Moses Jacob Ezekiel, also known as Moses "Ritter von" Ezekiel (October 28, 1844 – March 27, 1917), was an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome for the majority of his career. Ezekiel was "the first American-born Jewish artist to receive international acclaim". Ezekiel was an ardent supporter, in both his writings and in his works, of the Lost Cause view of the American Civil War (which he had fought in), asserting that he had "never fought for slavery, but for states' rights and for free trade." In a eulogy, President Warren Harding described him as "a great Virginian, a great artist, a great American, and a great citizen of world fame."
He was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, including at the Battle of New Market. and a "proud Southerner", The monument was removed on December 20, 2023; on August 5, 2025, it was announced that the monument would be reinstated.
Early life
Ezekiel was born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of Jacob Ezekiel (1812–1899), an Ashkenazi Jew. His mother, Catherine de Castro Ezekiel, was Sephardic. His grandparents had emigrated from Holland in the early 1800s, settling first in Philadelphia and later in Richmond. Jacob moved to Richmond in 1834, entering the dry-goods business with first one, then another brother-in-law.
The seventh child, Moses had three brothers and eight sisters,