A Children’s Book Honoring Salman Habka Brings a Legacy of Heroism and Giving to Kindergartens

An educational and moving meeting took place this week at the “Tin’an” and “Nafna” kindergartens in the Circassian village of Rihaniya in the Galilee, when educator and author Khawakhb Mazid Saif came to meet the children and read to them from her book “The Gifts of Salman,” written in memory of her nephew, Lt. Col. Salman Habka, commander of Battalion 53 in the 188th Brigade, who fell in battle in the northern Gaza Strip.

During the meeting, Mazid Saif read excerpts from the book to the children and spoke with them about the values at its center, including responsibility, sensitivity, resourcefulness, and giving to others. The book, which has received broad public recognition and also contributed to the author receiving an honorable mention in the Sasa Stone Children’s Literature Prize for 2025, seeks to commemorate Habka through stories from his childhood, not only through his heroism on the battlefield.

“The Gifts of Salman,” illustrated by Aviel Basil, was written in inspiration from Habka’s childhood experiences. At the center of the plot is Salman as a child, who goes with his grandmother to graze a herd of goats and encounters a situation that requires him to help a distressed kid goat. Through the story, the author seeks to present children with a figure of a brave, sensitive, and compassionate child, alongside the values of helping others and social responsibility.

Sonya Gomes de Mesquita, vice chair of the Sasa Stone board of directors, said: “Commemorating Salman Habka, may his memory be blessed, through a children’s book allows the younger generation to get to know the person behind the commander and hero. This moving meeting illustrates the power of stories to shape children’s world and give them a language of sensitivity, courage, and giving.”