Siona Benjamin – Recent Books
Haggadah Shel Erev Rav
Haggadah Shel Erev Rav—The Mixed Multitude Haggadah Commissioned by Central Synagogue, New York
Published by CCAR Press – 2026
Art by Siona Benjamin
Solly and the Elephant
A Folktale from the Bene Israel of India
Story by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso
Illustrated by Siona Benjamin
On A Chariot of Fire
A Chariot of Fire shares the origin of the Jewish community in India–known as the Bene Israel.
Story by Erica Lyons
Art by Siona Benjamin
The Blue Butterfly of Cochin
The Blue Butterfly of Cochin is the story of the ancient Jewish Indian community’s mass immigration to Israel in the 1950s.
Story by Ariana Mizrahi
Illustrated by Siona Benjamin
I Am Hava
A childrens’ book illustration commission 2020-21
A Song’s Story of Love, Hope and Joy
Story by Freda Lewkowicz
Illustrated by Siona Benjamin
The Zodiac Floor
The ideas that Siona Benjamin and Rabbi Susan Talve envisioned on a bus trip on the back roads in India have been transformed into a 15-foot diameter mosaic on the floor of the synagogue’s entrance lobby.
Growing up Jewish in India
From the Bene Israel to the Art of Siona Benjamin. Includes the memoir of growing up Jewish in India by Siona Benjamin, and an analysis of her trans-cultural art
by Ori Z Soltes
The Zodiac Floor
The ideas that Siona Benjamin and Rabbi Susan Talve envisioned on a bus trip on the back roads in India have been transformed into a 15-foot diameter mosaic on the floor of the synagogue’s entrance lobby.
Growing up Jewish in India
From the Bene Israel to the Art of Siona Benjamin. Includes the memoir of growing up Jewish in India by Siona Benjamin, and an analysis of her trans-cultural art
by Ori Z Soltes
From children’s book illustrations about the song Hava Nagila to a book about the history of the Jews in India and how her background has influenced her transcultural work, Siona continues to contribute to the role she plays in the world of multicultural art and history.
Siona has done many beautiful commissions for private and public spaces. The Zodiac floor story can be read in a gorgeous illustrated book telling the story of making a large porcelain tile floor at the entrance of a beautiful synagogue.
She worked with Professor Ori Z. Soltes, the editor of the book “Growing up Jewish in India” in an in-depth research that has been presented about the history of the Indian Jews and the role it played in forming Siona’s art.
