Community

Our congregation is a community -- K'hillah -- of members. We work together to address the needs and interests of the Temple and its members through social and other events (learn more on this page and on our calendar), outreach programs, and committees. We also work toward the betterment of the larger community. Our Thoughtful Thursdays social action project brings together the Jewish community to help the students who attend Head Start at the Temple and their families.

Temple members are urged to contact us if a family member is in the hospital or if other situations arise when the congregation may be of assistance or comfort. Changes in hospital privacy rules prohibit officials from contacting the Temple, so we aren't always aware of situations unless family or friends notify us.

The Wannsee Conference and the Holocaust 75 Years On

"The Wannsee Conference and the Holocaust 75 Years On" will be the focus of a lecture on Tuesday, February 28 by Dr. Mark Roseman, the Pat M Glazer Chair in the Jewish Studies program at Indiana University and a professor in the Department of History. He'll speak at 7 p.m. at the University of Saint Francis Business Center, 3^rd Floor, 826 Ewing Street. The program is sponsored by the USF Department of English, History, and Political Science, the USF School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the USF Student Government Association. What is the Wannsee Conference?

In The Fort Wayne Community

Events and opportunities of interest to the Fort Wayne Jewish community:

The Temple is one of 16 supporting congregations of Wellspring congregation of Wellspring Interfaith Social Services. Wellspring offers programs, including Youth After School and Summer Day Camp, Food Bank, parent Club and Older Adult. We also support its food bank. Wellspring brings together people of faith to support and enrich the lives of Fort Wayne’s central city residents. Visit Wellspring's website for volunteer opportunities.
IPFW's Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies promotes public awareness of the Holocaust and other genocides worldwide; encourages and supports scholarship, research, and teaching at Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) about the Holocaust and genocide; and promotes public participation in efforts both to confront contemporary genocide as it occurs and to engage in global genocide prevention efforts.
The Fort Wayne Tribe is a group that brings together young Jewish adults, ages 18 to late 30s, in Fort Wayne and Northeast Indiana to form and promote a social community of learning, intermingling, and support. The main focus of the group is the social aspect of being Jewish. We organize events at least once a month that include after-work happy hours at restaurants, volunteering at events, attending concerts and shows, Shabbat dinners, Hannukah and Purim parties, hikes, or any other ideas that Tribers suggest. Find out more o at http://www.meetup.com/Fort-Wayne-Tribe/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/419287298100505/.
The Temple is part of the Northeast Indiana LGBTQ Coalition, which is comprised of several local and regional organizations with a goal of educating the community on LGBTQ issues, providing support for LGBTQ citizens and bridging the gap in services that exist in our community.
Rosh Chodesh Women's Club - The Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne is starting a Rosh Chodesh group for Jewish women on the first of the month.

Fort Wayne TinCaps Game

We're heading to the Ballpark on Saturday, August 1. Find out more.

Shabbat Baskets

We’ve got all the ingredients you need to celebrate Shabbat, including the rabbi! Be one of the first to sign up for a “Shabbat Basket.” Here’s how it works:

Rabbi Cattapan will arrange to come to your home on a Friday around 5 p.m. with a basket that includes a Kiddush cup, wine, grape juice, challah, and candles.

You provide the dinner.

This opportunity is open to all member households, no matter your age or knowledge, or what side of town is home. Our goal is to remember Shabbat and get better acquainted. To sign up, please email Rabbi Cattapan at rabbi@TempleCAV.org.

Local Jewish History

The Indiana Jewish Historical Society has published Bonds as Strong as Steel: A history of Indiana scrap metal dealers and their families featuring business histories and stories of 19 Indiana families, including many members of Congregation Achduth Vesholom. Many of these scrap businesses are multigenerational and still exist today.

Temple families in the book published in the summer of 2011 include the Sposeeps, Ruchmans, Warshauers, Lewises, Rifkins, Smiths, Adelmans, O’Neills and Bosells.

Books are available by contacting the Indiana Jewish Historical Society at 459-6862 or indiana.jhs@frontier.com. The price of the book is $12.50.

From Fencerows to Foodsheds

"From Fencerows to Foodsheds" is a documentary directed and produced by Temple Member Janet Katz. Watch the movie trailer. (Visit our Member Spotlight page to learn about Janet & Andy Katz and their green home.)

Janet said the idea for the film evolved from her graduate studies at Green Mountain College. Her goal in pursuing the Master of Science in Sustainable Food Systems was to become an effective advocate for promoting the value of locally grown, sustainably produced food in Northeast Indiana.

“Though my college was in Vermont, all my coursework focused on Indiana,” she said. “I spent countless hours interviewing farmers and marketers about their work in this area, and was deeply inspired by their passion for improving the economic, environmental and social resiliency of our community through rebuilding our foodshed.”

In considering the topic of her thesis, Janet said she wanted create a way to share the inspiring stories as a way to encourage others to recognize the value of locally produced food for their own communities.

She said she chose to tell the story of two Indiana communities, Elkhart County and the Batesville region near Cincinnati, as they worked with Purdue Extension on their "Rebuilding Your Local Food System" project. She said it became clear that the most effective medium for spreading this message was through film, as "food films" are popular, and a way telling stories in an engaging & approachable way.

Though she has become an experienced storyteller, Janet said she is not a cinematographer. She worked with Mission 3 Media, a local video production company to film dozens of interviews, and then weave the interviews together into a full length documentary to help tell Indiana's own local food story. Janet is the Director and Producer of "From Fencerows to Foodsheds," and Mission 3 Media is the Cinematographer and Editor.

International Dining Club

A common topic at Temple gatherings is food, particularly recipes and places to sample delicious ethnic dishes in Fort Wayne. What better way to build k'hillah (community) with fellow congregants than by exploring some international dining options together led by our Social Committee Chair Hod Hefer.

We've learned about Caribbean food, dined on homemade Israeli cuisine, and sampled Indian fare. Join us as we explore the world one plate at a time.