Passover Seder Civil War Trails marker unveiled

Apr. 3—FAYETTEVILLE — A special piece of war-time peace and tranquility was observed Monday in Fayetteville on the grounds of the Love Hope Center for the Arts at 100 Rotan Street.

Town and community members, New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau and Love Hope Center for the Arts representatives and many others gathered to unveil a new Civil War Trails marker specially recognizing a long-ago Jewish Passover Seder observed by soldiers during the war. The Monday unveiling of the "Faith During War: A Jewish Seder in the Wilds" marker was on the 161st anniversary of the historic 1862 event which occurred in the same place.

According to Drew Gruber, executive director of the Williamsburg-Va.-based Civil War Trails, the historic site was identified by local historians, and the Seder menu was adapted "based on the bounty that Appalachia offers and what their family could send."

"This is the first Civil War Trails sign (out of 1,400) in the nation that tells the story of Jewish soldiers," Gruber said Monday. "We're very excited about that.

"For many people they may feel that this is a side note to the greater war. But, when you think about specifically the soldier who recorded this account (Pvt. Joseph A. Joel of the 23rd Ohio infantry), he'll go through some tumultuous battles like South Mountain and Antietam, which will bring about the Emancipation Proclamation. But, in the post-war period, he writes that it is this moment (the Passover Seder at Fayetteville) that he chooses to remember the most out of his entire experiences of the Civil War.

"So I think often times when we think about the Civil War, we think about grand battles, the leaders, and we'll think about the number of soldiers killed, the wounded in action. But, for the individual soldier, it's these moments of beauty and peace that sort of stick out in their minds.

"We were so thrilled to connect with Dr. (Joseph) Golden at Temple Beth El (in Beckley), researchers and historians from West Virginia Humanities, local historians who helped identify this spot as the place where it took place," Gruber added. "It's absolutely incredible to me to think that we have 1,400 sites across six states ... and the Civil War's been studied since the day it ended, and yet here we are still learning something every single day about the soldiers, the sites, the stories, how they felt about it."

In addition to Dr. Golden, speakers Monday included Becky Sullivan, executive director of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce/New River Gorge CVB, Del. Eric Brooks, Ennis Smith of the W.Va. Department of Tourism, and Kimberly Schmidl Feazell of the board of directors of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Each CWT sign "puts you in the footsteps of history and the content, voice and perspective is unique to each," Gruber said. "Much like the 1862 Passover, this project was made possible in 2023 by both members of the Fayetteville community and from people and institutions around the nation."

U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Sam Yudin made the journey from Long Beach, California, for the unveiling. Yudin, the president of the Jewish American Military Historical Society, said it was important for him to be in attendance.

"When I was invited by Drew Gruber, first of all I was very surprised that he contacted me and that he used my website (jewishmilitary.org) for his research, but when he invited me, no matter how difficult it was to come out here, I knew I had to be present because this was the first marker that was dedicated to Jewish service members," Yudin said. "So I thought it was very important for me as part of my organization to be here. And for me personally, because the Passover Seder (for a soldier) is very important and it is a story that repeats itself throughout history.

"The soldiers here were trying to source all the ingredients for the Passover Seder. I've done the same while I was in Kosovo or Korea, trying to get matzo in Kosovo or in Korea trying to get bitter herbs. ... So, I've experienced what they experienced 160 years ago. And my great-great-uncle in the Russian Army in the 1880s did the same. So, it's a story that keeps repeating itself to this day, and many Jewish service members can connect or relate to this story."

He added, "Broader, I think it's important to tell the story of our history in a more inclusive way, and telling these stories shows the contribution of other communities within our country and how they contributed to the founding and preservation of our country."

Also present Monday was West Virginia 2022 Teacher of the Year Brian Casto, who teaches West Virginia Studies at Milton Middle School, lives in Huntington and is the creator of the popular social media series "West Virginia History in 2 Minutes or Less." To parlay his excitement with the marker project, Casto said he plans to put together a video on it in partnership with Civil War Trails, hopefully by this summer.

"A lot of times I've learned that students are turned off to history whenever they learn it in a way that's not personal," said Casto. "And so I think that stories like this, of the Jewish soldiers that wanted to take a moment in this war going on and have a moment of peace to think about what's important to them, I think that those stories of humanity and compassion is something that does resonate with students. What I like about things like this is that it humanizes history.

"Imagine being in the midst of a war where the whole country's divided and then you reach out to Rutherford B. Hayes and say, 'Hey, can we have a moment so we can try to celebrate Passover?' You know you hear stories of people taking breaks from war to celebrate things you don't often think are going to be celebrated in the midst of such chaos. It kind of tells you that, even though people are fighting for something, there's humanity there."

David Sibray, owner and publisher of West Virginia Explorer magazine who was onsite Monday as a board member representing the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, said, "For me, the important thing has to do with the economic development. Heritage tourism is the largest sector of the travel market; not everybody realizes that. When I go on a trip anywhere, I might go to ... say I'm going to the beach, I'm still likely to do something like stop at a lighthouse or check out an old plantation. Most people do that.

"So, when it comes to building the infrastructure of tourism in Fayette County and southern West Virginia, there's a real need for us to invest in our cultural resources."

"We are so excited to be a part of this important project," read a release from the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums. "We often think of the Civil War and its battles, but stories like this show the humanity of those who fought and lived during this time. Although 161 years separate us from the day of this Passover Seder, we are reminded that these soldiers were people like us, people who missed home, people who wanted to celebrate holidays and keep their culture.

"We are honored that our collections could be of help with this important research and thank Civil War Trails, Temple Beth El, Love Hope Center for the Arts and the New River Gorge Convention & Visitors Bureau for their work in bringing this story to public attention through this marker."