Welcome To The Madge Rothschild Resource Center
The Madge Rothschild Resource Center is the centerpiece of the Temple’s Rifkin Campus at 5200 project. Designed by Architect Richard Wismer, the 3,150-square-foot space includes the Rabbi Richard B. Safran Library and the Jacob L. Goldman Memorial Museum.
The Resource Center focuses on the Jewish Experience in Northeast Indiana over the past two centuries, as well as Holocaust education, in an effort to strive for greater understanding among all faiths and people. The project includes an 1,100-square-foot inner courtyard with a proposed sculpture garden visible from the Resource Center.
Through the Madge Rothschild Resource Center and the Campus project, Achduth Vesholom looks forward to welcoming more members of the Fort Wayne community through its doors for educational, cultural, and other programs. The Rifkin Campus was developed to bring together Jewish organizations in one location for greater visibility and opportunities to combine resources and energies.
The Resource Center includes flexible space to accommodate meetings and classes of different sizes up to 40 or 50 people, as well as the library and museum areas, a children’s story pit, screens for presentations, and a coffee bar.
A beautiful olive tree wall graphic enhances the hallway leading to the Resource Center, where leaves are available for purchase to honor special people or occasions. The hallway is enhanced with displays and photographs.
A donor wall recognizes those who contributed to the Rifkin Campus at 5200 Capital Campaign.
The Resource Center already is being used for ongoing mah jongg play and video-conferencing with noted authors for programs and book clubs.
Historic Photos & Rifkin Campus History
The hallway to the Madge Rothschild Resource Center also includes a photo collage and history of the Rifkin Campus at 5200.
The photos highlight the immigrants and later generations who helped develop the Jewish community, houses of worship, and downtown Jewish merchants. The text provides an overview of Jewish life in Northeast Indiana.
200 Years of Jewish History in Northeast Indiana
A timeline featuring 200 years of Jewish history in Northeast Indiana was installed in April 2018 as the latest step in developing the Jacob Goldman Memorial Museum. Still to come are display cases for historical items.
The early years include the arrival of the first Jew in Fort Wayne in 1820 and the establishment of Indiana’s first Jewish congregation – Achduth Vesholom – in 1848. The timeline traces the history of Fort Wayne’s Jewish community, including its institutions, buildings, and activities.
Olive Tree Display Honors Special People & Occasions
Purchasing a leaf on the olive tree near the entrance to the Madge Rothschild Resource center is the newest way to recognize an important person or significant occasion while also supporting the Temple. Leaves are $180 each and may be personalized with three or four lines to highlight a life-cycle event, anniversary, or special kindness. Proceeds benefit the Resource Center.
The olive tree was chosen as the symbol because it embodies peace, light, fruitfulness, longevity, beauty, and endurance. An olive branch, a well-known symbol of peace, was brought to Noah after the flood. During ancient times, olive oil was used to light the menorah in the Temple in Jerusalem to anoint the high priests. In modern times, many Jews still use olive oil to kindle the lights during Hanukkah. Please contact the Temple office at (260) 744-4245 for more information.
Resource Center Grand Opening
