July 8, 2025 // Bishop

Jewish Federation Names Bishop Rhoades ‘One of the Righteous’

Scott Warden

Editor-In-Chief

On Sunday, June 29, leaders of the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne honored Bishop Rhoades by presenting him with the organization’s “One of the Righteous” Award during a ceremony at Pearl Street Arts Center in downtown Fort Wayne.

According to Ben Eisbart, president of the federation’s board, the “One of the Righteous” Award “is periodically given to an individual who enhances our community in general and the Jewish community in particular through their deeds and their work. … The ‘One of the Righteous’ Award was established by the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne to convey the gratitude of the Jewish Community to non-Jews who, through word and deed, perpetuate the memory of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The title, ‘One of the Righteous,’ is taken from Jewish tradition that describes non-Jews who helped the Jewish people in times of need.”

Jaki  Schreier, a former executive director of the Jewish Foundation of Fort Wayne, welcomed the guests and was invited “to speak about the meaningful and enduring relationship between the Jewish Federation, Bishop Kevin Rhoades, and the Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.” Schreier continued: “Bishop Rhoades is truly a mensch. A mensch is a person of integrity and honor, a true human being. I’m also blessed to call him a friend.” Schreier recalled that one of her first priorities as the federation’s executive director was to “renew our collaborative efforts with the diocese in order to continue the avodah – the holy work – that we are called upon to do together here in northeast Indiana and in our world.”

As an example “of our shared service and solidarity,” Schreier shared a story. “We learned of a local Polish woman whose Catholic family greatly risked their lives during the Holocaust in Poland by sheltering five Jewish neighbors. This family truly lived the Judeo-Christian precept that all human life is a gift from G-d.” [Editor’s note: Many of the Jewish faith refrain from writing the word “God” out of reverence for the divine name.] Schreier continued: “The federation thus sought to honor this family for their courageous and selfless actions at the upcoming Yom HaShoah service. We invited Bishop Rhoades and the diocese to participate. He agreed without hesitation. His presence – and his heartfelt words – meant the world to this family and to us.”

Schreier also noted that, through Bishop Rhoades’ leadership, the diocese has been a key partner in advancing Holocaust education, as teachers and students from local Catholic schools are encouraged to attend Holocaust workshops, including the prestigious “Confronting the Shoah” classes.

Bishop Rhoades has also been a key supporter of Violins of Hope, which has twice come to Fort Wayne – in 2019 and this past March. The initiative involves several community events centered around the organization Violins of Hope, founded by Israeli violin maker Amnon Weinstein, who spent the last three decades of his life locating and restoring violins that were played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. As part of each celebration, Bishop Rhoades and the diocese hosted a joint Catholic-Jewish prayer service to bring the two faith communities together.

Schreier concluded her remarks by saying: “With deepest gratitude, Bishop Rhoades, we at the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne and the entire Jewish community thank you for your kindness, wisdom, and spiritual leadership. You are a blessing to all who know you. May the sacred work we do – together as Jews and Catholics – continue for many years to come. May we fulfill our shared mission of tikkun olam – repairing the world – beginning right here in northern Indiana.”

Following Schreier’s speech, Michael Theise, the federation’s current executive director, presented Bishop Rhoades with a piece of art to represent the “One of the Righteous” Award – a stained-glass plaque made by local artist Peter Lupkin that shows two hands clasped together in unity.

After thanking Schreier, Theise, and Eisbart for the award, Bishop Rhoades shared his appreciation with those in attendance, saying upon his arrival as bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend that he “felt immediately at home for my first visit to the temple and then through the years being able to participate in so many of the wonderful events and projects of the Jewish Federation. … It truly is a friendship. I really do feel like your brother.

Bishop Rhoades continued:  “Yes, certainly we have differences in our faiths, but we have so much more in common that we share, especially the values that we share – the peace and the fraternity that we are called to have, working together, serving the least among us. … And then to fight together against the bigotry and hatred –the awful evil of the Holocaust, but even what’s happening today. And we see so much antisemitic bigotry, including on our college campuses. … So it’s really important to me that we educate, especially our Catholic community, our young people, and they really have responded wonderfully.

“So, I just want to say I’m very humbled,” Bishop Rhoades concluded. “I want us to continue to work together, and I know we will here in Fort Wayne. I’ve always felt so welcomed by all of you, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

In an interview with Today’s Catholic, Theise said that upon his transition to executive director of the Jewish Federation of Fort Wayne, Bishop Rhoades was the first person Schreier took him to meet.

“That is how important it is to have a relationship with Bishop and the diocese,” Theise said. “We can’t overstate Bishop Rhoades’ leadership and direction, especially in terms of the local Catholic schools and their Holocaust education. … His compassion, tolerance, understanding – all of that exemplifies both what our award is supposed to mean and what Bishop Rhoades stands for.”

Theise continued: “For our community, it is hard to express just what it means to know that we have a friend and a supporter and someone who will always stand up for the rights and well-being, especially for minority groups. We’re a very small community, so it’s so important to know not only that we have a strong friend and supporter, but he’s someone any of us in the Jewish community could reach out to for assistance, for guidance. … And it means a lot that we feel that both our community and his community have an open door to look for opportunities to gather – cultural events, education, the right things for the community. So, I don’t know how you express in words how much that means, but we feel very blessed by Bishop Rhoades and our relationship with him.”

Scott Warden is editor-in-chief of Today’s Catholic.