Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne
About the Federation
Since 1921, the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne has been the central coordinating, fundraising, and community planning organization for Jewish life in greater Fort Wayne.
Who We Are
Our Mission
“To support the well-being and continuity of the Jewish people in greater Fort Wayne, in Israel, and throughout the world.”
The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne was organized in 1921, primarily as a welfare and relief organization to coordinate communal fundraising for the entire Jewish community. In 1939, Fort Wayne employed its first executive director. In subsequent years the Federation developed into a multi-faceted organization serving people of all ages in the areas of social services, education, cultural programs, leadership development, community relations, and fundraising.
Today, the Federation serves as the central coordinating, fundraising, budgeting, and social planning agency for the Fort Wayne Jewish community. We are a volunteer organization assisted by trained professional staff, affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America — a national association of 180 Jewish Federations serving communities across the U.S. and Canada.
Our Vision
“That all Jewish people of greater Fort Wayne will find social, cultural, and educational relevancy to their Jewish lives at the Federation. The Federation will make ALL Jews feel welcome.”
What We Do
Federation Programs & Initiatives
Community Planning
Coordinating Jewish life across Fort Wayne — connecting organizations, supporting programming, and planning for the community’s future.
Annual Campaign
Raising funds annually for the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Joint Distribution Committee, and local Federation operations.
Camp Joe Levine
Fort Wayne’s Jewish summer day camp — three weeks each July for children ages 4 to 13.
Tikkun Olam
Social action programs including Thoughtful Thursdays, which provides food and educational items to low-income families at the Rifkin Campus.
Our Home
The Rifkin Campus
The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne has made its home at the Rifkin Campus (5200 Old Mill Road) since June 2014. The campus also houses Congregation Achduth Vesholom, the Fort Wayne Jewish Cemetery Association, Purdue Fort Wayne’s Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (satellite office), the Northeast Indiana Jewish Genealogy Society, and Brightpoint Head Start.
The Madge Rothschild Resource Center, dedicated in 2017, includes the Temple’s Rabbi Richard B. Safran Library, the Jacob L. Goldman Memorial Museum, meeting and conference space, and a large timeline display highlighting 200 years of Jewish history in Northeast Indiana.
Learn more about our community
Explore our history, meet our board and staff, or get involved.