Read Online Shrouded in Silence by Robert Wise - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert Wise
Ads: Link
grandfather had been an SS officer, Klaus had always admired the military for its precision and order. In contrast to his slovenly lifestyle in Rome, underneath it all, Klaus respected the saluting and heel clicking that had long been part of the German military. Today Stein was sending him off on a task that counted, and it felt good to be doing something responsible with a gun in hand. Yes. He could work for this strange scholar regardless of where the tide turned.
8
J ack Townsend stepped into the office and glanced around the room. Even though the clock hands had just turned a couple of minutes past 8:00 a.m., Dov Sharon had already arrived and was at work. Sitting hunched over his desk, he appeared to be studying a manuscript. Strange that he would be at work so early.
"Hey, you're beating the clock this morning," Jack said.
Dov looked up. "Didn't sleep well last night, so I showed up a tad early. No big deal."
"That's what I call high-dollar positive motivation," Jack said. "I'd guess the last two days you've been working in the Vatican Secret Archives. We haven't seen hide nor hair of you. Anything turn up?"
Dov pushed the manuscript away. "Mainly, I've been trying to identify what might have been overlooked in the past. Somebody up there at the top of the Vatican personnel chain likes you or I'd never have made it inside those forbidden chambers. I thought I would never get through their security. Obviously, they don't let many people down there in that pile of dust and deteriorating manuscripts.
"You're right, Dov. The really ancient materials are extremely hard to find. After all, they bear witness to an archaic world that's long gone."
"I thought one of those bulldog priests was going to make me strip to get in and out of the dungeon hidden down there under that library. They take their security big-time seriously."
"Got to give 'em credit, Dov. They don't allow any slipups with priceless documents. Those boys keep a critical eye on everything. Did you come up with any specific material we can use?"
"I found a box of manuscript fragments in a depository that's been sitting there unexamined for a long time. No one had worked through the basket of materials, and they aren't sure exactly where it originated, though they do know it was discovered during street work in Rome. So far I've found only business receipts, lists of transactions, materials of that variety from the first century, but I keep looking. Never can tell what's at the bottom of the heap."
"You got it, " Jack said. "Some of the most important archaeological discoveries have occurred more by accident than intention. I'm sure you're looking in the right place regardless of what you haven't found."
"I'll keep after it," Dov said.
"What are you looking at this morning?"
"I'm back on my study of the Sarajevo Haggadah," Dov said. "The copy I obtained fascinates me."
"I'm acquainted with the name and know it's Jewish, but I'm afraid I don't know much more. Can you fill me in on a few details?"
"In addition to its antiquity, the Haggadah is an important witness to our European Jewish heritage. The manuscript has survived as harrowing a journey as the Jews have trudged through during the last seven centuries."
"Really?" Jack pulled a chair closer to Dov's desk. "Tell me more."
"I believe the original Haggadah, the Passover ritual, was written in Seville, Spain, somewhere around 1480. That positions its origins in the late medieval period. That's a good starter for why it's important. Any material than reflects how that period operated is significant."
"That's for sure," Jack said. "Did I understand correctly that the Nazis tried to steal the document?"
"Absolutely. In 1941, Nazi General Johann Hans Fortner tried to grab the Haggadah, but a renowned Islamic scholar named Dervis Korkut smuggled the document out of the museum right under the general's nose. Korkut hid it in a mosque in the mountains around Sarajevo. Can you believe that? A Muslim saved a
8
J ack Townsend stepped into the office and glanced around the room. Even though the clock hands had just turned a couple of minutes past 8:00 a.m., Dov Sharon had already arrived and was at work. Sitting hunched over his desk, he appeared to be studying a manuscript. Strange that he would be at work so early.
"Hey, you're beating the clock this morning," Jack said.
Dov looked up. "Didn't sleep well last night, so I showed up a tad early. No big deal."
"That's what I call high-dollar positive motivation," Jack said. "I'd guess the last two days you've been working in the Vatican Secret Archives. We haven't seen hide nor hair of you. Anything turn up?"
Dov pushed the manuscript away. "Mainly, I've been trying to identify what might have been overlooked in the past. Somebody up there at the top of the Vatican personnel chain likes you or I'd never have made it inside those forbidden chambers. I thought I would never get through their security. Obviously, they don't let many people down there in that pile of dust and deteriorating manuscripts.
"You're right, Dov. The really ancient materials are extremely hard to find. After all, they bear witness to an archaic world that's long gone."
"I thought one of those bulldog priests was going to make me strip to get in and out of the dungeon hidden down there under that library. They take their security big-time seriously."
"Got to give 'em credit, Dov. They don't allow any slipups with priceless documents. Those boys keep a critical eye on everything. Did you come up with any specific material we can use?"
"I found a box of manuscript fragments in a depository that's been sitting there unexamined for a long time. No one had worked through the basket of materials, and they aren't sure exactly where it originated, though they do know it was discovered during street work in Rome. So far I've found only business receipts, lists of transactions, materials of that variety from the first century, but I keep looking. Never can tell what's at the bottom of the heap."
"You got it, " Jack said. "Some of the most important archaeological discoveries have occurred more by accident than intention. I'm sure you're looking in the right place regardless of what you haven't found."
"I'll keep after it," Dov said.
"What are you looking at this morning?"
"I'm back on my study of the Sarajevo Haggadah," Dov said. "The copy I obtained fascinates me."
"I'm acquainted with the name and know it's Jewish, but I'm afraid I don't know much more. Can you fill me in on a few details?"
"In addition to its antiquity, the Haggadah is an important witness to our European Jewish heritage. The manuscript has survived as harrowing a journey as the Jews have trudged through during the last seven centuries."
"Really?" Jack pulled a chair closer to Dov's desk. "Tell me more."
"I believe the original Haggadah, the Passover ritual, was written in Seville, Spain, somewhere around 1480. That positions its origins in the late medieval period. That's a good starter for why it's important. Any material than reflects how that period operated is significant."
"That's for sure," Jack said. "Did I understand correctly that the Nazis tried to steal the document?"
"Absolutely. In 1941, Nazi General Johann Hans Fortner tried to grab the Haggadah, but a renowned Islamic scholar named Dervis Korkut smuggled the document out of the museum right under the general's nose. Korkut hid it in a mosque in the mountains around Sarajevo. Can you believe that? A Muslim saved a
Similar Books
