Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln By Jane Jolen

Each night when she says her prayers, Rebecca thinks of her Papa who lost a hand while fighting in President Lincoln's war. He still believes the war was righteous: "We Jews, who were once slaves in Egypt, should never let another human being be held in slavery. Our America should not be their Egypt." One Saturday morning at synagogue, the rabbi has some shocking news: "Last night President Lincoln was shot." The cantor starts to sing the Mourner's Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. Without prompting, Rebecca, her father, and all the congregants join in, mourning the President as one of their own. Based on a true story.