INDIANAPOLIS – Governor Eric J. Holcomb will award Holocaust survivor, CANDLES Holocaust museum founder, and forgiveness advocate Eva Mozes Kor the 2017 Sachem Award, the state’s highest honor, at a ceremony Thursday, April 13, 2017 at the Indiana War Memorial.
WHO:           Eva Mozes Kor, Holocaust survivor and CANDLES Holocaust museum founder
Dr. Dennis C. Sasso, Rabbi of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck
Indiana Gov. Eric J. Holcomb
Dr. James Madison, Emeritus Professor at Indiana University
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2017 Sachem Award Ceremony
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Thursday, April 13, 2017
10 to 11 a.m. EDT
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Indiana War Memorial
431 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46240
·         The event will be live streamed via Facebook Live at www.facebook.com/GovHolcomb and www.facebook.com/WFYI.Indianapolis.Â
Sachem (Say-chum) Background
In 1970, Governor Edgar D. Whitcomb introduced the “Confederacy of the Sachem,†a group of business, industry, publishing, banking and legal leaders, who served as state hosts, welcoming visitors to Indiana and promoting the state’s culture and economy. The organization’s name came from the Algonquin term applied to village leaders, implying wisdom, judgment and grace.
Following Whitcomb’s term, the Sachem project was not pursued, and the organization dissolved in 1989. Whitcomb visited Daniels in 2005 to acquaint him with the concept. Governor Daniels recreated the Sachem to underscore the importance of moral example; achievement alone without exemplary virtue does not qualify a person for this recognition.
Each Sachem honoree receives a specially-designed sculpture that captures the Native American heritage of the Sachem. All Sachem recipients are selected by Indiana’s governor.
Eva Mozes Kor will be the 12th recipient of Indiana’s Sachem Award. For additional background information on Eva, visit the CANDLES website atcandlesholocaustmuseum.org.
