The "Siege of Sevastopol," like "Spanish Fandango," was a set-piece, a "characteristic*" instrumental that parlor guitarists would learn from sheet music and use to show off. There were no words, and I double-doubt that it had ANYTHING to do with Jewish settlers in the Crimea, being a composed piece from a pop music writer.

* That term, "characteristic," was used to describe pieces of music which included "sound imitations" of things like cannons, trains, bugle calls, etc. A banjo piece that comes to mind was "Coal Creek March," the original of which -- if I recall -- had three movements, and included bugle calls, marching armies, etc. I suspect that the "Siege" had similar parts.

There are many hold-overs from the popularity of these two pieces, including the names of two popular open guitar tunings, DADF#AD and DGDGBD.

That's all there is to it.

Bob Clayton