Siona Benjamin – illustratör

From the award-winning team of Rabbi Sandy Sasso and Bene Israel artist Siona Benjamin, this eighteenth-century folktale from the Bene Israel community of Jews in India tells how a young man’s kindness to a royal elephant saves his life after he is accused of stealing from the powerful Maharaja.Solly's family makes the best sesame oil in Bombay, India. When he is invited to visit the royal palace one day, he is fascinated by the baby elephant in a parade. He befriends the elephant and sings him his favorite song, the Shema prayer. When Solly grows up, he comes to work as a guard at the palace, until one day he is accused of theft. Despite his innocence, Solly is found guilty and sentenced to be trampled by the wild elephants. But this elephant seems familiar to Solly, and after singing the Sh'ma prayer, he reconnects with an old animal friend.This folktale shows how kindness can be repaid where you least expect it.

Learn the other side of the Hanukkah story, A Chariot of Fire follows the Bene Israel community, as they flee Israel to find a new home in India.Two thousand years ago, a ship sailed east, alone on an endless sea. The people onboard were fleeing the same war that the Maccabees fought in the ancient land of Israel. They took with them their faith and their traditions, knowing they would sail for more than a year.When a great storm crushed their boat on the shores of India, only a few survived.Some say the prophet Elijah plucked them from the sea. But they were welcomed by the people of the new land. They survived and adapted, with new spices for their food and new clothing and culture to borrow, but never strayed from their faith. They say Elijah came back down from Heaven in a chariot of fire, to praise this community, the Bene Israel of India for their strength, and their belief. Here, for all to share, is their story.