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December 26, 2003/Tevet 1 5764, Vol. 56, No. 14
Revolutionary roots
BARRY COHEN
Editor
Wearing a replica of a Revolutionary War military uniform, Philip Steel Jr. explains how his family's roots date back to the Colonies.
Photo by Barry Cohen
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The Arizona Jewish Historical Society kicked off Celebrate 350 - an 18-month celebration of the presence of Jews in America - with a Legacy Series lecture by Philip Steel Jr., whose family has lived in the United States from before the time of the Revolutionary War.
"The uniform I am wearing is an exact copy of the one worn by Philip Moses Russell, born in 1730," says Steel, of his great- great-great-great-grandfather.
He arrived in Richmond, Va., in 1770, from Prussia and expected to find a peaceful country and a new life, explains Steel to the audience gathered at Temple Beth Israel on Dec. 11.
"What is he hearing? Rebellion, revolution. ... Whether you were Jewish or Christian, everyone got wrapped up in this," he says.
Russell joined the army in 1777 and spent nearly the next three years in George Washington's army, including the winter in Valley Forge.
Steel explains that while his family spoke little about their ancestors, they insisted that one of them was at Valley Forge and that later, he had received a letter from George Washington.
"As kids, you never really believed that. Who would believe that your ancestor received a letter from George Washington?" says Steel.
As an adult, Steel began the process of learning about his family history by contacting the National Archives in Washington, D.C., which has detailed records of any soldier who served in the Revolutionary War.
In this way, he learned what his family told him was true.
Through his research, he also learned about some ancestors who landed in Georgia when it was still a colony.
These ancestors, the Nunez family, had fled persecution in Portugal and traveled to England, says Steel.
When refugees became too much of a financial burden on local synagogues, Jewish community leaders raised enough money to send them to the Colonies, he explains.
In 1733, a group of 43 Jews departed, including Benjamin Sheftall, one of Steel's ancestors, who brought with him a Torah made from deerskin, says Steel.
After not being allowed to land in two ports, they finally arrived in Savannah, Ga.; the only reason they were allowed to stay was because one of the Jews was a doctor, he explains.
Of note, the Torah Sheftall brought with him can be found today in Savannah's Mikvah Israel Synagogue.
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