where our shared Jewish values inspire our work to advance the Museum’s mission.”

“It’s a great privilege to be tasked with the stewardship of DC’s newest museum and to build on the impressive accomplishments of the board and staff to date. I look forward to connecting with the diverse Jewish communities in the Capital Region and ensuring that the museum’s collections and exhibitions reflect wide-ranging stories and showcase the vibrancy of past and present Jewish life in the region,” said Beatrice Gurwitz.

Dr. Beatrice Gurwitz has ten years of nonprofit management experience, a rich academic background in Latin American and Jewish history, and substantial connections to Jewish and scholarly communities in the region. Prior to joining the Museum, she served as the deputy director of the National Humanities Alliance (NHA)—an organization dedicated to bolstering the humanities on college campuses, promoting public engagement with the humanities, and increasing funding for humanities organizations. In her role, Gurwitz worked to broaden the organization’s mission, cultivated and grew multiple streams of revenue, oversaw federal advocacy and engagement with legislators, and managed a wide range of programs and conferences designed to support humanities professionals and their work. She built robust partnerships with the National Endowment for the Humanities, state and jurisdictional humanities councils, private foundations, scholarly organizations, higher ed institutions, and cultural organizations around the country.

Additional career highlights include consulting with the National Endowment for the Humanities and the United States Department of State. She has also taught at the University of Maryland and the University of California, Berkeley, and in the New York City public school system.

Gurwitz’s academic work focuses on the history of Jewish communities and other ethnic groups in Latin America. She is the author of Argentine Jews in the Age of Revolt (Brill, 2016). Her writing has also appeared in Journal of Jewish Identities, Immigrants and Minorities, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. She holds a BA from Wesleyan University and a PhD in History from the University of California, Berkeley.
Gurwitz’s appointment follows the tenure of Ivy Barsky, the interim executive director, who oversaw the completion of the new museum’s construction, opening celebrations, and inaugural year of operation. The Board of Directors and staff are very grateful to Barsky for her leadership at a pivotal moment in the Museum’s history.