The Charlotte Jewish News - August 2000 - Page 2
Point of View
Kacii issue of the ( JN fiatuiTs an article
\M it(eh h_\ one of the rahhis aeti\e in the
( harlotte ( (>niiniinit\.
This Month:
Riihhi \ossi (ironer Lul)avitcli
of North Carolina
For I hk Lov k of thk Land
In My Opinion...
By Amy Krakovitz Montoni
“Private garden,” the sign said,
“please enjoy from the street.”
And I did enjoy it,
peering in from the side
walk through the double
wooden gate that had
been left open at the end
of the driveway.
Mr. M. and I had gone
to Charleston for a few
days and in our walking
around the historic dis
trict, taking pleasure in
the incredible architec
ture still standing for
over 200 years, we found
ourselves at yet another
beautiful home with an
unbelievably opulent gar
den below its three-tiered side
veranda.
When we passed the front door
on the street side, I noticed a
mezuzah in the doorway. The his
torical plaque by the door told the
story of the house, the Poyas-
Mordecai Home. It had been built
in the 1700’s by a Mr. Foyas, but
was purchased in the 1800’s by
Moses *Cohen Mordecai. Mr.
Mordecai was a successful mer
chant who was against secession
at the time of the Civil War. He
eventually altered his loyalties to
the Confederacy, but his business
was ruined. He left the south for
Baltimore, but his final legacy was
ensuring that the bodies of the
South CaroUna boys who had fall
en at Gettysburg were returned to
their homes.
Pointing at the mezuzah, I
remarked that I was happy to see
that the house was still obviously
in the family.
Mr. M. expressed doubt,
though. There are lots of regula
tions on historical homes, he
The garden at the Poyas-Mordecai Home.
explained. The new owners may
not even have been allowed to
remove the mezuzah. That could
be Mr. Mordecai’s original
mezuzah.
I accepted this as a possibility
and we walked on to a park right
next to the house. From the small
park, we could see the windows
on one side on the Mordecai
Home. And there, in the middle of
the second floor, on display for all
to see, were half a dozen or more
Chanukah menorahs. I pointed
them out to Mr. M. At least we
know the mezuzah belongs to the
current family, I said.
Indeed it must, as Charleston’s
history is rich with Jewish culture.
More information on Charleston’s
Jewish history can be found on
page 24, as Maxine Silverstein
also visited Charleston this sum
mer. I visited some of the same
places she did: Kahal Kodesh
Beth Elohim (where the docent
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expressed such joy that Rabbi
Robert Siegel was coming back to
Charleston); the Francis Salvador
memorial plaque in City Hall
Park; the Hebrew Orphan Society,
which was right around the comer
from my hotel.
Mr. M. and I also
walked all the way past
the Medical University
of South Carolina to the
Orthodox synagogue,
whose inscription above
the front door reads: “Ma
Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov,
Mishkenotecha Yisrael.”
We ate lunch at
Aaron’s Deh, a part of
Hyman’s Seafood that
has been in Hyman fam
ily since 1890. The menu
calls their chopped liver
sandwich “Jewish soul
food” and their omelets come in
two varieties: so-called “kosher”
(mushroom and swiss) or “treif ’
(ham and swiss).
Even without the Jewish aspect
of our trip. Charleston was such a
wonderful place to be. We stayed
in the historic district and were
able to walk everywhere. We
strolled along the water and the
Battery in the evening while the
cool breezes blew in from off
shore. We visited the Old
Exchange Building and learned
the history of Charleston through
a program in its ancient dungeon.
We toured the Heyward-
Washington Home (built in the
1790’s) and the Joseph Manigault
Home (built in 1805). We admired
the Calhoun home from outside
but left the tour for our next
trip, and believe me, there will
be a next trip. Charleston is too
wonderful and too close by to
ignore. ^
Letter to the
Editor
Editor’s Note: Rachel
Spangenthal is 5th grader at the
Charlotte Jewish Day School. She
was concerned when she found out
that some friends might have to
move away from Charlotte
because there is no Jewish Middle
School for the children. This is a
letter she wrote to express her feel
ings.
“Why I’m writing a letter to
you is because I want to have a
Middle School. If the problem is
money. I’m sure some people will
want to help out. We are Jewish
after all and we want children not
to go to public school and forget
everything they learned. Aren’t we
Jewish? Can’t anything happen?
“If we have a chance to teach
Torah, I think we should take that
chance. If we don’t, it may hurt
other people. For example, [I
know a family who] love where
they live. New troubles are com
ing for them as they might have to
move. Just for a Jewish communi
ty. I hear that it’s out of your reach,
but please listen and ask the chil
dren. We have some things to say.”
Sincerely,
Rachel Spangenthal
The month of August this year
comes right about the time that we
prepare for the 9th of Av (August
10), a day that has been marked as
a day of mourning and fasting as
we lament the destmction of
Jerusalem and the Temples that
stood in its midst. It was on this
day that the Babylonians
destroyed the first Holy Temple
built by King Solomon, and the
Romans destroyed the second
Holy Temple built by King Herod.
It is amazing that after thou
sands of years, Jews still lament
the destmction of the Temple and
yeam for it to be rebuilt. Each day
we ask God in prayer to rebuild
the Temple and city of Jemsalem
and to return His glory to Zion.
This strong desire for return to our
land has been the driving force
behind the resettlement of the
Land of Israel in the past few hun
dred years.
The innate love that the Jew has
for the Land of Israel is rooted
deep in our souls. It is in Israel that
we feel completely at home. How
else can you explain the extraordi
nary dedication of Israel’s early
pioneers when revitalizing the
land? Although they faced seem
ingly insurmountable challenges
in which they had to take a barren
land filled with obstacles, rocky
terrain, diseased water sources,
etc., yet with undeterred determi
nation and with God’s help they
successfully transformed it into a
green and fruitful oasis.
Wherever Jews were dispersed
in the Diaspora and under all cir
cumstances, the Land of Israel
hved in their hearts. We always
prayed in the direction of
Jerusalem and clung to the immor
tal words of the psalmist, “If I for
get thee, Jerusalem, forget my
right hand.”
Our claim to the land was nei
ther political nor historical; rather,
it was Biblical. The Torah states
clearly that the land was given as a
gift to the Jewish people. Just as
Jews fought for the right to keep
and observe the Torah, in the same
vein they struggled to keep and
develop the Land of Israel. This
was not always possible, as for
eign monarchies and an array of
invading armies throughout the
centuries governed or controlled
the land. Yet with all the obstacles,
Jews always attempted to estab
lish Jewish settlements known as
moshavim on the land.
With all the success seen in the
recent history of modem Israel in
the past fifty years, the future of
Israel is still a struggle. When fol
lowing the news in Israel, it is
quite clear that the situation is far
from being peaceful and harmo
nious. The Temple still lies in ruin,
and its neighbors continually
threaten Israel. After all the thou
sands of years of wandering and
suffering, it is high time for Jews
to finally be able to feel safe and
secure in their own homeland.
The 9th of Av is a day set aside
for lamenting and mourning the
destruction of Jerusalem’s
Temples and the subsequent suf
fering of the Jews. On this day we
cry out to God and ask that He
return His people and glory to the
Holy Land.
This day should not be viewed
as a day of melancholy; rather it is
a day that should stir within us the
deep longing for the rebuilding of
the Temple and the coming of
Moshiach.
When Moshiach comes, there
will be a true and everlasting
peace in Israel. Gone will be the
hostility and animosity from sur
rounding nations. Respect will be
restored to Israel and to Judaism.
The study of Torah and “the
knowledge of God will fill the
land as water fills the ocean.”
In essence these are days of
hope, not despair. Maimonides
writes that whoever laments the
destruction of Jerusalem will
merit seeing its lebuilding and its
eventual return to grandeur.
Maimonides goes further by say
ing that these days will inevitably
be transformed into the happiest
days of the year. By observing
these days properly, we will come
to celebrate the final and complete
redemption through Moshiach.
The next issue is Sept. 2000.
Article deadline is Aug. 1.
Advertising deadline
isAug.lO.
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