and in later years by two of their sons. The younger Mordecai children helped with the cooking and care of the dormitories. The only instructor in the academy who was not a member of the family was the music teacher. The school's curriculum was not limited to academics; it also stressed proper manners and demeanor. Students were subject to considerable personal discipline and a highly structured day. High standards of behavior and performance were the norm for both students and faculty. The goal was to properly mold both the character and intellectual development of the students. The girls were required to wash their own utensils and maintain a high level of personal hygiene. Since the overwhelming majority of girls who attended the academy came from well-to-do homes in which they were pampered, some of them must have had trouble adjusting to the school's regimen. Mordecai made sure that students attended the church of their choice. He was careful to avoid all doctrinal and sectarian discussions in school activities. At the same time he provided opportunities for all of his students to discuss philosophical and ethical issues. Mordecai stressed that piety in any religious tradition was an important part of character development. The Mordecais included the observance of Jewish holidays in the academy's educational program. Since all of the Mordecai children, male and female, attended and/or worked in the school, as well as several cousins, there was a critical mass of Jewish students to observe holidays. Mordecai encouraged the Christian students at the academy to observe their own religious holidays. To him it mattered little what religious practices his students observed, just so long as they were respectful of the religious preferences of others. There were discussions of philosophical texts that raised moral and ethical issues that all students could deal with regardless of their religious differences. Given the above it is no wonder that within a few years the academy's excellent reputation had spread so quickly that by 1814 Mordecai was forced to cap enrollment at 110 students. In 1819, at age 56, ten years after opening his Female Academy, Jacob Mordecai chose to sell the highly successful enterprise and move his family to Richmond, Virginia. He purchased the Spring Farm slave plantation and lived as an active member of Richmond's Jewish community, serving as president of its Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome. See also Mordecai House References The Jewish