Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on January 5, 2014

COLUMBIA, SC The monument called Reconciliation memorializes two Kershaw County natives African-American baseball Hall of Fame member Larry Doby, and Jewish financier and presidential adviser Bernard Baruch in one of Camdens squares.

At the March ceremony unveiling the bronze sculptures, the sound of African drums and a band playing Dixie shared the same space, celebrating how much the men achieved despite racial and religious intolerance. The moment showed how far Americans have come since Dobys and Baruchs time, said Camden attorney John Rainey, whose idea it was to memorialize the two figures.

Now, Rainey and ETV are producing a documentary film that will tell the story of Camdens two native sons, adding to it commentary about racial reconciliation from S.C. civil rights leaders, scholars and emerging community leaders.

The hope of the documentary is to inspire a statewide conversation about reconciliation, positioning South Carolina to become the birthplace of the modern reconciliation movement, said Rainey.

Reconciliation is the critical step the final step in the process of the healing of America from the wound first inflicted by slavery, said Rainey, whose ancestors include a secessionist and Confederate soldiers.

And, he adds, the story of Camdens native sons is a great place for the documentary to start.

Doby, a baseball Hall of Fame member, was the first African American to play in the American League. After playing in the Negro National League, he went on to play for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers.

Baruch, whose family moved to New York City when he was 10, was a millionaire by age 30 and adviser to several presidents during a time when anti-Semitism was common in U.S. politics.

Today, Dobys likeness stands in a town square near the Camden Archives and Museum. Baruchs sculpture sits a few paces away on a park bench an apt setting for Baruch, known for holding meetings on park benches.

Rainey sees the ETV documentary that will start with their story as planting a seed that will grow into a deliberate exploration of South Carolinas racial history and move toward racial reconciliation.

See the article here:
New ETV film aims to foster racial reconciliation in SC

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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