Hanukkah Heroines

Reprinted from Jbooks.com, a member of the Jewz.com network.

When most of us think of Hanukkah, we think of the Maccabees--the High Priest Mattathias and his five sons--and their religious and military struggle against the Hellenist Syrians. It's a pretty male-dominated story. But there is an additional Hanukkah tradition in which a woman plays a central role as warrior. The source for this tradition is the book of Judith. Judith is, of course, not part of the Jewish Bible but is one of the books of the Apocrypha a set of writings that, for one reason or another, were not included in the biblical canon. Scholars think Judith was written in Hebrew around 150 BCE., roughly at the time of the Maccabees' revolt, and was translated into Greek. Only the Greek version survives as the basis for modern translations.

The Judith story can be summarized as follows. At an unspecified time in history, the powerful King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria orders his general, Holofernes, to conquer the land of Judea. Holofernes besieges the city of Bethulia and cuts off its water supply. The city's desperate leaders are approached by Judith, a particularly pious young widow, who says she has a secret plan to save the city. Judith walks into the Assyrian camp and feigns surrender. She meets Holofernes and beguiles him with her beauty: "There is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the other, either for beauty of face or wisdom of speech!" he exclaims (Judith 11:21). Holofernes invites Judith to his tent. He "was ravished with her and he was moved with great desire to possess her." (Judith 12:16). They drink wine together until Holofernes passes out. Then Judith cuts off his head with his sword and carries the head back to her city. The Assyrians are frightened, the Jews are emboldened, and the Jews plunder the Assyrian camp. Judith sings a song of praise to the Lord. She never marries again, and she lives to the ripe age of 105.

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