MELVILLE, New York — When South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, a new “South Carolina Sovereignty Flag” was created under the leadership of William Porcher Miles, a member of the state secession convention.
That flag included an upright blue cross which included 15 white stars, plus a crescent moon and palm tree in the upper right quadrant, all against a red background. However, the flag then underwent changes in design, in part because of the critique of Charles Moise, a self-described “Southerner of Jewish persuasion.” What was Moise’s input?
A. Moise complained that “the symbol of one particular religion should not be left out of the flag which will serve our new nation.” He noted that Christians were represented by the cross, Muslims by the crescent moon, and Quakers by the palm tree, but that there were no symbols representing Jews. As a result, Miles added a ram’s horn to the flag, which flew over the South Carolina capitol until the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox in 1865.
B. Moise suggested that “the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation.” As a result, Miles changed the upright St. George’s cross to a diagonal heraldic saltire cross. Miles noted that this “avoided the religious objection about the cross (from the Jews and many Protestant sects), because it did not stand out so conspicuously as if the cross had been placed upright thus.” With the subsequent removal of the crescent moon and palmetto tree, the flag evolved into the Confederate Battle Flag which is currently in the news.
C. Moise suggested that “the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation.” As a result, Miles added the Christian fish and dove symbols to the flag and had “the heretic” Moise arrested and imprisoned for blaspheming the Christian sovereign state of South Carolina.
D. Moise suggested that “the symbol of a particular religion not be made the symbol of the nation.” As a result, Miles changed the large star in the middle of the flag from five-pointed to six-pointed, thus satisfying Moise’s request for a flag that represented Jews as well as Christians.
E. Moise said, “Billy. I know you think this flag design is nice, but trust me. This flag will never do. It’s way too ongepotchket. I mean, I get it. Yedeh mutter denkt ir kind iz shain [Every mother thinks her child is beautiful]. But oy vey iz mir, bubeleh. South Carolina needs this flag like it needs a loch in kop.”
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Mark D. Zimmerman is the author of Rashi, Rambam and Ramalamadingdong series of Jewish trivia e-books. Learn more at rrrjewishtrivia.com.
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