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Joel and the possibility of holding a Passover seder while stationed in the Sewell Mountains of West Virginia. It frames Passover as a memory of liberation and connects it to the struggle against slavery. The author’s note explains research into historical references and describes the soldiers’ emotions, preparations, and a letter to Commander William S. Rosecrans seeking permission.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":10,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/private-joel-and-the-sewell-mountain-seder-authors-note-chapter-one/447589/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/private-joel-and-the-sewell-mountain-seder-authors-note-chapter-one/447589.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanford","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":44},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What historical context sets the story during the Civil War?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The narrative takes place in 1862, when the Civil War is raging. J.A. Joel’s company is stationed in Fayette, assigned to protect the railroad from Confederate attacks in the surrounding Sewell Mountains.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why do the Jewish soldiers want to hold a Passover seder?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Passover is their favorite holiday, and it celebrates freedom. The soldiers want to observe traditions and recite prayers and the Passover story, even while trying to defend their country and help free enslaved people.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How do the soldiers seek permission from their commander?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"They compose a letter to Commander Rosecrans requesting permission to observe Passover and prepare a seder starting at sundown on April 14th. The next day, Rosecrans agrees and offers leave to prepare and attendance at their special meal.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},447589,1790826482,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":8,"category_name":10,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":44,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":16},2336477552062,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","Pivateand theSewell MountainSeder  \nA Note from PJ Library  \nJewish Concepts  \nThe first record of Jews in North Americadates back to 1584—decades before thePilgrims arrived.Shortly after the AmericanRevolution,President George Washingtonwrote to a Jewish congregation in Newport,Rhode Island,\"May the Children of theStock of Abraham,who dwell in this land,continue to merit and enjoy the good will ofthe other Inhabitants.\"Jews have played arole in US history ever since.  \nThe Civil War,an extremely difficult era inthe American story,is no exception.About  \n10,000 Jews fought in the Civil War—7,000for the Union,like Private Joel,and 3,000for the Confederacy.Even in the throes ofwar,Jewish soldiers like Private Joel triedto hold on to their customs and traditions,including observing Passover—to the extentthat they could.The seder,the ritual mealthat walks participants through the storyof Passover,fulfills the Biblical injunctionto pass the tale along from parent to child.In every age,all over the world,Jews havegone to great lengths to have seders,evenduring times when it was inconvenient ordangerous to do so.  \nPerhaps soldiers like Private Joel sawparallels between Passover and the CivilWar.After all,the story of Passover is allabout the struggle between slavery andliberation.A century later,Jews would joinhands with African Americans to continuethe fight for equality.  \nPrivate Joel and theSewell Mountain Seder  \nBy Bryna J.Firesidelustrations by Shawn CostelloKAR-BEN  \nPU BLI S HIN G  \nFor Ella,Noah,Sophie,Ari,Lucy and Ximena-B.F.  \nThanks to my family and friends and forGod's tender mercies and grace.-S.C.  \n# Author's Note\n\nMany years ago,an article by Rabbi David Geffen in the Binghamton,NY Jewish Reporter captured my imagination.It was about a group ofJewish soldiers in the 23rd Ohio Regiment who celebrated Passoverduring the Civil War.Further research uncovered an article byJ.A.Joel,“Passover-A Reminiscence of the War”which appeared in The JewishMessenger April 1866,over 100 years ago.It gives many details aboutthe seder which took place in the mountains of West Virginia.Surfingthe web,I found the names of four more of the twenty-one Jewish sol-diers who served in J.A's regiment:William Leopold,GeorgeLowenstein,Solomon Richmire and Isaac Ullman.  \nI tried to imagine the seder and what these soldiers were feeling asthey celebrated a holiday of freedom during the war that was beingfought to abolish slavery in America.As my story took shape,I knewthat I wanted to include some former slaves to share in this celebration.Over 180,000 African Americans (then called Negroes)served in theUnion Army.Some served in all-Negro units commanded by white of-ficers.Although Caleb,Abraham,and Samuel are the product of myown creation,there were former slaves who enlisted with whateverUnion armies were nearby.  \nAmerican Jews and African Americans have a proud history of fight-ing for freedom and civil rights in America and elsewhere in the world.As we sit down to our family seders,it is good to remember that inmany parts of our world,there are still places where people are not free.-Bryna J.Fireside  \nCHAPTER ONE  \nPassover was just two weks away It wasPrivate J.A.Joel's favorite holiday.But this year wasdifferent from all other years.It was 1862,and theCivil War was raging.Joel (called JJ.by his friends)was a Union soldier,fighting to defend his countryand to free the Negro slaves.  \nPrivate Joel's company-the 23rd Regimentfrom Ohio-had spent months on an arduousmarch of several hundred miles through theWest Virginia mountains,and had roustedthe Confederate forces at Carnifax Ferry.  \nBut all was pretty quiet now,and they werehunkered down for the winter in Fayette.Theirassignment was to keep the railroad safe fromattacks by Confederate soldiers who werehiding in the Sewell Mountains surroundingtheir camp.  \nIf truth be told,the young soldiers were boredand homesick.And none more so than the 21Jewish soldiers in JJ's regiment.  \nJJ.sat dow","cbCailHvKK9q54HS","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCailHvKK9q54HS","pdf",3091981,52,"English","# Author's Note\n# Chapter One","[{\"question\":\"What historical context sets the story during the Civil War?\",\"answer\":\"The narrative takes place in 1862, when the Civil War is raging. J.A. Joel’s company is stationed in Fayette, assigned to protect the railroad from Confederate attacks in the surrounding Sewell Mountains.\"},{\"question\":\"Why do the Jewish soldiers want to hold a Passover seder?\",\"answer\":\"Passover is their favorite holiday, and it celebrates freedom. The soldiers want to observe traditions and recite prayers and the Passover story, even while trying to defend their country and help free enslaved people.\"},{\"question\":\"How do the soldiers seek permission from their commander?\",\"answer\":\"They compose a letter to Commander Rosecrans requesting permission to observe Passover and prepare a seder starting at sundown on April 14th. The next day, Rosecrans agrees and offers leave to prepare and attendance at their special meal.\"}]","Private Joel and the Sewell Mountain Seder - Author's Note - Chapter One | PDF",1790721608]