Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Solly and the Elephant : A Folktale from the Bene Israel of India Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

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.