Simon Shoykhet

Citadel Jerusalem Simon Shoykhet

Life itself decided his fate. His father's caravan was captured by robbers. He, a young Izrailit was sold into slavery in the Dak's mines. After escaping, saving his life, he becomes a Roman legionary. 20 years later he came up with the emperor army to the walls of Jerusalem . "The powerful walls of the main Jewish citadel met us with silence, even the tower watchers were not visible! This gave rise to the hope of an easy victory, of great prey. With each passing day roman confidance excited the imagination of the legend. I could see myself performing my duty as a legionnaire wherever the emperor plans stretched, but not at these walls. Stones of the citadel, looming dangerously over the already unfolded vast camp, seemed to have fused over the centuries under the sun and the wind from the desert into a single monolith ... I could not take my eyes off. . . "This is the place promised by God and who will come here not with good, in generations will be cursed ..." I heard it either from the walls, or from the fog of distant years, where I stood once near a person, whose face was hidden by a beard and a white-blue headdress - talis. . Only his eyes and lips reading the Tora prayer did not get lost from my memory. " He was my father.