Others Jewish men chose not to fight, such as Alfred Mordecai, a North Carolinian who was the first Jewish graduate of West Point. Mordecai refused to participate in the war because he did not want to fight against his family in the South.[1] Historians have often portrayed Jewish participation in the Civil War as zealous, eager, loyal, and for the most part unanimous; however, recent scholarship has revealed that such enthusiasm and loyalty to the Confederate cause was not so widespread.[14] Many Jews managed to avoid conscription by temporarily or permanently leaving the South while others only chose to enlist in limited positions where they could remain close to home.