Countdown to Hanukkah: 17 days! Celebrating the festival of lights surrounded by my family and friends is something I look forward to every year. With this being said, my love of Hanukkah hasn’t always been so prevalent. Because I come from a multi-faith family, I celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas. Growing up, Christmas excited me more than the Jewish holidays; it’s highly commercialized, the decor is beautiful, and with Christmas comes Santa Claus! But as I grew older, I became fonder of my religion and I truly began to enjoy celebrating the holiday with my family. We make homemade latkes, spin dreidels, and exchange presents. After the fun, we always take a moment to remember the struggles Jews faced before us and why Hanukkah carries so much meaning. This year, I realized there is more to the story of Hanukkah that isn’t widely talked about—the story of Judith. I want to share her story and shed light on a very powerful woman within the Jewish religion.
The significance of Hanukkah that I learned in Hebrew school revolves around the Maccabees. The story reads as follows: “The Maccabees successfully revolted against Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the Talmud, a later text, the Temple was purified and the wicks of the menorah miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough sacred oil for one day’s lighting.” This is the reasoning behind celebrating Hanukkah for eight days and lighting candles each night. To my understanding, this is the classic Hanukkah story that is taught to many. When conducting independent research, I found that there is another individual who played a part in creating the Hanukkah narrative we know today.
During the Middle Ages, many individuals were celebrated during the eight nights of Hanukkah, one of them being Judith. The narrative of Judith begins when the town of Bethulia was captured by an Assyrian general, Holofernes. Judith, a young woman who was recently widowed, didn’t want to see her town perish. In an act of courage and bravery, Judith went to the enemy’s base to help her community. After being struck by her beauty, Holofernes invited her to a banquet. At the party, Judith presented Holofernes with cheese, which caused him to become drunk and later pass out. (Fun fact: the tradition of eating cheese on Hanukkah stems from Judith giving Holofernes cheese to get him drunk.) She decapitated him while he slept, and the town of Bethulia was able to launch a surprise attack, in which they were victorious.
Judith’s story encompasses the message of Hanukkah, which is overcoming the powers of a larger force with bravery, strength, and determination. The Book of Judith promises that her story will be shared from generation to generation, but this didn’t prove to be true. While her story was told by many Rabbis at first, it soon became a memory of the past. I can’t help but wonder why this story is scarcely shared, as it is a wonderful example of Jewish courage. Judith is a powerful woman in history who deserves to be celebrated! Moving forward, I plan to tell the story of Judith to my family, friends, and future children; if you are celebrating, I urge you to do the same.
As this is my last column for the semester, I want to thank everyone for reading my work thus far. I only have one semester left of undergraduate school, so I have one more semester left of writing. Have a happy and healthy holiday season, and I will see you next year!
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