Hanukkah Heights

So is the station on Van Ness street? Nope. Well, is the neighborhood called Van Ness? Nope, it’s called Forest Hills. And, as it turns out, Forest Hills actually has a very interesting history. For the first half of the 20th century, restrictive covenants made it so builders, developers, and owners of real estate could refuse to sell to minorities. Neighborhoods throughout D.C. operated under these covenants, but Forest Hills was an exception. Since homes in Forest Hills were constructed by individual builders, the neighborhood was not under the jurisdiction of a single developer who could impose a restrictive covenant on the entire neighborhood. The inclusive nature of Forest Hills led to a huge inpouring of minority residents, the highest number of which were Jews. In fact, there were so many Jews, the neighborhood was nicknamed “Hannukah Heights.”