Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb joins Jews in mourning Oct. 7, 2023, attack on anniversary

Published

4 months ago

October 8, 2024

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb joins Jews in mourning Oct. 7, 2023, attack on anniversary

Hundreds of members of Indianapolis’ Jewish community gathered Monday night to mourn the nearly 1,200 Israelis killed by Hamas gunmen Oct. 7, 2023, in the start of a deadly war that has since escalated across the Middle East.

Mourners packed into the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation’s synagogue on North Meridian Street, where Jewish leaders led prayers for the families of the dead and for more than 100 Israeli hostages still in Hamas captivity. Outside the sanctuary, posters showing the hostages were affixed to trees and surrounded with red flowers.

“Day after day, we’ve been glued to the news wishing for a normalcy we thought we had before,” speaker Offer Korin, a Jewish attorney, told the congregants. “And here we are, a year later, hoping for the return of the hostages in Gaza.”

At a time when Jewish Americans face increasing antisemitism, leaders said they were uplifted by the presence of politicians such as Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and attorney general candidate Destiny Wells, along with state lawmakers. The Anti-Defamation League has recorded more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States since the fall 2023 attack, a trend that coincides with a similar spike in anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian incidents.

Eli Isaacs, a leader of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, said many members of Central Indiana’s Jewish community have struggled to uphold their commitments to their neighbors while feeling increasingly on edge. Heavy security at Monday’s event, which didn’t attract protesters, made clear the constant tension, Isaacs said.

“It’s been difficult and frustrating because you have to wear all these different hats. You need to be doing what you can to support people on the ground in Israel, who are spending days on end in bomb shelters,” Isaacs said. “You are trying to get them resources and support that they need. You’re also trying to explain the conflict to people who might not understand here.”

Pro-Palestinian event: Hundreds march in downtown Indy as war nears one-year mark

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb speaks at synagogue

About 18,000 people in Marion and Hamilton counties identify as Jewish, a 2017 survey found, and the U.S. has the world’s second-largest Jewish population with about 5.7 million people. Israel, which became a nation in 1948 following the Holocaust, is home to nearly half of the world’s Jewish population, about 7.2 million Jews.

During a keynote address, Holcomb recalled how Ophir Lipstein, the mayor of an Israeli village called Sha’ar Hanegev, highlighted the two nations’ decades-long partnership by visiting Indiana in September of last year.

Weeks later, Lipstein was killed by Hamas gunmen in his home on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Our brother Ophir’s loss is a reminder of just how small this world is, and how connected each and every one of us is, whether we know it or not or like it or not,” Holcomb said, “of just how far-reaching events of the day can be, realizing some nightmares not even an ocean can divide.”

How Gaza war is escalating at one-year mark

The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas invaded Israel, killing about 1,200 Israeli civilians and taking roughly 250 others hostage.

Hamas gunmen attacked army bases, Israeli communities and an all-night music festival where an estimated 360 attendees were killed, according to Israeli officials. A year after the surprise invasion, more than 1,700 Israelis have died and just over 100 are still held hostage.

The Israeli military retaliated the day after Oct. 7 with deadly air strikes bombarding the Gaza Strip and a ground invasion.

In the year of ensuing battles, Israel has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza and displaced around 1.9 million people — nine in 10 Gaza residents have moved at least once, according to the United Nations. Amid war and severe food shortages, nearly 42,000 Palestinians have died and more than 96,000 have been wounded, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

1 year after Hamas invaded Israel: How far could Gaza war expand?

The war has spread outward from Gaza and intensified in recent weeks in Lebanon, on Israel’s northern border, where the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah operates. In the last weeks of September, Israeli forces killed top Hezbollah leaders and began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, where Lebanese officials say Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,400 Lebanese and displaced 1.2 million since late September.

Iran responded Oct. 1 by firing at least 180 ballistic missiles at sites across Israel. Israeli air defenses intercepted most of the missiles, which are reported to have killed only one Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank.

Email IndyStar reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09

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Indianapolis, IN

Cold weather danger: Dogs dying from exposure

Published

3 hours ago

January 21, 2025

Press Room

Cold weather danger: Dogs dying from exposure

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Temperatures are in the single digits, and that means it is simply too cold for pets to be outside for extended periods of time.

Choosing to leave them outside could be a deadly choice.

Alyssa Lewis is the co-founder of Peaceful Souls Animal Rescue and Recovery. She said reports of animal deaths are already coming in.

“Dogs are dying. Dogs died last night. They were found today that had frozen,” Lewis said Monday. “They are literally dying on the sides of the road, curled up beside people’s houses.”

Darcie Kurtz is the executive director of FIDO Indy. FIDO stands for Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside. Her organization helps educate people who leave their dogs outside before it is too late.

“Offering our help at the front door with things like inside training crates, flea treatment, and any tools we can use to help get these dogs out of the dangerous cold and into the warm house,” Kurtz said Monday. “Even if it’s a basement or a heated garage it’s better than leaving dogs out in these temperatures.”

Lewis said domesticated pets are not built for the cold temperatures like wild animals.

“These are not sled dogs. They live in our houses so they’re not used to these cold temperatures like we are,” Lewis said. “I kinda put it under the rule of thumb if you’re not willing to stay out there with your animal and let them outside then they probably shouldn’t be out there either.”

Kurtz reminds everyone to call for help if you see an animal outside for an extended period but first make sure the dog was outside for longer than 15 to 20 minutes because it could just be let out to do its business.

If you see a dog in need, either a pet or a stray, call the city government’s Indianapolis Animal Care Services.

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Indianapolis, IN

Here’s which schools are closed or on a delay as extreme cold continues Tuesday

Published

11 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Here’s which schools are closed or on a delay as extreme cold continues Tuesday

This article will be updated.

Students throughout the region were scheduled for a three-day weekend in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, and time at home could continue into Tuesday as central Indiana undergoes an extreme cold snap.

Conditions will be treacherous for young ones heading out to school on foot, and buses may have a hard time navigating hardened ice on Indianapolis’ unplowed residential roads.

The National Weather Service predicts a high temperature of only 7 degrees and with wind chill values dipping as low as -11 degrees.

On Friday, leadership from at least three area school districts notified parents that students should take home school-provided devices for the weekend in case classes move to an E-Learning day Tuesday.

There isn’t a specific temperature threshold that schools use to close during extreme cold, but guidelines issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration give districts administrators a point of reference.

If air temperatures are -10 degrees or colder at 6 a.m., schools may consider delaying their start time by two hours, according to the NOAA guidelines.

A two-hour delay would also be considered if wind chill brings temperatures below -19 degrees at 6 a.m. If wind chill remains at -19 degrees or cooler by 9 a.m., schools may close.

Schools also look at road conditions and risks to students’ health. The Indianapolis Public School’s general weather guidelines note that school will be delayed or canceled if conditions could lead to frostbite in 10 minutes or less. That’s not predicted to be the case Tuesday, though it will still be extremely cold, and experts recommend that all exposed skin is covered before heading outdoors.

Here is a list of what Central Indiana schools have announced as of Monday afternoon.

Avon Community School Corp.

No announcement.

Website: Avon Community School Corp.

Beech Grove City Schools

No announcement.

Website: Beech Grove City Schools

Bishop Chatard High School

No announcement.

Website: Bishop Chatard High School

Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

No announcement.

Website: Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

Brownsburg Community School Corp.

No announcement.

Website: Brownsburg Community School Corp.

Cardinal Ritter High School

No announcement.

Website: Cardinal Ritter High School

Carmel Clay Schools

Carmel Clay Schools will have a two-hour delay on Tuesday.

Website: Carmel Clay Schools

Cathedral High School

No announcement.

Website: Cathedral High School

Center Grove Community School Corp.

Center Grove Community School Corporation will open with a two-hour delay on Tuesday. There will be no morning preschool.

Website: Center Grove Community School Corp.

MSD Decatur Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: MSD Decatur Township Schools

Franklin Community Schools

Franklin Community Schools will operate with a two-hour delay on Tuesday.

Website: Franklin Community Schools

Franklin Township Community Schools

No announcement.

Website: Franklin Township Community Schools

Greenwood Community Schools

Greenwood Community Schools will open with a two hour delay on Tuesday.

Website: Greenwood Community Schools

Guerin Catholic High School

Guerin Catholic High School will operate with a two-hour delay on Tuesday. Zero period is cancelled. Mass will be offered at 9:45 a.m., and first period will begin at 10:30 a.m. Math League is moved to Thursday at 7:45 a.m.

Website: Guerin Catholic High School

Hamilton Southeastern Schools

Hamilton Southeastern will have a two hour delay on Tuesday. HSE Preschool and Academy morning classes are canceled.

Website: Hamilton Southeastern Schools

Heritage Christian School

No announcement.

Website: Heritage Christian School

Indianapolis Public Schools

No announcement.

Website: Indianapolis Public Schools

MSD Lawrence Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: MSD Lawrence Township Schools

Noblesville Schools

Noblesville Schools will open with a two-hour delay Tuesday.

Website: Noblesville Schools

Orchard School

No announcement.

Website: Orchard School

Park Tudor

No announcement.

Website: Park Tudor

Perry Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: Perry Township Schools

MSD Pike Township

No announcement.

Website: MSD Pike Township

Plainfield Community School Corp.

No announcement.

Website: Plainfield Community School Corp.

Roncalli High School

No announcement.

Website: Roncalli High School

Scecina Memorial High School

No announcement.

Website: Scecina Memorial High School

Speedway Schools

No announcement.

Website: Speedway Schools

St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School

No announcement.

Website: St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School

University High School

No announcement.

Website: University High School

MSD Washington Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: MSD Washington Township Schools

MSD Warren Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: MSD Warren Township Schools

MSD Wayne Township Schools

No announcement.

Website: MSD Wayne Township Schools

Westfield Washington Schools

Westfield Washington Schools will be on a two-hour delay Tuesday. TOTS, All Aboard and BAC will all open at 7:15 a.m., and Morning Developmental Preschool is canceled.

Website: Westfield Washington Schools

Zionsville Community Schools

Zionsville Community Schools will open with a two-hour delay on Tuesday.

Website: Zionsville Community Schools

Contact IndyStar K-12 education reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.

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Indianapolis, IN

Foodies rejoice! Devour Indy Winterfest starts Monday

Published

19 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Foodies rejoice! Devour Indy Winterfest starts Monday

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis foodies rejoice! Devour Indy Winterfest kicked off on Monday, offering all kinds of deals for all kinds of appetites.

The Indiana Restaurant and Lodging Association puts on the event, once in the winter and again in the summer.

This edition of the bi-annual food festival features more than 150 restaurants that will serve special three-course meals. Organizers say more than a dozen new businesses are joining Devour this Winterfest, and they hope to offer Indy foodies an opportunity to explore the city’s “vibrant restaurant scene.”

In a press release on Monday, InRLA President & CEO Patrick Tamm says the festival wants to give a platform to restaurants across the city.

“Devour Indy is more than just a dining event; it’s a celebration of community and creativity within our restaurant industry,” Tamm said. “We’re proud to connect diners with these talented local chefs while fostering economic growth for our restaurants and hospitality partners.”

Earlier this month, the InRLA announced the AAA Hoosier Motor Club as the official sponsor of this year’s Winterfest. According to a separate press release, the partnership allows AAA members to get special perks.

Matt Goins, AAA’s president and CEO, says Devour goes hand in hand with their mission.

“AAA Hoosier Motor Club has a long-standing tradition of advocating for local businesses and enriching the lives of our members,” Goins said. “Partnering with Devour Indy is a natural extension of our commitment to the Central Indiana community, and we are excited to help highlight the incredible culinary talent our region has to offer.”

It’s not all about food, though. The Loft at Traders Point Creamery is the official cocktail of the 2025 edition of Devour Indy Winterfest. In total, seven drinks are being featured this Devour run.

To take part in Winterfest, simply go to one of the participating restaurants and ask for the Devour menu.

Winterfest runs from Monday until Feb. 2. For a full rundown of participating restaurants and their featured menus, visit the Devour Indy website.

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