The Temple Wall

The historical novel The Temple Wall: Against All Odds covers three generations of a Jewish family living in the Ruhr area of Germany during the first and second crusades. It was known at the time as a pilgrimage to conquer Jerusalem from the Muslim infidels during the 12th century and to recapture Edessa from the Muslims in the 13th century.

A son of both the first and third generation of a Jewish family joined each crusade despite the danger involved. Their aim was to reach the remains of the Holy Temple that once stood in Jerusalem. Pilgrims of the crusades suffered hardships and endured fierce battles on their long journey.

Both participants reached their goal. The son on the first crusade died on his return trip back home, while the second crusader made it back to Germany. The man accompanying the son on the first crusade came back and married the widow of that son.

Born in Germany, Alex Bloch lived many years in the U.S., where he received a BS from MIT and an MS from Columbia. His Ph.D. is in history from Tel-Aviv University. Now retired, the author settled in Israel some years ago. This is his ninth novel.