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DECEMBER 2, 2021 | The Jewish Home
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DECEMBER 2, 2021 | The Jewish Home
The Wandering
Jew
Richmond, Virginia By Hershel Lieber
The statue of Robert E. Lee on Monument Ave
I
n the spring of 2015, we traveled to Virginia – not that we hadn’t been there before. As a teenager in the early ‘60s, I went with my mother to visit her first cousin who was living at the time in Newport News. During a number of occasions, while visiting Washington, D.C., we were in Arlington and Mount Vernon. In the summer of 1981, we traveled with our three girls to Williamsburg and Busch Gardens as part of a twoweek family vacation. Where we had not been before was the historic capital of the state, Richmond. Richmond played a big role in U.S. history in the Colonial era, during the American Revolution,
and as an important and vibrant city of the Early United States. Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America and was a major player during the Civil War. Richmond’s prominence waned after the War of the States, but it still retains its significance as a major city of the Southern states. As part of planning our trip, I was in touch with Rabbi Dovid Asher of Keneseth Beth Israel. The rabbi arranged that we would stay for Shabbos at the home of Stuart and Joan Cantor. Stuart’s brother, Eric, was a U.S. Congressman from 2001-2014 and the House Majority Leader during the final four years of his tenure.
Rabbi Asher’s shul had minyanim all week long, and there was a daily minyan at the boys’ yeshiva high school. I was told that although there were supermarkets that carried an extensive line of kosher products, there really were no kosher eateries in town. Hence, we brought along some food from home. Our plan was to stay in Richmond for six days with stopovers in Silver Springs, Maryland, on the way there and on the way back. We left on Thursday, April 30, and drove to Silver Springs. We ate out at a great fast food restaurant called Max’s. Their shawarma in pita was heavenly and very filling. We
With Stuart Cantor
stayed over at the Sheraton where we showered and got ready for Shabbos the next morning. After davening at the Woodside Synagogue and picking up chicken sandwiches for lunch, we drove to Richmond. There was a
