Yehudit (Judith) -- title page
Are you able to imagine the story of Judith, with its bloody and gory aspects, as a Jewish children鈥檚 book in glorious color!? Although the figure of Judith holding Holofernes鈥 head was popular in classical art, a children鈥檚 version had to wait until 1945 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Judith, the Jewish heroine of the eponymous Apocryphal book Judith, is traditionally associated with Hanukkah, though the reasons for this pairing are obscure. Hanukkah is not mentioned in the book and the time period the events in the book took place is debated by scholars.
Judith was a remarkable woman 鈥 clever, brave, and pious. She lived in Bethulia, which was under siege by the Assyrian general, Holofernes; Judith knew Bethulia was the only bulwark between Holofernes鈥 army and the rest of Judea. She understood that the situation was dire and therefore the elders of Bethulia were ready to surrender to Holofernes. Judith asked the elders to wait a few days before surrendering. Judith took the bold step of entering Holofernes鈥 camp and succeeded in beheading Holofernes. She returned to Bethulia with his head and instructed the men of Bethulia to hang the head from the walls of the city. When Holofernes鈥 soldiers attacked the Bethulia, they saw the head, realized Holofernes was murdered, and fled.
Some thoughts on Judith and Hanukkah: The Temple In Jerusalem is a constant reference point in the book. For example, Judith coordinated the timing of her prayer before setting out to Holofernes鈥 camp to coincide with the evening incense offering in the Temple in Jerusalem. After the war, the High Priest, Joakim, and the Israelite Council of Jerusalem visited Bethulia; they then traveled to Jerusalem together with Judith and other residents of Bethulia. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, the people purified themselves, and offered sacrifices to God in the Temple, in thanks that the Temple, which had been under threat of defilement and destruction, had been spared. This is a possible parallel to the Hanukkah events.
Medieval commentators connect Judith鈥檚 actions with a tradition of eating dairy food on Hanukkah. They suggest that Judith served cheese to Holofernes, starting a sequence of events: Holofernes got thirsty, drank copious amounts of wine and collapsed in a drunken stupor; Judith then beheaded him. Indeed, the one of the explanations for a woman鈥檚 obligation to light Hanukkah candles is because women participated in the miracle of Hanukkah.
Another explanation may be found in the name Judith, a parallel to Judah the Maccabee, hero of Judea, who saved and purified the Temple, the basis for instituting and celebrating Hanukkah.
Yehudit (Judith) is one of the books in a visually stunning series of children鈥檚 books published in Memphis, Tennessee, an unexpected place for the home of pioneering Hebrew publications of Jewish children鈥檚 literature. In 1945, the Shainberg Library Foundation (Keren Shelomoh Shaynberg) published five short books, 鈥渁ttractive Hebrew books designed to help children in the study of Hebrew.鈥 The stories were chosen for their interesting plots, and 鈥渃lassical stories of proven interest, especially those from Jewish sources, were given preference.鈥 These books were geared for American children; the editor鈥檚 note states: 鈥淐ognizant of the fact that European and Palestinian publications are entirely unsuitable for the American child, and that those published in this country are few, and therefore, insufficient 鈥 the publishers have undertaken to issue an adequate children鈥檚 library that will attract and delight the American child and thus greatly facilitate, stimulate, and intensify his study of the Hebrew language.鈥
Samuel Shainberg of the Foundation, was a Memphis businessman; his oldest son, David, attended the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Seminary in New York and then traveled to Mandatory Palestine to study in the 鈥(Slabodka) Yeshiva in Hevron in 1929, where he was murdered in the Hevron massacre of 1929. David鈥檚 name is not mentioned in the name of the Foundation or the editor鈥檚 introduction to the children鈥檚 books; nonetheless perhaps Sam Shainberg was moved to sponsor the series because of the loss of his son.
The editor of the series, Irving Agus, was the Educational Director of the Baron Hirsch Congregation in Memphis, Tennessee from 1939-1945. Dr. Agus later taught medieval Jewish history at 成人视频色情片 and wrote several scholarly books. Agus worked with expert Hebraist Daniel Persky on adapting the stories into Hebrew, and noted Judaica artist Reuven Leaf illustrated the books in eye-catching color and black and white drawings.
Ashmedai, Melekh HaShedim (Ashmedai, King of the Demons) was one of books in the series which remained very popular, probably because of its fantastical illustrations. Recently the figure of from the book was brought alive with modern animation technology for the exhibition JewCE! the Jewish Comics Experience.
The tale of Ashmedai focuses on building the Temple in Jerusalem. King Solomon enslaved Ashmedai, the only being who could capture the shamir, a rare creature who could cut stone. Solomon needed the shamir to build the Temple, since the Bible forbade the use of metal to hew the stones for the Temple. Reuven Leaf鈥檚 eye-popping illustration is featured here.
The Hebrew books in the Shainberg series were worthy competitors to comic books; both boasted tales of marvelous feats and appealing illustrations. And since these were American children, weren鈥檛 they welcome to read both?
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Books in the Shainberg Library Foundation (Keren Shelomoh Shaynberg) series, published in Memphis, TN in 1945.
Edited by Irving Agus, adapted by Irving Agus and Daniel Persky. Illustrated by Reuven Leaf.
1. Deborah. The Boy Judge. (two separate stories in one book)
2. Ashmedai, King of the Demons
3. Ashmedai's Revenge
4. Judith
5. The Princess of Aram
Sources:
Irving Agus Public Relations People Folder, 成人视频色情片 Archives
Moore, Carey A. The Anchor Bible: Judith: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York: Doubleday, 1985
Animated Ashmedai: The title page of 成人视频色情片 Museum鈥檚 copy was animated by Jack Roempke Andersson, Center for Jewish History intern, student at the University of Gothenburg, for the exhibition JewCE! the Jewish Comics Experience.
Posted by Shulamith Z. Berger
Curator of Special Collections and Hebraica-Judaica
