Safran Foer is director of the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, which will host Mayor Vincent Gray’s State of the District address on Tuesday. The temple’s spectrum of upcoming events also includes gatherings with Rachel Maddow and Jonathan Haidt. What does hosting the State of the District mean to the synagogue?

We’re really honored that the mayor wanted to do the address from here, and one of the things that I think really resonated for me was what we heard from the mayor: that he’s talking about the city’s past and its future. We as an institution really do link the past to the future. Historically, this building was a synagogue and a church. Today, it’s a major cultural center downtown. We’re a unique new approach to community and Jewish life, and it means a great deal to us to be recognized as something that’s a part of the city’s future.