West Virginia
Where a different America begins close to home.
Harpers Ferry · Charleston · Fayetteville · New River Gorge · Wheeling
The Journey
West Virginia surprised me by how close it is to home, yet how far away it can feel.
Only a few hours from New York, we crossed the border, and almost immediately the landscape, accents, pace, and culture began to change. Mountains surrounded the roads, little towns appeared between them, and suddenly we felt like we had entered a different part of America.
Our first major stop was Harpers Ferry. The little historic town sits where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet, surrounded by mountains and soaked in Civil War history. We walked the old streets, visited historic sites, and watched the sun go down from a point where West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland almost seem to come together. There was something beautiful about standing there at sunset, looking across three states at once.
The next morning, we packed up and made the long drive south toward Charleston.
The drive itself became part of the experience. Small towns, quiet streets, little shops, mountains, and people who seemed to actually have time to say hello. We stopped along the way for coffee and simply enjoyed getting a taste of the places between the destinations.
Then we reached Charleston. I have visited every state capital in America, but Charleston immediately stood out for its warmth. The streets were beautiful, the architecture had character, and people constantly smiled, greeted us, and complimented the girls.
At the State Capitol, we were welcomed warmly and shown around the magnificent building, including the governor’s office. Later, we walked through local shops and markets and ended the day watching the sunset over the Kanawha River.
Across the water, we noticed the Schoenbaum Library, one of several places around Charleston carrying the name of Alexander Schoenbaum. What began as simple curiosity eventually introduced me to the story of the Jewish businessman and philanthropist behind Shoney’s, who left a major imprint on the city.
The next morning, we headed toward New River Gorge National Park. Standing above the enormous gorge and looking toward the New River Gorge Bridge was breathtaking. At Grandview, the river bends through the mountains below in a scene that almost reminded me of Horseshoe Bend out West, except surrounded by the deep green of Appalachia.
Sitting above the gorge and looking down at the river cutting through those mountains was one of those moments where nature simply makes you stop talking.
West Virginia calls itself Wild and Wonderful. By then, we understood why.
Jewish West Virginia
One of my most memorable Jewish discoveries in West Virginia came almost by accident.
While walking around Fayetteville, near New River Gorge, I came across a marker telling the story of a Jewish Seder held here during the Civil War. In 1862, Joseph A. Joel and roughly twenty Jewish Union soldiers found themselves in the mountains as Pesach approached. Kosher food was scarce, but they were determined to celebrate. They received permission to leave their regular duties and somehow put together a Seder in the middle of the war.
Standing there more than 160 years later made that story feel very real.
In Wheeling, we encountered the beginnings of organized Jewish life in the state. L’Shem Shomayim was founded in 1849, before West Virginia even existed as a separate state. In Charleston, we visited the Jewish cemetery and local community and kept finding Jewish names woven into the city, including Alexander Schoenbaum, the businessman behind Shoney’s, whose philanthropy left a major mark on Charleston.
Then there was Lewis Strauss, born to a Jewish family in West Virginia, who later became chairman of the United States Atomic Energy Commission.
Jewish West Virginia was never large in numbers, but from Civil War soldiers to merchants, philanthropists, and national figures, its footprint was much larger than I expected.
What Stayed With Me
What stayed with me about West Virginia was how close a completely different America could be.
Only a few hours from home, the mountains appeared, the pace slowed, the accents changed, and strangers seemed to have more time for one another.
Sometimes you do not have to travel across the country to feel far from home.
West Virginia reminded me how much America can change just a few hours down the road.
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