Union or Rebel? Charoset or bricks? Soldiers in the Civil War had to make choices.
The Civil War was a fight for freedom. On one side, freedom meant preservation of the Union and the end of slavery. On the other side it meant the rights of states to make religious, social, and economic choices (slavery).
Old story, different times. It led to fierce battles where families, friends, and neighbors were torn apart. Nationalism, patriotism, and determination raged on both sides.
In 1881 there were about 150,000 Jews living among 31 million Americans. Most of the Jews were fairly recent immigrants who settled in the North – a smaller number lived in the South. Like their peers, Jews fought for the side where they lived and shared ideology – a total of 3,000 Rebel and 7,000 Union soldiers.
The Jewish population varied like today – some were Orthodox, others paid less attention to religious worship, and some assimilated completely. Jewish soldiers on both sides struggled to observe the major holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the fall; Passover in the spring.
The Passover story of Moses leading the ancient Hebrews into freedom was particularly significant during The Civil War. Celebrating Passover in an army camp wasn’t a simple undertaking. Can you imagine preparing a Seder without a supermarket?
North met South in the 1862 Battle at Carnifax Ferry in West Virginia – an area considered strategic to the war effort. The battle ended when the Confederates retreated.
 could not be found in the war torn region. A brick was placed on the table which, Joel commented, was “rather hard to digest, [but] reminded us, by looking at it, for what purpose it was intended.”</p>
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A few soldiers built a log hut for the services. The 1862 Seder began.</p>
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“The ceremonies were passing off very nicely,” wrote Joel, “until we arrived at the part where the bitter herb was to be taken. We all had a large portion . . . when horrors! what a scene ensued in our little congregation . . . [the herb] excited our thirst to such a degree, that we forgot the law authorizing us to drink only four cups, and the consequence was we drank up all the cider.”</p>
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It must have been a happy, drunken Passover. “Those that drank more freely became excited,” continued Joel. “One thought he was Moses, another Aaron, and one had the audacity to call himself Pharaoh. The consequence was a skirmish, with nobody hurt, only Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh had to be carried to the camp and left in the arms of Morpheus.” [Greek god of dreams].</p>
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We can laugh with these young soldiers, in the wild woods of West Virginia, away from home, family, and friends. Can you imagine what their Seder was like?</p>
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In contrast, Isaac Levy wrote a letter to his sister Leonora about their Seder in 1864. Levy was a Confederate soldier in the 46th Virginia Infantry, stationed at Adams Run, South Carolina. His brother Ezekiel was captain.</p>
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Ezekiel went to Charleston and bought enough matzah to last them for the week. He paid an outrageous $2 per pound. In New York it sold for 6 cents a pound. Isaac wrote:</p>
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“We are observing the festival [Passover] in a truly Orthodox style . . . On the first day we had a fine vegetable soup. It was made of a bunch of vegetables Zeke brought from Charleston containing new onions, parsley, carrots, turnips, a young cauliflower, and a pound and a half of fresh [kosher] beef.”</p>
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The brothers quietly celebrated Passover. Isaac finished his letter with the prophetic words, “No news in the section at present . . . we would be well satisfied to stay here.”</p>
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It didn’t happen. Four months after their Seder, 21-year old Isaac Levy was killed in the trenches at Petersburg, Virginia.</p>
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