Kirsh: No bigotry in Clover

By Andrew Dys - adys@heraldonline.com

CLOVER -- Back in February, a lady died who was loved and respected in her adopted hometown of Clover. She was 78 years old, and her name was Sue. She had volunteered for the elderly, the poor, her whole adult life in York County.

And when her husband had to do the hard work of writing the obituary, and figuring out a place for memorials to be sent, he wanted no flowers. Just because he was a politician, a state representative known far and wide, made no difference. The husband chose to have donations sent to the Clover Rescue Squad, “because the rescue squad helps people. And all we ever wanted to do was help somebody who needed it.”

The Clover Rescue Squad received more than $2,500 in donations because of a little item in the obituary of a woman named Sue Kirsh. Wife of Rep. Herb Kirsh — the Democratic icon from Clover in the Statehouse for 30 years and still going strong.

For so long, and maybe still, the Kirshes were the only Jewish couple in this small town where nobody ever cared that they were the only Jewish family in town.

“We probably got more money from that memorial in memory of Sue Kirsh than we got combined in the past 10 years from other memorials,” said Capt. Steve Shillinglaw of the rescue squad. “This is money that keeps an ambulance running, that could mean life or death for somebody.”

Shillinglaw has been in Clover for 37 years. He's been on that rescue squad for 37 years. He's known the Kirshes all those 37 years. And the squad was thrilled the Kirshes wanted it to have the memorial money that people dug from their pockets out of love and respect for Sue and Herb Kirsh.

“That tells me all I need to know about how much people loved Sue Kirsh and her husband, Herb,” Shillinglaw said. “I never heard their religion come up in all these 37 years. Not once, not ever. But I sure heard people say how much they liked them.”

The Republican chairmen of Bamberg County and Orangeburg County wrote in an editorial a few days ago the following words: “There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves.” The editorial was supposed to be to help incumbent Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, but it helped nobody.

It just made a lot of people upset.

The men apologized. DeMint said the comments were “thoughtless” and “hurtful.”

Yet, Kirsh hasn't given the comments much worry. Actually, none.

“I got one call from the Associated Press, they asked and I told 'em what I thought, that was it,” Kirsh said.

Kirsh never has given anybody who has problems with religion, or race, much thought. Herb Kirsh has little time for foolishness.

“I don't give a damn what they say, I never have and never did. And I'm sure not going to start now,” said Kirsh of comments about the Jewish people.

Kirsh has been in Clover almost all his life. The family arrived in 1937. His father was a merchant who ran a store. Herb brought Sue in from New York in 1950, and she never left, either. Herb ran the store for years until he closed it. He did business with everybody regardless of race, religion, anything. The couple gave to charities such as the Empty Stocking Fund — a Christmas charity — for as many years as there has been a fund. Herb Kirsh didn't care about differences. He cared about people.

“Never made a bit of difference, I never heard once from anybody in Clover about it,” said the 80-year-old Kirsh of his religion.

Herb Kirsh has what he calls a well-deserved reputation for being what he called “frugal” with other people's tax money. He's been called “Representative No” plenty of times. He sits on the powerful Ways and Means Committee that decides where the money gets spent. He votes “no” on spending to be a good steward of people's tax money, not for any other reason.

“Maybe they are just ignorant,” said Kevin Kirsh, one of Herb Kirsh's grown sons, of the comments about Jewish people. “We never heard that in Clover.”

Another son, Michael, was on the couch at his father's Clover house Friday, recovering from eye surgery. Herb Kirsh spent his Friday taking care of his son, not worrying about misguided comments about Jewish stereotypes.

In February, on her last tour of 25 years worth of tours she led at the Statehouse in Columbia, Sue Kirsh led a group on a tour. The day before she died, a card came in the mail. The handwritten card thanked Sue Kirsh for being so gracious with her time.

It was from the ladies of Central Baptist Church in York.

When word got out Sue had died, the sympathy cards came in to the Kirsh home. A flood of cards. With words that said how so many in this little town “loved” her and her husband, “respected” Sue and her husband.

More than 700 cards came. Herb Kirsh hand-wrote a “thank you” card to each person who sent a card.

In all those cards and thank yous, religion was never mentioned once.