This program provides a new take on Hanukkah that goes beyond the Maccabees and lighting the candles. We explore what it means to be a hero by learning about Jewish heroines like Judith, Clara Lemlich Shavelson, and Judy Frieze Wright. JWA’s Education Program Manager, Etta King, models resources and activities that you can immediately use in your educational setting so you can celebrate Hanukkah in a new way.

Session Recording

Watch the recording of this online learning program. Though breakout sessions were not recorded, they are captured in the chat log mentioned below.

Session Materials and Handouts

• Lino Board with our Crowd-Sourced Definition of a Hero
• PowerPoint Presentation
• Chat Log
• JWA’s Version of the Judith Story
• Clara Lemlich Document Study Handout
• Judy Frieze Wright Document Study Handout

Articles and Video about Judith

• "Judith: Apocrypha" in Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia from the Jewish Women's Archive.
• Web feature on Judiths throughout history from the Jewish Women’s Archive.
• “Hanukkah Heroines: Antidotes to the male-dominated story of Hanukkah” on Beliefnet.
• “Yehudit: The Woman Who Saved the Day” on Chabad.org.
• “A Hidden Hanukkah Tale Of A Woman, An Army, and Some Killer Cheese” on The Salt from National Public Radio.
• “The Book of Judith” from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
• “Book of Judith” on Wikipedia.

Additional Resources About Historical and Contemporary Heroines

• JWA's Women of Valor Exhibit
• This Week In History: events in American Jewish women's history
• “Cool Jewish Women” on MyBatMitzvahStory

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