Sheriff’s Deputy dies after being attacked by jail inmate in Indianapolis
61 year-old Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy John Durm died Monday after being assaulted in a transport van by a jail inmate whom he had just taken to a hospital visit in Indianapolis. 34 year-old Orlando Mitchell attacked Deputy Durm while the van was inside the fortified entrance of the Adult Detention Center on the city’s south side, police said. Mitchell then stole the van and crashed into a utility pole before being caught and returned to custody. Mitchell was reported in stable condition at Eskenazi Hospital. Indianapolis police are investigating the incident as an intentional act of homicide.
Durm was a 38-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department. He is survived by a wife and four children.
Mayor Hamilton Appoints Interim Deputy Fire Chief
Bloomington, IN–The City of Bloomington Fire Department (BFD) and the Office of the Mayor are pleased to announce the appointment of Max Litwin as the interim Deputy Fire Chief. The current Deputy Fire Chief, Jayme Washel, is retiring from BFD to become the Fire Chief of the Greenwood, Indiana Fire Department in early August. Litwin has been a member of the BFD for over 15 years and brings 17 years of fire service experience in total. Chief Litwin will assume the duties of Deputy Fire Chief beginning July 10, 2023 which will allow a few weeks of transition time between his appointment and the departure of Chief Washel.
Gift for Jewish Culture Center creates model to counter antisemitism, enhance student experiencwe
Indiana University’s emergent Jewish Culture Center on the Bloomington campus has been endowed through a generous gift from Jill and Ron Sedley. The Jewish Culture Center serves students and develops leaders in a vibrant hub that provides traditional and creative connections to Judaism. IU Bloomington currently has around 4,500 Jewish undergraduate and graduate students.View print quality imageJill and Ron Sedley. Photo by Jacqueline Marie PhotographyAs the first of its kind among public universities in the United States, the Jewish Culture Center at IU is positioned to become a highly sought-out model for the cultivation, support and enrichment of the Jewish student collegiate experience. The center seeks not only to spark positive change at IU, but also to propel other universities’ efforts to counter the darkness of antisemitism by illuminating understanding about Jewish life, tradition and culture on their own campuses.
The endowment will supercharge the Jewish Culture Center’s ability to provide a welcoming and educational environment for all IU students, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, and expand the number and scope of its events, classes and services. To foster greater understanding of Jewish culture among all incoming students, the center will collaborate to develop programming with IU’s First Year Experience program. This effort alone will reach 100,000 students by 2033.
The Jewish Culture Center will also host social events to promote camaraderie between Jewish and non-Jewish students and sponsor leadership trainings, as well as forge partnerships with other IU culture centers, student groups and the Greek life system. Through partnerships with IU Hillel and the Borns Jewish Studies Program, the Jewish Culture Center will also expand IU’s existing for-credit academic opportunities and research efforts focused on countering antisemitism.
Ron Sedley is the Owner of RonPak, the leading paper package distributor for pharmacies, grocery stores, and fast-food chains in the United States. The Sedleys focus their philanthropy on health care, their love and support for Israel, and the Jewish people throughout the U.S. and the world, and combating antisemitism. In addition to funding dozens of scholarships for students in Israel, they are also proud supporters of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, NYU Langone Health and IU Hillel.
An international search will commence soon for a permanent director of the IU Jewish Culture Center. IU seeks a dynamic and visionary leader to ignite a movement of understanding and inclusivity that begins at IU and one day extends to college campuses nationwide.
This Week in Hoosier History
1899 – Noble Sissle, composer, lyricist, bandleader, singer, and playwright, known for the Broadway musical Shuffle
Along, and the hit I’m Just Wild About Harry, born in Indianapolis.
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