Indiana Jewish Historical Society


The Indiana Jewish Historical Society is a 5013 not-for-profit educational organization with a stated goal to collect, preserve, publish, and share the Jewish experience in Indiana.
The Indiana Jewish Historical Society, or IJHS, was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1972. The Indiana Jewish Historical Society's first Executive Director was Joseph Levine who formerly was the executive director of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation. The IJHS was launched with help from B'nai Brith and financial support from the Lilly Endowment. In 2017, the Indiana Jewish Historical Society moved its headquarters from Fort Wayne to Indianapolis, where they remain today.

Archives

IJHS's archival holdings, representing Indiana's entire state, have been housed at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis since 1999. The IJHS collection contains thousands of Jewish life items across the state, and the society continues to seek materials for the collection. The IJHS also promotes and encourages the preservation of historically Jewish buildings, markers, and cemeteries.

Publications

The IJHS publishes a quarterly newsletter, The Historical News, and the journal Indiana Jewish History.

Programs

The society hosts history education programming of interest to the Indiana Jewish Community, including Holocaust Education, such as 2021's Hoosiers and the Holocaust program. Society staff and members also participate in historical radio and podcast programming.
The IJHS engages in community advocacy supporting preservation of historic buildings of interest to the Jewish community, such as the recently protected Loeb Mansion.

Awards

The society hosts an annual program and the Hoosier Jewish Legends Awards, a hall of fame program honoring eminent Hoosiers who influenced Jewish life in Indiana through their work and life.

Funding

An endowment was established in January 2002 to sustain the IJHS, but the organization still relies on and seeks public support for its programs and services.