In 1984, the National Memorial, a memorial commemorating American Jews in the Armed Forces of the United States, was moved a tenth of a mile in Washington, D.C., to a new, bigger space — previously home to the American Psychiatric Museum Association. Then, in 1992, the memorial underwent a rebrand to increase its visibility and became The National Museum of American Jewish Military History.
Today, more than 30 years later, the Washington, D.C., museum is undergoing another big change with an expansion campaign during a time of increased antisemitism to boost its profile in the public consciousness.
“We are moving toward a significant visioning statement about the museum’s future, about its financial sustainability and about maintaining its record of preserving the legacy of American Jewish veterans. And I’ve been blessed to meet some of the finest people you ever want to meet,” said Abe Wasserberger, a Pikesville resident who is assisting the museum with the project.
Wasserberger comes with a background in consulting and has been involved in Jewish communal work for decades, including three years as the executive VP for resource development at The Associated, but this is the first time Wasserberger has worked with an organization like the museum.
As part of the museum’s campaign, Wasserberger said in order for the museum to remain relevant and impactful, it needs to engage more with younger people and expand its reach.
“People in their 80s is the mean age of many of the [museum’s] leadership. So [we’re] recruiting younger people, generating resources to expand the work of the museum, to give it more of a national profile in our society at a time when antisemitism is growing,” Wassberger said.
Wasserberger gave glowing reviews of the museum’s leadership and called the museum one of the best-kept secrets in the area. He added that the museum is undergoing a feasibility study with consulting company Gallagher Design, which has done projects with several major museums, including the International Spy Museum.
Wasserberger said that the company provided a roadmap for the institution’s future. He added that the roadmap looks different than just having a capital campaign, and will focus on building partnerships and raising the profile.
“This museum has mostly served its members and has not had a significant public profile. This is a time for this museum to seek partners with other museums, universities and so forth, to expand its work at a granular level, so we will mount a campaign to re-envision the museum, to give it the funds to have a sustainable rebirth, in order to preserve not just the collection, but to preserve the story that you served and died and continue to serve honorably in this country,” Wasserberger said.
He said that highlighting the stories of American Jews and their service is important because no one else will be there to tell it.
“The story of Jewish service is no different than the story of Greek Americans that serve, Asian Americans who serve. It is a commitment of a minority of the country who sees an opportunity for freedom,” Wasserberger said.
He added that many people are unaware of the level of Jewish participation in service throughout U.S. history. In World War II alone, around 500,000 Jews served in the U.S. military, and 52,000 of them were decorated for bravery during the war.
This work is incredibly important to Wasserberger, the son of Holocaust survivors. He added that Jews in America are currently experiencing the most freedoms they’ve ever had in the country’s history, and that Jewish Americans need to continue to advocate for themselves.
“I encourage people to learn more about American Jews in their service of freedom to this country, and to be proud and supportive of veterans, and learn more about the history of American Jews who have fought so that you and I and your future children and grandchildren can be free,” Wasserberger said.
