During and leading up to the Civil War, Southern Jewish life had to drastically adapt to the changes the region underwent. One particular way Jews in the South participated in society of the South was drafting into the military of the CSA (Confederate States of America). Some may argue that the Jews in the South were fighting for the Southern rights which included owning slaves, however, according to the late Confederate soldier Moses Ezekiel of Richmond, "were were not fighting for the perpetuation of slavery, but for the principle of State's rights and free trade, and in the defense of our homes, which were being ruthlessly invaded" (pg. 114). From my understanding of the reading and the Jewish opinions of the South, the Jewish population was not fighting in the Civil War to maintain slaves on their property or for free trade, but because they identified with the Southern culture. Interestingly, new and old Jewish immigrants both were connected to the Southern lifestyle. Because of this, they felt they had an obligation to fight for their land, which was being invaded by Yankee forces. Enlisting and participating in civil duties of a country is particularly common for Jews to undertake. If we look back into history, Jews participated in the military in World War I on both the Allied Powers (with forces of Russia and Britain) and the Axis Powers (with forces of the Ottoman Empire and Germany). Regardless of their opinions of the South, Jews actively participated in the armed military of the CSA.
A quote I've heard in regards to the military is "there's no atheists in a foxhole." This means that during times of war, mankind looks towards God for assistance during the most difficult times. One thing in the reading that spoke out to me was Jewish prayer for the safety of Confederate soldiers, which were often very populated with Jewish servicemen. Regardless of their religious affiliation, these servicemen participated in prayer for their country and their fellow soldier. In my synagogue, the congregation participates in prayer for the safety of the United States and the armed forces serving abroad, similarly to the practice of Rabbi Max Michelbacher of Richmond (pg. 125). Though the country has changed significantly since the Civil War, Jewish practices haven't varied much since then. As we begin to celebrate and commemorate the life of the great Martin Luther King Jr., these chapters were extremely powerful and intriguing to read about how Jewish life integrated into Southern culture. It was particularly interesting to see the relationships that were created between a Southern white major, a Jewish minority, a persecuted black minority. In my Jewish learning experience, I have always leant that the Jews were always a minority that was plagued by persecution by a large majority. However, in the South, blacks were the most targeted racial group and were used as slaves until the end of the Civil War. From the chapter, I learnt that Jews were slave owners, even though it is widely known in the Old Testament that Jews endured hundreds of years in slavery under Egyptian rule. However, a major theme that I was able to obtain from the readings was that Jews tried tirelessly to integrate into the Southern culture and participated in southern practices, including owning slaves. Historically, Jews around the world are known for their tireless efforts to fully integrate into a society foreign to them. Southern Jews took after their predecessors and tried to fully integrate into society, even though the southern society often looked at status through a 'black and white' lens. Although Jews had the same skin as native southerners, they were not granted full rights that whites had, including entry to certain institutions like neighborhoods and social clubs. However, Jews were able to own businesses and became very profitable entrepreneurs in the Southern states.
It was interesting to see that Jews dwelling in the Southern states had extremely varied opinions regarding the black population. Often, white supremacists would compare Jews to the black population. To be treated like white status, Southern Jewish news editors would often use derogatory comparisons to blacks to bolster their own status. A similar phenomenon occurred after blacks were promised equal status as whites. The status of the Jews was in jeopardy and anti-Semitism increased drastically, maybe because of lack of economic prosperity during the Reconstruction era. They supremacists now lacked a scape goat, and Jews in the South became very worried and the population was split in regards to speaking out against Southern racist sentiments. Such divides were clear with synagogue congregants and their rabbi. Often, a rabbi would speak out against racism in the south, due to a variety of pressure whether it be from the Northern Jewish community or by notables in the black community. Such Jewish institutions and figures were easily targeted through terrorist acts. I understood that speaking out against the supremacist activities were dangerous, but I hadn't known about the vast activities that occurred around the entire South, including multiple synagogue bombings. As a avid synagogue attendee, I am aware of such pressures in the current realm and I was surprised by some of the reactions from the rabbis during that era. After reading these chapters, I am extremely grateful for the efforts of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights figures to fight for equality, not just for blacks or Jews or any other minority, but for all of humanity. I am extremely privileged to live in a society were minorities like Jews and blacks are accepted, however, there is still much work to be done. It was extremely compelling learning about the history of Jews in the South and middle stance between a white majority and a black minority. When most people think of Jewish origins in the United States, the average person might think that they originated in the North, specifically in New York. Though there has been decades of vibrant Jewish life, culture, and tradition in the Northeast, the earliest Jewish roots date back to the 17th century originating in southern states like Georgia and South Carolina. Another myth is that European Jews first developed the Jewish life in the newly-conquested America. However, this is very false. Initial Jewish life in America was sparked by Sephardic Jews originating in Spain and Portugal. Specifically these countries, because Jews had a long history of persecution in such powerful countries that frequently engaged in colonization of the New World. In another Jewish Studies class I took at Emory University, we focused on Jewish anthropology and how the Jews in history through an anthropologic lens. A project I composed discussed Jewish Pirates and their reasoning for engaging in piracy overseas. One reason was to gain economic and religion freedom from restrictive countries. Similar to Jewish Pirates, Southern Jews settled in cities like Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC to seek refuge from religious persecution from other countries and to gain economic prosperity. However from this reading, I learned that this didn't come easy to these Jews and their authority in these areas. Jews still had to practice prayer and dietary laws behind close doors and were restricted to the public. I found this extremely interesting and found the dynamic between Jews and gentiles in the south peculiar. I would like to further explore this dynamic and would like to see how it developed over time. I hope to cover such material in a Southern Jewish Literature course being taken this spring at Emory University in the "Heart of the South," Atlanta, Ga.
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Author: Ethan L. ArbiserShalom y'all, ArchivesCategories |