 Judah , the third of seven children , was given the same name as an older brother who died in infancy . Following a tradition adhered to by some Sephardi , he was named for his paternal grandfather , who performed the brit milah , or circumcision ceremony . The Benjamins encountered hard times in the Danish West Indies , as normal trade was blocked by the British occupation . In 1813 the Benjamin family moved to Fayetteville , North Carolina , where they had relatives . Philip Benjamin was not financially successful there , and around 1821 moved with his family to Charleston , South Carolina . That city had the largest Jewish community in the United States and a reputation for religious tolerance . Philip was learned in his faith but was again unsuccessful in business ; Rebecca earned money for the family by operating a fruit stand near the harbor . 
