The Crimean Circle: a Russian Jewish Tale of the Crimean War

The Crimean Circle is a historical novel about the Jews in the Crimean War. For the first time in modern history Jews are forcibly conscripted to serve in an army to fight a war for a nation that dispises, mistreats and tries to convert them. They are trained by a Jew-hating sergeant and a Jewish corporal who has lost the love of his father and the faith in his God. With the help of the Jewish corporal the pious young Jews learn to survive in what for them is a hostile environment and become brave and competent soldiers. The story is played out during the exciting backdrop of The Crimean War (1855-56) and the horrific siege of Sevastopol as the Russian Army, poorly led and ill equipped tries to fight against the combined forces of Britain, France and Turkey. It is a stirring adventure story. The story of the young corporal is central to the story as he trains his platoon, teaches them to defend themselves against hatred and humiliation and struggles to return to his lost faith. He falls in love during the darkest days of the siege, survives the paranoid hatred of a high-ranking Russian officer and finally marries his betrothed. It is a colorful story of a period of Jewish history seldom mentioned in Jewish historical fiction. A period that just preceded the great immigration of eastern European Jews to the United States.