David Kushner

The Crimean Circle - Volume Two David Kushner

The second volume of The Crimean Circle follows the rifle platoon, predominantly made up of young Jewish boys conscripted into the Russian Army, into the siege of Sevastopol during the war of 1854-55. Led by their Ukrainian training sergeant, Grigorij Timoshenko, and their Jewish corporal, Iosif Cymerman, they now have a sympathetic commander, Lieutenant Vladimir (Volodya) Sasanoff, aristocratic son of one the richest men in Russia. During the city's deadly bombardment of the town by the allied British, French and Turkish forces, Iosif meets and falls in love with Sima, daughter of a retired naval petty officer, and invited into her family's home. Despite the dangerous raids he and the platoon make behind the enemy lines, Iosif is constantly under threat from a malicious Jew-hating colonel. This colonel orders the regiment to make a disastrous frontal assault on the enemy lines during which Sasanoff is almost killed and Iosif's huge dog, Ivan, perishes, trying to defend them. Later, while avenging Sima's honor in a fight with the men who raped her, the colonel finds an excuse to arrest Iosif as a troublemaker and, out of insane hatred, and has him whipped ruthlessly prior to an execution At the very last minute, Iosif is rescued, finally recovers from his injuries, and marries his Sima. For saving the life of the Tsarevich, during the battle of Balaklava, the surviving platoon is decorated. Together with Sima, Iosif returns to his hometown in the Ukraine to visit his family and reconcile with his father but finds him near death. After the traditional week of mourning, Iosif and Sima revisit a devastated and shattered Sevastopol for a final goodbye. They could feel in their hearts that despite all the sacrifices, the city would soon fall. For those interested in Jewish life in the middle of the 19th century. The Crimean Circle is a colorful and exciting story of a period of Jewish history seldom mentioned in historical fiction. A period that just preceded the great immigration of eastern European Jews to the United States. The book contains paintings, illustrations, photographs and maps