Second gentleman Doug Emhoff deleted a social media post celebrating Hanukkah after botching the story behind the Jewish holiday.
On Monday, Emhoff posted a picture of himself and his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, lighting a menorah candle to commemorate the holiday. The picture was accompanied by Emhoff’s retelling of the Hanukkah story and its significance for the Jewish people.
“In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding. No one though they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last. But they survived and the oil kept burning,” Emhoff wrote. “During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions. That’s why Hanukkah means dedication. It was during those dark nights that the Maccabees dedicated themselves to maintaining hope and faith in the oil, each other, and their Judaism.”
A touching story — except it’s not true.
Hanukkah is not a celebration of Jews “hiding.” Instead, the festival celebrates the Jewish victory over Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who in the second century B.C. instituted a brutal campaign of Hellenization in Jerusalem, resulting in the desecration of the Jewish temple and persecution of the Jewish people.
Antiochus’ campaign triggered a rebellion, led by Judas Maccabeus, and the Jews eventually captured Jerusalem. With control of Jerusalem, the Maccabees cleansed and rededicated the temple, hence the name “Hanukkah,” a word derived from the Hebrew root meaning “to dedicate” or “to consecrate.” Later rabbinic tradition states there was only enough oil to light the temple menorah for one day, but it miraculously lasted eight days.
Hanukkah, then, celebrates fighting and Jewish nationalism — not hiding. And the part about the oil is tertiary to the story, not central.
Emhoff later deleted the social media post after being mocked online. He did not, however, provide an explanation for the blunder, which is perplexing when you consider the fact that he is Jewish.
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