CIVIL WAR ARTICLES
Reliving History
As brother fought brother in 1862, 20 Jewish soldiers broke matza together
By Matt Schuman
Jewish Exponent Staff
They found matza - which didn't arrive until just before Passover seder was to begin - lamb, chicken, eggs and two kegs of cider.
A bitter-tasting weed was substituted for horseradish and parsley, neither of which could be located. Also unavailable was charoset, but the participants substituted a brick, which rested on the table throughout the meal.
The year was 1862, the locale Fayette, W. Va. Even as the Civil War raged on, 20 Jewish members of the 23rd Ohio Regiment gathered for the ceremonial meal.
That memorable seder was re-enacted on a recent Saturday night at Neshaminy State Park. It was one of the many Civil War re-enactments that took place at the state park during a weekend-long program that attracted participants - clad in authentic Union and Confederate uniforms - and observers from all over the Delaware Valley and beyond.
Dr. Robert Levine of Ivyland took the role of seder leader Joseph A. Joel.
From the Heart
"The seder was special," said Levine, chairman of periodontics at Albert Einstein Medical Center and a member of the Warminster-based 69th Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry Unit, which re-enacts Civil War Battles up and down the East Coast.
"I felt privileged to re-create the seder in memory of the men who actually took part in it. It gave me a feeling of what the men went through, which is why you do reenactments. As a Jew, this is something that was close to my heart."
Through his research, Levine learned that Joel and the others requested and received permission to leave their unit for several days so they could arrange and conduct a seder. The commanding officer who okayed the request, Major Rutherford Hayes, went on to become president of the United States.
In planning the seder, half of the Jewish soldiers were dispatched to gather the necessary foods, while the other half stayed behind to construct a log hut, where the ceremonial meal was served.
"As a Jew, this is
something that was
close to my heart."
Dr. Robert Levine,
69th Pennsylvania
Volunteers Infantry Unit
Levine began the re-enactment by sharing the information he had gathered about the original seder. He acknowledged that the seder he would be leading "was somewhat more conventional."
"For example, we had matza-ball soup at our seder - and we didn't have a brick on the table. Another difference is that our service and meal took place outdoors, although we made sure we were near the woods, which gave us a sense that we could have cut the trees down and build a hut if we had to."
Joining Levine were his children - son Ross, 11, and daughter Bari, 9 - and several other Jewish members of the 9th Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry Unit. Three non-Jewish members were present as well.
"I was flattered that the non-Jews took an interest in what we were doing," Levine said. "For them, it was a learning experience."
Throughout the service and ceremonial meal, Levine noted, weapons and ammunition sat nearby - just in case.
'"Our goal," he said, "was for the seder to be as authentic as possible."
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