feature
A Civil
War Seder
Memorialized in
Fayetteville, West Virginia
P rivate Joseph A. Joel noticed on
his calendar that Passover was
coming. He and 20 fellow Jewish
soldiers requested relief from duty
to celebrate the holiday. Permission
was granted. Despite the soldiers’
remote location, they acquired matzah and
other Passover products. The young men built
an area for services, held seders, recalled the
Exodus and off ered blessings.

Now, 161 years later, Joel and his compatriots’
eff orts are being preserved as a reminder of
the contributions and commitment of Jewish
soldiers during the Civil War.

On April 3, a sign bearing testament to the
Jewish troops and their commanding offi cer
— future President Rutherford B. Hayes — will
be unveiled in Fayetteville, West Virginia. A
corresponding ceremony, scheduled for 11 a.m.

at Lovey Hope Center for the Arts, will be a
reminder that “the original cast of the Civil War
is more diverse than maybe we believe it today,”
said Drew Gruber, executive director of Civil War
Trails, an organization that partners with commu-
nities in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee and Pennsylvania to connect
visitors to meaningful Civil War narratives.

What Joel and the other Jewish soldiers
did 161 years ago was
a “bright spot and
peaceful moment”
during a period
marked by carnage,
Gruber said.

Between 1861
and 1865, approx-
imately 620,000
soldiers died on
U.S. soil. The sum
is about equal to the
number of American
fatalities in
the Revolutionary War, the
War of 1812, the Mexican
War, the Spanish-American
War, World War I, World War
II and the Korean War combined,
according to the National Parks Service.

While the deaths, military confl icts and
commanders have long captivated histori-
ans, the Civil War “isn’t just about battles and
campaigns, but about humanity, and in this
instance, community,” Gruber said.

Jewish soldiers wanted to celebrate Passover
“but it was a wider community” that made it
happen, which makes a fascinating parallel to
What Joel and the other Jewish
soldiers did 161 years ago was a
“bright spot and peaceful
moment” during a period
marked by carnage.

20 MARCH 30, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
today, researcher Victoria
Tolson explained.

Tolson, an administra-
tive assistant with Civil
War Trails, worked
with private collec-
tors and members of
West Virginia’s Jewish
community to unearth
details regarding the
1862 seders and Joel.

Born in Plymouth,
England, on May 27, 1844,
Joel enlisted in the Union
Army, 23rd Ohio Infantry, on
July 7, 1861. Less than two
years later, he was discharged on
Feb. 9, 1863, “after having sustained
eight gunshot wounds, and losing the tips
of two fi ngers,” according to documents shared
by the Shapell Manuscript Foundation.

Joel’s wartime eff orts earned the respect and
lifelong friendship of his commanding offi cer,
Rutherford B. Hayes. Following the Civil War,
the two corresponded extensively. They shared
updates about their families and personal
health. Hayes called Joel a “dear comrade” and
invited him to the Executive Mansion (a precur-
sor to the White House). Joel named his son
Rutherford B. Hayes Joel.

In 1873, Hayes described that honor, by
writing, “I am proud of your partiality and
shall always regard with great interest the
progress of the young gentleman. I shall try
to remember him in some substantial way. Let
him be as brave and honorable as his father
and he will be a credit to his parents and
namesake.” Hayes gave Joel and the other Jewish
soldiers a reprieve to celebrate Passover. The
landsmen, according to Joel’s 1866 writings,
hired their Jewish sutler to go to Cincinnati and
buy matzah.

Hayes: Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress; Cannon: KKStock /iStock/Getty Images; Background: desifoto/DigitalVisionVectors/Getty Images
ADAM REINHERZ