Who We Are
Our History
The Fort Wayne Jewish community has been continuously present in this city for nearly two centuries. This is that story.
The Fort Wayne Jewish Community
Nearly 200 Years of
Jewish Life in Fort Wayne
Beginning in the late 1700s, 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, who lived in Fort Wayne from 1820 to 1823.
Jewish immigrants from Germany arrived in Fort Wayne in the 1840s and established the community’s first congregation — making Fort Wayne home to the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana. As in many other early Jewish communities, these founders were merchants, tradespeople, and civic leaders who shaped the city alongside their neighbors.
With the formation of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation in 1921, all community members had a conduit to work together for the betterment of the local and worldwide Jewish community. That organization — now the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne — continues that mission today.
Congregation Achduth Vesholom was founded, making it the oldest Jewish congregation in the state of Indiana.
The Fort Wayne Jewish Federation was organized as a welfare and relief coordination body for the entire Jewish community.
A Timeline of the Federation
Milestones & History
Jewish fur traders are among the earliest documented residents of the Fort Wayne area, predating formal settlement.
John Jacob Hayes, appointed by President James Monroe as Indian Agent, becomes the first known Jewish resident of Fort Wayne.
German Jewish immigrants establish Fort Wayne’s first congregation — the oldest Jewish congregation in Indiana, still active today.
The Fort Wayne Jewish Federation is organized primarily as a welfare and relief organization to coordinate communal fundraising. One of the founding agencies of the Fort Wayne Community Chest.
Fort Wayne hires its first professional executive director, marking the Federation’s transition into a multi-faceted communal organization.
The Federation develops into a multi-faceted organization serving young and old in social services, education, cultural programs, leadership development, community relations, and fundraising.
The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne makes its permanent home at the Rifkin Campus at 5200 Old Mill Road, co-locating with Congregation Achduth Vesholom.
The Madge Rothschild Resource Center is dedicated at the Rifkin Campus, including the library, museum space, and the 200-year Jewish history timeline display.
Congregation Achduth Vesholom and Congregation B’nai Jacob vote to merge — the first change to Fort Wayne’s congregational landscape in over 80 years — creating one congregation with two traditions.
The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne continues as the central coordinating, fundraising, and planning agency for Jewish life in greater Fort Wayne, affiliated with JFNA and its 180 federations across North America.
The 200-Year Timeline Display
A large timeline display at the Madge Rothschild Resource Center on the Rifkin Campus highlights 200 years of Jewish history in Northeast Indiana. Visit the campus to experience the full community history in person.