Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne
Everything Jewish
in Fort Wayne
The Federation is Fort Wayne’s umbrella Jewish organization — and this is your one-stop orientation to Jewish life in the city. Congregations, programming, resources, and community connections, all in one place.
Our Community
Nearly Two Centuries of
Jewish Life in Fort Wayne
Jewish life in Fort Wayne began in 1840, when Abraham Oppenheimer and Sigmund Redelsheimer became the city’s first Jewish residents. Eight years later, in 1848, a small group organized Congregation Achduth Vesholom — Hebrew for “unity and peace” — the oldest Jewish congregation in the state of Indiana. What began as a humble burial society grew into a cornerstone of the city’s religious and civic life, moving through five worship homes across more than 175 years, witnessing waves of immigration, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, and steadily building one of the Midwest’s most enduring small Jewish communities.
Today that congregation continues at the Rifkin Campus on Old Mill Road, where in 2019 Achduth Vesholom and the formerly Conservative Congregation B’nai Jacob united as one congregation with two traditions — Reform and Conservative — under a single roof. The campus has become the physical heart of Jewish Fort Wayne: home to the congregation, the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne, and the Madge Rothschild Resource Center with its library and museum, all consolidating the community’s educational and cultural life in one place. Chabad of Fort Wayne adds another dimension of observance, learning, and outreach. Founded in 1921, the Federation serves as the community’s umbrella organization — coordinating, fundraising, and connecting Fort Wayne to the wider Jewish world, including a living partnership with the Western Galilee region of Israel through the Jewish Federations of North America.
Fort Wayne’s Jewish community is small by size and close by nature — roughly 450 families who know one another, show up for one another, and carry nearly two centuries of continuity forward. It is a place where a newcomer can be known by name within a month, where Camp Joe sends a new generation to Fox Island each summer, and where Rosh Chodesh dinners, lifecycle celebrations, and quiet acts of mutual care happen without fanfare. You will not find a large metropolitan Jewish infrastructure here. You will find something rarer: a community that has remained whole, welcoming, and unmistakably alive since 1848.
Congregations & Organizations
Where the Community Gathers
Fort Wayne’s Jewish organizations serve members at every stage of life and every level of observance. Whether you’re looking for Shabbat services, holiday celebrations, or community connection, there’s a home for you here.
The Federation is the central coordinating, fundraising, and community planning body for Jewish life in greater Fort Wayne. We connect the community, support programming, and ensure Jewish life in Fort Wayne remains vibrant for future generations.
Fort Wayne’s primary synagogue, Achduth Vesholom has served the community since 1848 — making it the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana. The temple offers Reform and Conservative services, the Joy Vey religious school, lifecycle programming, and a vibrant community calendar.
The Fort Wayne Chabad Jewish Center is founded on the principle that, while Jews embrace many levels of observance in their personal lives, there should be a place for all Jews — no labels, no affiliations — to develop a sense of community, to enhance the experience of being Jewish, to learn and to have fun.
Temple Achduth Vesholom
Temple Bulletin Archive
The temple publishes a regular bulletin covering services, programming, lifecycle events, and community news. The archive below links directly to past bulletins organized by year.
Summer Programming
Camp Joe Levine
Fort Wayne’s Jewish summer day camp, held each summer. Three weeks of Jewish-themed programming, outdoor activities, and community building for children of all ages.
Relocating to Fort Wayne?
Newcomer Guide
Whether you’re moving here for work, family, or a fresh start — welcome. Fort Wayne has a small but unusually historic Jewish community, and we want you to find your place in it quickly.
Our full Newcomer Guide covers where the community lives, synagogue options, kosher food, children’s programming, how to get connected, and much more.
Additional Resources
Community Resources
Library & Campus
Rifkin Campus
The Rifkin Campus houses a Judaica library available to the Fort Wayne Jewish community. Hours and access details available from the Federation office.
Contact for Access →JFNA Connection
Jewish Federations of North America
FWJF is a proud member of the JFNA network, connecting Fort Wayne to Jewish communities across North America, Israel, and around the world.
Visit JFNA.org →Local Bookstores
Books & Judaica
Local bookstore recommendations and Judaica resources for the Fort Wayne community. Hyde Brothers and additional listings pending confirmation.