The Jewish Student Association (JSA) hosted the Jewish Gala (JGala) March 15 at the historic National Union Building. 

This year’s edition of the gala marked the event’s return to its full capacity off campus for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The JGala venue —  the National Union Building — is located in downtown Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter and has six stories.

Rabbi Daniel Schaefer, interim director for Jewish Life, said that the students involved in organizing the JGala put their leadership skills into action without much staff assistance.

“This is a chance for our Jewish students to celebrate the Jewish community at Georgetown and have fun together as well as a great leadership opportunity for a lot of our students to plan an event, take on responsibility for planning it, owning it, orchestrating it and putting it together without a lot of staff assistance,” Schaefer said in an interview with The Hoya.

While the JGala was primarily intended for Jewish students, JSA special events and external r elations Director Zach Samuel (SFS ’26) said the event was open to students from all backgrounds. 

“We were sure to be clear in all of our advertising that it was open to all students,” Samuel told The Hoya. “We’re very happy that a lot of Jewish students brought in their friends of different faiths. There was a really good mix of people, which is amazing.”

Samuel said the JGala planning process began in November. The committee selected a gala theme by December and signed contracts with venues and vendors in January.

Although some students enjoyed the convenience of attending an on-campus formal in 2023, when JGala was held in Copley Formal Lounge, Samuel said that students felt the lack of typical excitement offered by an off-campus venue.

“Some of the feedback that we received from last year was that students really enjoyed the convenience of a Copley Lounge formal,” he said. “What they also felt is that if they were getting dressed up and doing all this effort to go to a formal, they thought that it might be complemented by an off-campus, outside venue.”

The event featured a variety of entertainment for guests, including a photo booth, student DJs, a bar for attendees over the age of 21, refreshments and a chocolate fountain. 

JGala’s budget came primarily from ticket sales, which began at $20 for 18+ attendees and $35 for 21+ attendees, according to Samuel. Ticket sales exceeded the organizing committee’s goal of 120 tickets as they ultimately sold 135 tickets.

“We would always like to offer JSA events to more people — you know, we’re always trying to reach more Jewish students — and everyone else in the community. But we were overall pretty happy with the turnout,” Samuel said. 

Maddie Metz (CAS ’27), a JGala attendee, said she enjoyed interacting with different community members that she had not spent much time with previously.

“I found out I knew a lot more people than I thought who were involved. So it was nice to see some friends from class and people that I don’t necessarily hang out with outside of activities,” Metz said in an interview with The Hoya. “Seeing them out there definitely made me excited to try and go to a Shabbat and become more involved.”

Deb Silver, associate director for Jewish Life, said that the JGala helped to foster community, allowing students and JSA members to interact beyond the classroom.

“It’s really nice to see JSA offer students a really nice, purely social occasion to be together,” Silver told The Hoya.

Clare Tourtelotte (CAS ’27), said that even though she is not from a Jewish background, she felt the Jewish community at the JGala received her with open arms.

“It was cool to watch the community see each other and find people they’d seen at Shabbat and various other events,” Tourtelotte said in an interview with The Hoya. “I could see the community and even though I’m not a part of it, I thought it was very welcoming.”

To continue the tradition of the JGala, the JSA created Samuel’s current board position, which is responsible for the planning of an annual formal event, last year. 

Samuel said he hopes the gala achieves a lasting place among the organization’s rituals. 

“I hope that if I come back in 20 years there will still be a JSA formal,” Samuel said.