“Let my people go!†is the cry of Moses that has resounded through the ages. As Passover approaches, we remember our ancestors who were oppressed by Pharaoh and freed through the grace of God and the courage of Moses. Why, then, did some South Carolinian Jews participate in the propagation of the Confederate states in the Civil War and the continuation of slavery?
By no means am I justifying these actions, but perhaps the previous claim of supporting slavery is overstated. For one, the Civil War was about a lot more than slavery. The conflict between the industrialized north and the rural plantations of the south revolved around much more than the tragic enslavement of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans. Perhaps the Jews did not support a similar situation to the one they underwent in Egypt, but wanted to keep their social positions in the South intact. That would have meant fighting for the Confederacy. But did they fight against it?
There is another issue, though. “Those who could afford it owned slaves. The affluent lived in finely furnished houses and traveled abroad,†says the Jewish Virtual Library. In other words, they had the same prosperous lives of their other white neighbors and exploited the labor force of slaves. A moral consideration didn’t figure into it, it is implied. That action is reprehensible for obvious reasons, but there’s more to it than Jews being “just as bad†as their neighbors.
Again, I’m not defending these Southern Jews, but trying to figure out why they did what they did. In South Carolina, the Jews would have been discriminated against for their faith just like the African-Americans were for their skin color. Perhaps living like the white Christians was a way of blending in to save their own skins. They put their own selves first, before those afflicted like they used to be, and turned a blind eye to atrocities.
As former slaves, the Jewish people should have known better (especially Judah Benjamin, Secretary of State of the Confederacy). It would be one thing to tend the innocent, as not all Confederates would have been guilty of racism and other such reprehensible actions, but blending in comes at a cost of others. Whom to save? Yourselves or those victims who cannot help themselves? It is a hard decision to make, but it is clear to see that which many chose.
Yet resistance in smaller ways is apparent. To maintain their Jewish identity distinct from their neighbors, South Carolinians like Sumterville merchant Andrew Jackson Moses and his wife, Octavia, kept up prayers and a Jewish lifestyle even without a synagogue. They owned slaves, but “Andrew did not support secession.†His wife, however, did support the secession and perhaps would have been in favor of smaller anti-slavery efforts.
Even if these efforts were made to maintain Judaism, the Moseses don’t seem to have lived up to the work of their namesake. The real Moses acclimated at first to the Egyptian lifestyle, but, upon his realization of his true identity and calling to his duty by God, began to work for the true good. The Moses family may have realized what they should have done, but did not take on the courage to right their wrongs.
In this Passover time, remember the courage of Moses. It takes a lot to stand out against one’s former allies and step out of the crowd to do the right thing. If there are any wrongs in your world, try to correct them. Let your grievances go,  as Moses asked Pharaoh to let the Jews go. This is sort of a new year; after all, spring has already sprung. With that come new opportunities. Do like the original Moses and, despite the temptations, stick to what you know is right.
