Shabbat In Charleston

When I knew that I was going to be in Charleston, South Carolina, I decided that I wanted to attend Shabbat services at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. The congregation was founded in 1749 with the current sanctuary built in 1840. After the tragic shootings at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, I definitely wanted to attend Friday night Shabbat services. The unique sanctuary is unlike any I've ever seen, so I've included some pictures here.

In the immediacy after the shooting, I was sad and angry. I shared my frustration about the shooting and the state of our country. I still feel terrible for the family members of the victims, and I still have no confidence in our government to do something to prevent mass shootings by making sure that people who shouldn't have guns, don't have guns. Just on Friday, two people were killed and five others were wounded at a yoga studio in Tallahassee.

With all of that written, there is some good in the world. Seeing how the Pittsburgh community has come together has been incredible. I always knew that Pittsburgh was a special place, but I've been amazed by the city's unity and support for one another. Back to Charleston, there were easily 200 people for Friday night services. I don't know how many people typically attend Shabbat services, but my guess is that this is significantly more than usual. I went to services by myself, and while I tend to keep to myself in unfamiliar situations, the congregation was particularly welcoming. I sat next to a pastor of a local church and his wife, both at the synagogue with their son to support Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim ("KKBE") and the Jewish community. Naturally, I met another couple that spent about a decade in Pittsburgh in the 80s. It turned out that we both attended Tree of Life at the same time (I didn't know them) and actually lived less than a mile apart for several years. Because Pittsburgh.

Overhearing several conversations, there were definitely people of multiple faiths attending services in solidarity with the Jewish community. It sounds like this happened throughout the United States. And this is why in the wake of last week's shooting, I do have some faith in humanity. It seems like there are so many divisions in this country, particularly politically, but attending services with so many people really was heartening. Oh, every synagogue should serve root beer floats during the oneg (the post-service social gathering) like KKBE! Root beer floats can certainly bring the country together!

(The first and third photos are courtesy of the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim website. The second is my own picture, clearly not of the same quality of the others.)

Steelers-Ravens Playoff Recap (Notes From Charleston)

It may seem silly to write/read a recap of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens playoff match-up four days after the game finished. I know that you’ve already moved on from this game to this weekend’s AFC Championship, so I thought that I would include notes about my Charleston, South Carolina vacation with thoughts about the Steelers-Ravens game.

Thanks to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s list of Steelers bars, I found a place, King Street Grille, located only a few blocks from the hotel to watch the game. I even called King Street Grille twice to make sure that they were in fact a Steeler bar. We arrived at the restaurant to find an American flag and a Steelers flag hanging from the building. Good sign! I also visited the restaurant’s website prior to game and saw the picture below on the top of the main page. Very good sign!



However, I’m not convinced that King Street Grille is truly a Steeler bar. When I go to a Steeler bar, I expect there to be only Steelers fans. I expect there to be loud cheers when the Steelers make a big play and silence (or swearing) when the opposing team scores a touchdown. Yes, the majority of people in the bar wore Steelers jerseys but there were also a significant amount of folks wearing Ravens gear and/or supporting the Ravens. Therefore, I was not pleased to hear cheers when the Ravens scored. I may be spoiled by The Pour House in Washington, DC and Fast Eddie’s in Fairfax, Virginia.

My theory is that King Street Grille is the only (or best) sports bar in downtown Charleston; therefore, it can’t truly be a Steeler bar since the restaurant attracts fans for all sports. For example, I learned that the place was packed prior to the Steelers game because of a University of South Carolina-University of Florida college basketball game. I’m just glad that the football and college basketball games didn’t overlap.

Oh, an indication that a restaurant isn’t a Steeler bar: I had a beer in a Carolina Panthers glass featuring Panthers’ “Past Great” Steve Beuerlein.

Ike Taylor may be the most underrated cornerback in the NFL. He is never selected to a Pro Bowl and is overshadowed by defensive teammates Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and others. It seems like the only time I read something about Taylor is when he drops interceptions. Taylor quietly does his job, which generally consists of shutting down the opponent’s top receiver. Did you happen to notice the stats put up by Ravens’ receivers on Saturday? Houshmandzadeh, Mason and Boldin combined for only 4 catches and 41 yards. Taylor deserves a lot of credit for this.

My wife (and by my wife, I mean me and my wife) gets very excited when the announcer points out plays made by Ziggy Hood. Ziggy seemed to be everywhere against the Ravens. He also seems to be everywhere in our house. Even in this picture, he's just taking a break in the huddle before the next play.



This is not meant as a slight to Daniel Sepulveda, but if I was an NFL GM looking for a punter, I want Sam Koch on my team even if he spells/pronounces his name incorrectly. Koch is the former New York City mayor. If your last name is pronounced Cook, there should not be an “H.”

I love U.S. history, so visiting Fort Sumter was cool. What I found interesting was a pamphlet the National Park Service distributed to guests about being safe (ex. Watch your step and climbing is unsafe). The pamphlet also warned visitors to beware of fire ant mounds. Awesome! You don’t see that at the Liberty Bell now, do you?

The pamphlet did not include a warning about the bathroom sinks on the island. The water coming from the Fort Sumter sinks was freezing. I’m surprised that ice cubes didn’t shoot out.

Pittsburgh’s James Harrison and Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs are both beasts. The only difference in favor of Harrison is that he generally did his damage against a 1st round draft pick with a movie made about his life while Suggs dominated back-up offensive linemen. Forget this previous sentence; I’ll call it a draw.

There was a huge scare during the first quarter. I thought I dropped nacho cheese on my black Louis Lipps jersey, but it turned out that the cheese spilled harmlessly on the black napkin.

Where does Antonio Brown’s 58-yard, pinned against the helmet catch rank in Steelers history? It can’t be a top 5 catch (Immaculate Reception and Super Bowl catches by Swann, Stallworth and Holmes are definitely more important), but I think it could be among the top 10.



This is a really long post, and I’m not even close to finishing. Join me tomorrow for more about the Steelers and my trip to Charleston.