37 years ago, Congress unanimously passed a bill proclaiming April 24 as a day of national remembrance of the Holocaust, which claimed the lives of six million European Jews and others at the hands of Nazi Germany. The temple on Old Mill Road, in a beautiful neighborhood near Foster Park on Fort Wayne's south side, is home to the Congregation Achduth Vesholom. In the literature provided, it is stated this congregation is Indiana's oldest of such, first established in 1848.
Mr. Feinberg proved to be a vibrant and sensitive speaker, providing detailed information with nuance and finding relevant context to the present time. One of his themes of focus was technology: how uses of such can be for bad, as well as good, purposes. He said, for example, that the invention and then use of punch cards in the early 1900's allowed not only the United States to streamline its census process, but also for Nazi bureaucrats to swiftly identify Jews by their reported religion and country of origin.
His story wove together a confluence, a perfect storm (although I would rather say a very imperfect storm) of congruent events which led to the rise of Nazism and the subsequent murder of millions of people. Feinberg said of course, not only Jews were murdered, but first mentally and physically disabled Germans themselves, in concentration camp gas chambers. Some were simply starved or shot instead. Other groups deemed unworthy, including homosexuals, gypsies, and people of "undesirable" nations, were also singled out for death.
Mr. Feinberg spoke about factors such as a long-term history of anti-semitism in Europe, and the growth of nationalism, militarism, and industrialism, as contributing to how these atrocities came together. Unemployment and the collapse of the stock market and German currency, all led to Hitler's rise under this disillusionment by German citizens. Between 1933 - 1943, Jews and others were deprived of their rights, Czechoslovakia and Poland were invaded, and World War II started. Mass factory-style murders were conducted in killing centers, but Allied Forces finally defeated German (and Japanese) forces, and camps were liberated by the end of the war in 1945.
It was heartening to see the participation by student groups at this public event of recognition and remembrance. Classes from West Noble Middle School, Wayne New Tech High School, and New Haven High School all had art and research projects on display at the reception following. Some of these can be seen in the photos above.
The music group Heartland Sings performed songs from the Holocaust Cantana, and also music featured in the film Schindler's List. Poignant, piercing music rose from a cellist and a soprano soloist, who made her voice soar in the synagogue. Other local luminaries including Deputy Mayor Karl Bandemer contributed to the program, as did Dr. Patricia Rodda from the IPFW Institue for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
A new center for Jewish culture and history will be opened at the site, in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne, the temple itself, and other partners. A grand opening for the new Madge Rothschild Resource Center will be held Sunday, April 30, beginning at 2 p.m. The center will house a library available to the public, a memorial museum, and meeting space. Philanthropist Rothschild was the last direct descendant, a great-grandchild, of one of the families who founded the synagogue in 1848.
What impressed me, or what was reinforced, was a lesson in how important it is at times to not stand back and be silent. It's applicable today in everything from national politics and corporate whistle-blowing, to schoolyard and Internet bullying. One of the last quotes shared at the gathering was one by the genius Allbert Einstein. He said, "the world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
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