The Truth about the ADL and the Confederate Flag
"The ADL is often an
embarrassment to many of us in the Jewish community. Less than 10% of American
Jews belong to the group, if its own membership figures are accurate, and it
seems to delight in stirring up controversy and taking on issues that have
nothing to do with the Jewish community.
The ADL is about the most extreme of all the big Jewish groups, being the only
one to support the recent lawsuit to remove ""Under God" from the Pledge of
Allegiance. This fact I think is largely unknown within the community and among
its members, most of whom I think would be opposed to such a position."
- Lewis Regenstein , whose extended maternal family in Georgia & South
Carolina contributed almost three dozen soldiers to the Confederacy.
Why does the Confederate Battle Flag
appear on the ADL's "Hate on Display" webpage?
http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/default_graphics.asp
Once you are at the page you can click on the picture of the Battle Flag. This
will take you to this page:
http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/racist_confederate_flag.asp
Where the ADL posts the following information about the Confederate Battle Flag:
"Although the flag is seen by some Southerners simply as a symbol of
Southern pride, it is often used by racists to represent white domination of
African-Americans. The flag remains a subject of controversy because some
Southern states still fly the flag from public buildings or incorporate it into
their state flag’s design. The flag is also used by racists as an alternative to
the American flag, which they consider to be an emblem of what they describe as
the Jewish-controlled government."
Our question to the ADL is this:
How can the Confederate Battle Flag be described as anti-Jewish or racist when
it is an historical fact that there were Jews who fought
for the Confederacy and a Jew, Judah P. Benjamin served as a member of Jefferson
Davis' Cabinet in the Confederate Government?
We recommend that the Anti-Defamation League read the following articles and
stop labeling the Confederate Battle Flag as anti-Jewish and racist.
A LOST CAUSE, BUT AN HONORABLE ONE
By Lewis Regenstein
A largely forgotten and greatly misunderstood era of American Jewish history concerns the leading role played by Southern Jews in the Confederate armed forces.
Some 3,500 to 5,000 Jews fought for the South, honorably and loyally . They, like their compatriots, showed amazing courage, dedication, and valor, enduring incredible hardships, against overwhelming and often hopeless odds, in fighting, for their homeland -- not for slavery, as is so often said, but for their families, homes, and country.
The story of these Southern patriots is told eloquently in two authoritative books: “The Jewish Confederates,” by Robert Rosen, and “Last Order of the Lost Cause,” by Mel Young.
Put simply, most Confederate soldiers felt they were fighting because an invading army from the North was trying to kill them, burn their homes, and destroy their cities. And anyone with family who fought to defend the South, as mine did, cannot help but appreciate the dire circumstances our ancestors encountered.
Near the end of the War Between the States, my great grandfather, Andrew Jackson Moses, who ran away from school to become a Confederate scout, at 16 rode out to defend his hometown of Sumter, South Carolina, as part of a hastily-formed local militia. Approaching rapidly was a unit of Sherman's army, which had just burned Columbia and most everything else in its path, and Sumter expected similar treatment.
Along with a few other teenagers, old men, invalids, and wounded from the local hospital, Sumter’s rag-tag defenders amazingly were able to hold off these battle-seasoned veterans, Potter’s Raiders, for an hour-and-a-half, at the cost of several lives. (Jack got away with a price on his head, and Sumter was not burned after all. But some buildings were, and there were documented instances of murder, rape, and arson by the Yankees, including the torching of our family’s 196 bales of cotton.)
Meanwhile, Jack's eldest brother, Lt. Joshua Lazarus Moses, who was wounded in the War’s first real battle, First Manassas (Bull Run), was defending Mobile in the last infantry battle of the War. His forces being outnumbered 12 to one, Josh was commanding an artillery battalion that, before being overrun, fired the last shots in defense of Mobile. Refusing to lay down his arms, he was killed on the day Lee surrendered, in a battle, Fort Blakely, in which one of his brothers, Perry, was wounded, and another brother, Horace, captured while laying land mines.
The fifth bother, Isaac Harby Moses, having served with distinction in combat in Wade Hampton's cavalry, rode home from North Carolina after the Battle of Bentonville, the War’s last major battle, where he commanded his company, all of the officers having been killed or wounded. He never surrendered to anyone, his Mother proudly observed in her memoirs. He was among those who fired the very first shots of the War, when his company of Citadel cadets opened up on the Union ship, Star of the West, which was attempting to resupply the besieged Fort Sumter in January, 1861, three months before the War officially began.
The Moses brothers’ distinguished uncle, Major Raphael J. Moses, from Columbus, Georgia, was General James Longstreet's chief commissary officer, and was responsible for supplying and feeding up to 50,000 men. Their commander, General Robert E. Lee, had forbidden Moses from entering private homes in search of supplies in raids into Union territory, even when food and other provisions were in painfully short supply. And he always paid for what he did take from farms and businesses, albeit in Confederate tender, often enduring, in good humor, harsh verbal abuse from the local women.
Interestingly, he ended up carrying out the last order of the Confederacy, which was to deliver the last of the Confederate treasury, $40,000 in gold & silver bullion, to help feed and supply the defeated Confederate soldiers straggling home after the War -- weary, hungry, often sick, shoeless and in tattered uniforms. With the help of a small group of determined armed guards, Moses successfully carried out the order from President Jefferson Davis, despite repeated attempts by mobs to forcibly take the bullion.
Major Moses' three sons also served the Confederacy, one of whom, Albert Moses Luria, was killed in 1862 at 19 after courageously throwing a live Union artillery shell out of his fortification before it exploded, thereby saving the lives of many of his compatriots. He was the first Jewish Confederate killed in the War; his cousin Josh, the last.
One cannot help but respect the dignity and gentlemanly policies of Lee and Moses, and the courage of the greatly outnumbered, out-supplied but rarely outfought Confederate soldiers. In stark contrast, Union generals Sherman, Grant, and Sheridan and their troops burned and looted homes, farms, courthouses, libraries, businesses and entire cities full of defenseless civilians (including Atlanta), as part of official Union policy to not only defeat but utterly destroy the South, in violation of the then-prevailing rules of warfare.
And before, during, and after the War, this same Union army (led by many of the same generals, including Sherman, Grant, and George Custer) used similar tactics, and worse, to massacre and nearly wipe out the Native Americans, in what we euphemistically call "The Indian Wars." It would be more precise to call it a mass murder, a virtual genocide, of Native People, mainly helpless old men, women, and children in their villages. The eradication of the Plains Indians, from1865-66, for example, was carried out to seize land for the western railroads.
So the Union army was hardly the forerunner of the civil rights movement, as many would have us believe.
There are countless stories of valor by soldiers on both sides of this tragic conflict, and their descendants can take justifiable pride in this heritage. This is especially true of the brave and beleaguered Confederates who risked all and sacrificed much in the service of their country, against a formidable, implacable, and often cruel foe. A Lost Cause, yes, but an honorable one, which should not be forgotten.
Lewis Regenstein, a Native Atlantan, is a writer and author.
Additional information can be found by clicking on the link below:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~scsumter/lostcause.html
Who was Sir Moses J. Ezekiel?
By Calvin E. Johnson, Jr.
Kennesaw, Georgia
cjohnson1861@bellsouth.net
"The death of Moses Ezekiel, the distinguished and
greatly loved American sculptor, who lived in Rome for more than forty years,
caused universal regret here----1921, The New York Times Dispatch from Rome.
We have heard the many speeches, at a soldier's memorial, by those who conclude,
by saying, "We shall never forget our Veterans!" But have we not forgotten our
ancestors? Memorial observances, which once were attended by the thousands, are
now attended by fewer folks.
September through October is Hispanic History Month. Do your children know who
Sir Moses J. Ezekiel was? This was a man who was proud of his Jewish-Spanish
Heritage and whose birthday is remembered in October. He was proud to be an
American and a Virginian.
Do schools still teach our American history of, "1776-2005"?
As a student, I remember my school taking all kids on an educational field trip.
Each mother and father should take their children on a trip through history at
Arlington National Cemetery. There is a story for every great American buried
here and if you listen closely you may hear their story that is part of our
nation's history.
Arlington National Cemetery is located in the shadow of the Custis-Lee Mansion
(Arlington House) that was home to General Robert E. Lee and his family until
1861, and the beginning of the War Between the States. This cemetery was first
used in 1864, for the burial of Union soldiers.
Tours, through this famous burial place of President Kennedy, General Wainwright
and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, are conducted daily. I have been told that
another part of this cemetery (section 16) may sometimes be overlooked. It is,
however, an important part of our nation's history and should be a part of your
guided tour through Arlington.
On June 4, 1914, the President of the U.S., Woodrow Wilson spoke at the
dedication of a new Confederate memorial at section 16. The monument, to those
Confederate soldiers who were re-interred there in 1900, has been called by some
people as both striking and unique. This monument was trusted into safe keeping
to the U.S. War Department by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1914.
It was a tradition of American presidents to place a wreath and some even spoke
there on Memorial Day. What has happened to this wonderful tradition?
Dr. Edward Smith, a Professor of History at American University, has described
this monument as probably the first to honor the Black Confederate soldiers.
This monument includes a depiction of a Black Confederate marching in step with
the white soldiers.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned a Jewish-Confederate
Veteran, Sir Moses J. Ezekiel, to do the work on this monument. Some people say
that he might have been the first Jewish-American to do this type of sculpture.
It is written that the UDC was pleased with his work which depicts the
multi-cultural makeup of the late Confederate States of America.
Moses J. Ezekiel was born on October 28, 1844, in Richmond, Va. He was one of
fourteen children born to Jacob and Catherine de Castro Ezekiel. He was born in
a house on "Old Market Street" that is said to have been in the poorer side of
town. His grandparents came to America from Holland in 1808, and were of
Jewish-Spanish Heritage.
Ezekiel talked his parents into letting him attend Virginia Military Institute
and he did enroll on September 17, 1862. Some people say, he was the first
Jewish-American to enter there at this the school of General Stonewall Jackson.
After three years at VMI, Ezekiel saw military service during the War Between
the States. The Cadets, of Virginia Military Institute, were called to support
Confederate General John C. Breckenridge at the Battle of New Market, Virginia.
Ezekiel joined his fellow cadets in the charge upon the Union lines.
Ezekiel, after the war, went on to finish his education at VMI. It was during
this time that he had the fortune to meet General Robert E. Lee who was
president of Washington College. Lee gave him the following words of
encouragement in his quest to be an artist;
"I hope you will be an artist, as it seems to me that you are cut out for one.
But, whatever you do, try to prove to the world that, even if we did not succeed
in our struggle, we are worthy of success and do earn a reputation to whatever
profession you undertake."
Ezekiel would travel to Italy to study and work as an artist and would become
known worldwide. He was honored by King Emmanuel who knighted him and gave him
the distinction of "Sir Moses Jacob Ezekiel."
It was Ezekiel's wish to return to his native Virginia but World War I kept him
for doing so. He spent his final days in Italy where he died in 1917. His
remains were not brought back to the states until 1921.
Among his many great works are: "Christ Bound for the Cross", "The Martyr", and
"David Singing his Song of Glory."
His funeral service was held at the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery.
Cadets, of the Virginia Military Institute, stood by his casket that was draped
with a flag of the United States. Ezekiel was buried at the base of the
Confederate monument. Also buried around the monument are 450 Confederate
soldiers, wives and civilians.
The following words are inscribed on his grave marker;
"Moses J. Ezekiel
Sergeant of Company C
Battalion of Cadets of the
Virginia Military Institute."
Lest We Forget our American Heritage!
Check Out More Great ADL, Myth Busting Articles about Jews and the Confederacy!!!
The Last Meeting :by Lewis Regenstein
Southern Jews of the Civil War: Bill Maxwell
(From the Feb.25,2001 issue of the St. Petersberg Times Newspaper)
Diverse
Confederates
(From Dixie Outfitters)
More Than 10,000
Jews Fought for the Confederacy: Thomas C. Mandes
(From Rense.Com)
More great articles that the ADL doesn't want you to read!
Jewish Community Debates Rich Pardon Involvement
"NEW YORK, March 29 (AP) - Jewish leaders are engaged in a vigorous and increasingly public debate over whether it was morally wrong for some of their most prominent organizations to support Marc Rich's pardon after accepting his donations... ``They were bought,'' Rabbi Eric Yoffie, head of the Reform Jewish movement, wrote in an opinion piece in The Jewish Week"
The Jewish Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Jewish Group Supports Christmas:
"Comedian Jackie Mason and the Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation are fed up with the war on Christmas."
Jewish Group Defends 'Merry Christmas' Greeting
Looking for Hate in All the Wrong Places
The Real Threat to the Jewish People
ADL’s Foxman Warns of Efforts to Christianize America but TT’s Lapin Warns of Friendships Shattered by Efforts to Secularize America. by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
Pro-Christian, Anti- Political Correctness, Pro - Freedom Jewish Organizations
Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation
Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership
Click Here to Return to the Missouri League of Southern Voters Homepage
Click Here to Return to the Show Me South! Homepage
