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Allen County, Indiana People
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Beginning in the late 1700's, Jewish fur traders lived in the Fort Wayne area. The first known Jewish resident was John Jacob Hayes, appointed by President James Monroe to serve as Indian Agent. He lived in Fort Wayne from 1820-1823. Jewish immigrants from Germany began to arrive in Fort Wayne around 1830. They worked as peddlers, merchants and craftsmen. By 1848, there was a sufficient number of Jews to form the first Jewish congregation in Indiana, The Society for Visiting the Sick and Burying the Dead. In 1861, the congregation changed its name to the Synagogue of Unity and Peace (Congregation Achduth Vesholom), affiliating with the Reform Movement in May 1874. Read the rest copied February 13, 2017 from Our History The Fort Wayne Jewish Community on the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne website.
Our Story Our roots date to 1848, distinguishing us as the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana. Since its founding, the Temple has resided in four different synagogues. The current facility on Old Mill Road became our home in 1961. At The TempleCav.org.
B'nai Jacob Synagogue Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/138397119557025/. Was discussed in the
Synagogue celebrating tumultuous 100 years by Frank Gray October 23, 2012 in the Journal-Gazette newspaper.
Did you know in 1840, nearly half of Bavaria's Jewish Community lived in the City of Furth? This explains why Nusach Furth, or the Prayer rituals of the city of Furth, were selected for Indiana's first Jewish Congregation, Achduth Vesholom in Fort Wayne, many of its founders being Bavarian Jews who immigrated to Indiana in the 1840s. (The First President of the Congregation, Frederic Nirdlinger, was from Swabia, and his Nusach (Jewish Prayer rituals) still has yet to be clarified and determined) .
Organized as a "Society for Visiting the Sick and Burying the Dead." In 1848, the society bought the old burial ground adjoining what is now McCulloch Park. In 1848 the society officially organized the first Jewish congregation in the state of Indiana and took the name the Synagogue of Unity and Peace. This was originally an Orthodox German congregation, and all records were kept in German for the first thirty years. Services were held in the home of Frederic Nirdlinger until 1859 when the old German Methodist Church at Wayne and Harrison streets was purchased. In 1861 the name of the congregation was changed to Congregation Achduth Vesholom. In 1917 a third temple was built at the corner of Wayne Street and Fairfield Avenue. Designed by Alvin M. Strauss the current temple building was dedicated in 1961. Records from 1848 to 1973 have been copied and are available at the temple. A history of the congregation is available at the Allen County Public Library. Volumes 1-3 in German. Madge Rothschild Resource Center is new Jewish center to be for 'whole community' by Rosa Salter Rodriquez published April 27, 2017 in The Journal Gazette newspaper.
Congregation Achduth Vesholom's third Synagogue building was built at Wayne and Fairfield and dedicated over three days beginning December 28, 1917, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, during Rabbi Aaron Weinstein's tenure.
Family History Today: Using Facial Recognition Tools to Identify Unnamed Ancestors November 13, 2020 by Center for Jewish History on YouTube
In contrast to vital records, family photos do not impart clear, standardized information and have always posed a genealogical challenge. In 2019, amateur genealogist and data scientist Scott Genzer developed a technique for using free online facial recognition tools to identify people in photographs, and has successfully applied it to historical photos of the Jewish community of his ancestral town, Mielec, Poland, among others. In this presentation, he will offer a detailed demonstration of this technique and explain how it may help you break through some of your genealogical brick walls.
This program was sponsored by the Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute. It was supported, in part, by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Indiana Jewish Historical Society Publications & Collections About this collection Indiana Jewish History is the annual publication of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, founded in 1972 to preserve and promote an interest in the Hoosier Jewish community. This set is made available through a collaborative effort with the Indiana Jewish Historical Society and through a grant from the Robert and Toni Bader Charitable Foundation. Additional materials from the Indiana Jewish Historical Society Collection are being added to this digital collection through the collecting efforts of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, with grant funding made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Indiana State Library. At We Do History online digital collection by the Indiana Historical Society.
"Women's Hadassah group posed for a photograph around 1915 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Hadassah is a women's Zionist organization. Pictured is: Minnie Weinraub, Esther Komisarow, Mrs. Greshin, Mollie Burxhaum, Dora Zweig, Bessie Meyer, Ann Glotzer, Rose Novtsky, Ann Wagner, and Mary Komisarow."
Wishing everyone a Shabbat Shalom from Hoosierland.
"A large group was photographed in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, 1919. People identified in the photograph include: "With one or two exceptions, all these people were related to each other. Max Freed, Mrs. Max Freed, Seymour Meyer, Joe Meyer (Brother of Above), Abe Frank (Son of Mendel Frank), Mike Falk, Harry Komisarow, Sam Appel, Mr. and Mrs. Louis J. Novitsky, Byron Novitsky, Father of Sam Levin, Levin Boy not identified, Mr. and Mrs. Morris Meyer, Gillie Meyer, Irene Neiman, Donald Komisarow, Brother of Donald, Harold Novitsky, Abe Frank's Do(a)ughter, Granddo(a)ughter of Mendel Frank, Elliot Meyer, Mendel Frank, Mother Morris Meyer, Isador Hassan, Joe Meyer Brother of Gilbert, Mrs. Louis Kaufman Mother of L J Novitsky, Louis Kaufman Stepfather of L J Novitsky, Herman Komisarow, Esther Frank First wife of Above, Elaine Neiman Niece of Mendel Frank, Morris Meyer and Bessie Meyer parents of Gilbert Meyer, Mother of Herman Komisarow, Mrs. Mendel Frank, Mr. and Mrs. Max Zinn, Abe and Joe Zinn, Ben Falk, 'Old Man Bailer,' Mrs. and Mrs. Frank Schafman (He was brother of Mary Komisarow), Anna Frank (Mrs. H. Wagner), Harry Wagner, Unknown Man (A Rabbi), some children in front, don't have names."
From the Indiana Jewish Historical Society Collection of the Indiana Historical Society.
Photo labeled Fort Wayne Israel Bonds Drive in 1955! showing B. Ress, Ruth Ress, Isidor Hassan, Myrtle Shine, ? Etta Sheray, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., Jules Lederman, Rivah Meyers, Rabbi Weller, Bernie Fine, and Vera Weller.
As a Jewish immigrant from Czarist Russia, Minette Baum changed how Fort Wayne addressed basic needs in the early 20th Century.
Drawing on her experiences at Jane Addams’ Hull House in Chicago.
Baum established a settlement house at her own home at 1313 W. Wayne Street in Fort Wayne. Many of today’s significant local human service agencies can trace their origins to her efforts.
Minette Baum served as president of the Fort Wayne Zionist District from 1919 to 1935, one of the first women in America to occupy such a position. Baum was also a leader in Hadassah. Her close friend, The late president of Israel, Yitzhak Ben Zvi, called her “the Henrietta Szold of America.
Do you know what it was like to be Jewish kid during the Holocaust? Lilly and Bella are 13-year-old twins who are a part of Fort Wayne's Jewish community. Today, they are sharing some history as part of our new "Fort Wayne Teens and the Holocaust" short series for teeens. #USandTheHolocaustPBS#PBSFortWayne
In the early twentieth century, Jewish philanthropic organizations provided newcomers with aid and employment opportunities, forever changing the cultural landscape of the U.S. as they relocated immigrants from New York to cities across the country like Indianapolis, Evansville, and Fort Wayne. While the newcomers were aided by organizations like the Jewish Federation, these same organizations often encouraged the erasure of cultural markers and traditions in an attempt to avoid increasing antisemitism in Indiana.
Hadassah around 1915 in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Pictured is: Minnie Weinraub, Esther Komisarow, Mrs. Greshin, Mollie Burxhaum, Dora Zweig, Bessie Meyer, Ann Glotzer, Rose Novitsky, Ann Wagner, and Mary Komisarow.
Jolly Juniors, pictured below, was a children's activities program spearheaded in the 1950s by Joe Levine, Executive Director of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation (And later the first Executive Director of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society). It was formed at the height of the baby boom, and it was a family and children's favorite program which engaged Jewish children in fun activities such as painting and other crafts.
On this day in Indiana Jewish History 1820: John Jacob Hays, the grandson of Solomon Hays, a member of the early Sephardic Jewish Community of New York, arrived today in Fort Wayne, where he began serving as an Indian agent for the Potawatomi and Miami tribes making him the first known Jew to settle in the Indiana city. Hays was known for his level-headedness, sobriety, and calmness.
The Temple’s own Beth Zweig has an op-ed in this weekend’s Journal Gazette, inviting the Fort Wayne community to take part in Congregration Achduth Vesholom’s 175th Anniversary open house on November 12th.
Check out this digital resource documenting 66 synagogues that were built across Indiana from 1865 to 2015, developed by the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, Dr. Wendy Soltz, and Ball State University.
Indiana Humanities and Indiana Landmarks awarded a Historic Preservation Education Grant for the project. The digital map (see Indiana Synagogue Mapping Project Dr. Wendy Soltz • A collaborative project between the Indiana Jewish Historical Society and Ball State University ) highlights each of the synagogues, providing information on the building’s history and status, often with photographs.
: Temple Israel, Terre Haute by Tommy Kleckner; Ahavath Sholom, Ligonier by Evan Hale; Temple Beth-El, Indianapolis from Indiana Landmarks archives; Sons of Israel, South Bend by Lee Lewellen; Temple Beth-El, South Bend by David Frederick
Wishing Congregation Achduth Vesholom of Fort Wayne, Indiana's first Synagogue, founded in 1848, a delighted 175th anniversary. Here is to the next 175 years, Mazal Tov!!!!!
On this day in Indiana Jewish History in 1859, In Lancaster, PA, Moses Aaron and his wife gave birth to Israel Aaron, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Hebrew Union College who served as a rabbi at Congregation Achduth Vesholom Fort Wayne, Indiana,
We cover this historical event in our tribute to Congregation Achduth Vesholom, celebrating its 175th anniversary as the Oldest Synagogue in Indiana. Please click the link below to watch the short video:
A Birthday is coming up soon! Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Ethan Sandler (born December 3, 1972) is an American actor, film producer, and writer known for his role as Jeffrey Brandau on the television series Crossing Jordan. From 2002 to 2007, Ethan Sandler's screen credits include The Chocolate War, Flushed, and The Enigma with a Stigma. He can be heard voicing multiple characters in Disney's 2007 computer-animated film Meet the Robinsons. Acting in The Bourne Supremacy and The Princess Diaries.
The Temple offers condolences to the family of long-time member Doris Fogel, 89, who died yesterday. A funeral service will be held on Friday, December 15 at 1:30 p.m. at the Temple, 5200 Old Mill Road, with interment to follow at Lindenwood Cemetery.
Doris served twice as president of Congregation Achduth Vesholom, from 1990-1992 and 2005-2007. She also was president for six years of the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne prior to becoming its Executive Director.
She led a remarkable life. She took seriously her role as a Holocaust survivor and felt it was very important that she speak to as many students as possible about the horrors of antisemitism and the Holocaust.
[ Doris Fogel, nee Warschawski, of Northbrook, IL, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on December 13, 2023, She was the wife of the late Sam Fogel. She is survived by her sons Arthur (Susie), Daniel (Deborah), and daughter Deborah Charen (Andrew), and her eight grandchildren, Annie Fogel (28), Lucy Fogel (26), Ellie Fogel (25), Sarah Fogel (23), Johnny Fogel (19), Jacob Charen (26) Emily Charen (24) and Rebecca Charen (22). Doris was born in Berlin, Germany on May 3, 1934. In 1938, at the age of 4, she and her mother escaped the Nazis and found refuge in Shanghai, China, the only place in the world where people could go without a Visa. She immigrated to the U.S. in May 1947. The people that sponsored her and her mother lived in Peoria, Il. and that is where her life in America began. She attended Bradley University and thereafter moved to Chicago. She met her husband, Sam, in Chicago. Sam was from Ft. Wayne where he practiced law for 58 years. Doris worked in her husband's office for 45 years. Upon his retirement Doris joyfully served as the Executive Director of the Ft. Wayne Jewish Federation. ]
Photographs belonging to the Herman and Sadie Freiburger family of Fort Wayne, Indiana "Herman Freiburger was the son of Leopold and Minna (Steinfeld) Freiburger. Leopold Freiburger was born in 1835 in Wurttemburg, Germany and immigrated to America in 1851. He married Minna Steinfeld on January 10, 1865 in Indiana. Minna was born in 1844 in Darmstadt, Germany and immigrated to American in 1864. The couple had four children: Hattie, Herman, Joseph, and Julius. By the turn of the century, the Freiburgers moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana from Mt. Carroll, Illinois. Leopold died in 1925."
Images & Information Source: The Indiana Historical Society
We were proud to create a Jewish Heritage Tour as part of Congregation Achduth Vesholom's celebration of its 175th anniversary. : A postcard from the Allen County Public Library Community Album collection showing the 1917 synagogue of the congregation celebrating its 175th anniversary this year at the current Temple on Old Mill Road.
Photographs belonging to the album of Herman and Sadie Freiburger family of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The photos date from the early to mid-1900s. Society. The family was originally from Wurttemburg, which is today part of Germany.
This collection was digitized by the Indiana Historical Society. Which can be found below: [ Their link did not work ]
Thank you to Rabbi Meir Bargeron and the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne for giving me a tour of the Temple! It was great hearing about their rich history here in Fort Wayne!
Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne Hadassah #hoosierjewishhistory #womanshistorymonth This photograph is a wonderful...
This photograph is a wonderful reminder of the important contributions made by women in Fort Wayne's Jewish community. In Indiana Jewish History, the organization was Hadassah, a Jewish Women's Zionist Organization founded by mainly immigrants from Yiddish-speaking backgrounds. Many of its leaders would become pioneers of gender equality when they assumed roles on other Boards of Directors in Fort Wayne's Jewish Community.
Pictured is: Minnie Weinraub, Esther Komisarow, Mrs. Greshin, Mollie Burxhaum, Dora Zweig, Bessie Meyer, Ann Glotzer, Rose Novtsky, Ann Wagner, and Mary Komisarow.
Digitized and now in the Indiana Historical Society Collection.
In the early twentieth century, Jewish philanthropic organizations provided newcomers with aid and employment opportunities, forever changing the cultural landscape of the U.S. as they relocated immigrants from New York to cities across the country like Indianapolis, Evansville, and Fort Wayne. While the newcomers were aided by organizations like the Jewish Federation, these same organizations often encouraged the erasure of cultural markers and traditions in an attempt to avoid increasing antisemitism in Indiana.
#hoosierjewishhistory Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne
On this day in Hoosier Jewish History in 1893: Birthdate of Ft. Wayne, Indiana native Samuel James Pearlman, the graduate of the University of Chicago and Rush Medical College, the ear, nose, and throat specialist who practiced in Chicago after serving in the Army during WW I both at Camp Grant and the U.S base hospital at Sarenay, France.
#hoosierjewishhistory Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne Congregation Achduth Vesholom In this episode of the IN-Jewish...
In this episode of the IN-Jewish History Podcast, we Follow Mark Lavie's unique story of growing up as a child of Holocaust refugees in Fort Wayne, Indiana and becoming an immigrant and journalist in Israel.
We had a wonderful program at the Genealogy Center yesterday with Dr. Wendy Soltz and Greg Merrell. All part of the 175th Anniversary Celebration for Congregation Achduth Vesholom. Thanks to Beth Zweig for the wonderful pictures.
Historian Wendy Soltz researched 66 synagogues built in Indiana over 150 years, including one built in 2015. Soltz spoke about her Indiana Synagogue Mapping Project as part of the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society’s public programs for 2023-24. Her presentation was followed by a speaker who bought a former synagogue in Ligonier and converted it into a home. The sessions – which could be attended in-person and virtually – were paired with Congregation Achduth Vesholom’s 175th anniversary celebration.
Indiana Synagogue Mapping Project Dr. Wendy Soltz • A collaborative project between the Indiana Jewish Historical Society and Ball State University. [ six in Fort Wayne ]
On this day in Hoosier Jewish History in 1888: Birthdate of Baltimore native C. (George) Irving Latz “ would become the president of the Wolf-Dessauer Department Store in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
#hoosierjewishhistory Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne During the post-WW2 period, Jewish Federations worked quickly to...
During the post-WW2 period, Jewish Federations worked quickly to create meaningful children's programs amidst the Baby Boom. One such program, the Jolly Jr's, was designed by Joe Levine, the Director of the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne. It was beloved by generations of Jewish kids and families in the Fort Wayne area, featuring crafts and activities for kids. Today, Camp Joe Levine is a testament to Joe Levine's innovations in Jewish programs. Later on, Joe Levine became the first Director of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society. #JewishHistory#FortWayne#CampJoeLevine#JollyJrs#JoeLevine
#hoosierjewishhistory Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne Congregation Achduth...
Please watch this incredible clip about Fort Wayne's Jewish History. The information is below.
Save a spot and Join the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society August 10-14, 2025, in Fort Wayne, Indiana!
Check out this digital resource documenting 66 synagogues that were built across Indiana from 1865 to 2015, developed by the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, Dr. Wendy Soltz, and Ball State University.
: Temple Israel, Terre Haute by Tommy Kleckner; Ahavath Sholom, Ligonier by Evan Hale; Temple Beth-El, Indianapolis from Indiana Landmarks archives; Sons of Israel, South Bend by Lee Lewellen; Temple Beth-El, South Bend by David Frederick
: A postcard from the Allen County Public Library Community Album collection showing the 1917 synagogue of the congregation celebrating its 175th anniversary this year at the current Temple on Old Mill Road.