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A man named Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus to carry his cross. Simon was a Jew visiting Jerusalem for the Passover feast.
Just for your interest, here is an article about Cyrene from Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary:
Cyrene — a city on the north coast of Africa founded by Dorian Greeks about 630 B.C. Cyrene was later the capital of the Roman province of Cyrenaica (ancient and modern Libya). Midway between Carthage and Alexandria—about 160 kilometers (100 miles) northeast of modern Benghazi—the city was built on a beautiful tableland nearly 610 meters (2,000 feet) above sea level.
Less than 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the sea, Cyrene attracted travelers and commerce of every kind. The city was renowned as an intellectual center; Carneades, the founder of the new Academy at Athens, and Aristippus, the Epicurean philosopher and friend of Socrates, were among its distinguished citizens. The city surrendered to Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. and passed into the hands of Rome in 96 B.C.
Although Cyrene is not mentioned in the Old Testament, it was an important city in New Testament times because of its large Jewish population. A Cyrenian named Simon was pressed into service to carry the cross of Jesus (Mat_27:32; Mar_15:21; Luk_23:26). Cyrenians were present at Pentecost (Act_2:10) and were converted and subsequently scattered in the persecution that followed Stephen's death (Act_11:19-20).
Once a very populous city, Cyrene declined for several reasons. In a Jewish revolt in A.D. 115-116, over 200,000 inhabitants of the city were killed in the rioting. A disastrous earthquake in A.D. 365 contributed to its further decline. With the Arab invasion of A.D. 642, the city came to an end. The site is now a wasteland occupied by Bedouins.
God bless,
Mike
