Art Exhibit, Lecture and Reception at FW Museum of Art

19 Nov @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Jewish History and Art Illuminated: 175 Years of Congregation Achduth Vesholom

November 11, 2023 to January 28, 2024 at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art

Reception and Lecture on Sunday, November 19 at 2 p.m. at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (Tickets are free, but reservations are required by Monday, November 13. Seating is limited and first-come, first-served.)

Please join us for a free public lecture on Jewish History and Art Illuminated: 175 Years of Congregation Achduth Vesholom with Michael Brown, Executive Director of the Indiana Jewish Historical Society, and Dr. Wendy Soltz, Assistant Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at Ball State University.

Mr. Brown will tell the story of “Achduth Vesholom: A Jewish Congregation at the Frontier of Indiana History.” Dr. Soltz, Co-Curator of the exhibition, will discuss “Illuminating Congregation Achduth Vesholom’s 175-year History,” which includes the concept for the exhibit, her research, and how the art and Judaica help tell the story of the congregation. 

In 1848, Fort Wayne founded the first Jewish congregation in the state of Indiana: Congregation Achduth Vesholom. The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is proud to present its history in Jewish History and Art Illuminated: 175 Years of Congregation Achduth Vesholom.

Originally founded as a burial society, Congregation Achduth Vesholom, also known as “The Temple,” has moved to five different worship spaces and employed almost 25 rabbis. The Temple has been a central voice for Fort Wayne’s Jewish community and has witnessed several waves of Jewish immigration, weathered the effects of the Holocaust, and observed the founding of the State of Israel, all while offering spiritual leadership and learning, and participating in civic life.

This exhibition was curated by Sharon Eisbart, Owner of Sharon Eisbart Corporate Art, and Dr. Wendy Soltz, Assistant Professor of Public History at Ball State University, and made possible with art and Judaica loans from Congregation Achduth Vesholom and a grant from the Dr. Harry W. Salon Foundation.