Gabriel is young boy who helps his mother prepare food for erev Rosh Hashanah. The preparations are interrupted by a young African American man in army uniform walks into Gabriel’s parents’ antique shop with an old tarnished horn he says belonged to his grandfather. The young man is going overseas and cannot take the horn with him; he asks Gabriel’s family to take care of it.
As Gabriel and his parents start to polish the horn, they soon realizes that the horn is bringing them good luck. Not only do they prosper, but they begin to help others. As Gabriel grows up, the horn remains in his family, and its importance to the family continues be significant.
Eric Kimmel, who lives in Portland, Oregon, has been writing children’s books, which now total more than 100, for more than 40 years. He says the story of the mysterious soldier and the horn is a take on the legend of Elijah the prophet. He also says it is based on Seven Years, a famous story by the great Yiddish writer, I.L. Peretz. Kimmel adapted this story and included the adaptation in a book of Jewish New Year stories which he wrote in the early Nineties called Days of Awe.
Maria Surducan is a freelance illustrator and assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Art and Design in Cluj, Romania. The dark, somber colors in her illustrations emphasize the difficult times and situations in the story.
Parents can use this story to discuss the concept of tikun olam, repairing the world, with children ages 4 – 9.
