The Jews of India | Rabbi Sandy Sasso & Siona Benjamin
About this Event
Discover the legacy and traditions of the B’nei Israel of India through Rabbi Sasso and Benjamin’s new book, “Solly and the Elephant.”
6 pm - Gallery Reception, featuring art work by Siona Benjamin
7 pm - Book Launch and Discussion with Rabbi Sasso and Siona Benjamin, moderated by J.R. Sandadi
Sponsored by Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in partnership with Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council.
This is a free event.
Registrations are appreciated!
About the Book | "Solly and the Elephant"
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.
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 shows how kindness can be repaid where you least expect it.
About the Author | Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Rabbi Sasso was the first woman ordained at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1974. She is the author of over 24 nationally and internationally acclaimed children’s books being honored with a National Jewish Book Award and an Indiana Authors Award.
Rabbi Sasso is also the author of two books for adults including, Midrash – Reading the Bible with Question Marks and Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage, co-edited with Peninnah Schram. She serves on the Board of Advisors of IUPUI, the board of Indiana Humanities, and the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. In 2016 she co-founded Women4Change Indiana, a statewide organization focused on educating, equipping, and mobilizing Hoosiers to create positive change for women.
About the Artist | Siona Benjamin
"As a Bene Israel Jew from India now living in the United States, I am a Jewish artist creating cross cultural and transcultural art. My perspective bridges the traditional and the modern, and sparks discourse across cultures." -Siona Benjamin
Siona Benjamin has an MFA in painting from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Ill., and an MFA in theater set design from the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign. She has exhibited in the United States, Europe and Asia.
She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2011 to India, and a second Fulbright fellowship in 2016-17 to Israel. As not just a Jewish artist but also as one who crosses cultural boundaries, her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Art In America, ArtNews, and other publications.
Her multicultural art has also been featured in The Jewish Week in New York City and New Jersey, The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, and other publications.
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