General Holofernes commanded a huge Syrian-Greek army. As part of his campaign to stamp out the Jewish revolt, his forces besieged the town of Bethulia, in the land of Judea. The people of the town soon found themselves in a desperate situation, critically lacking in food and water, and facing a far superior military force.

Living in the town was a widow named Yehudit, who was the sister of Mattityahu and the aunt of Yehuda the Maccabee. She courageously hatched and executed a plan to save her town. She sneaked out of the city and requested an audience with Holofernes, the enemy commander. She convinced him that she had intelligence that would help him conquer the town, in exchange for his guarantee to deal compassionately with the inhabitants. She brought food and wine to celebrate their arrangement, including very salty goat cheese and especially strong wine. The cheese made the general thirsty, and he drank so much wine that he became drunk and fell asleep. She seized her opportunity and killed him with his own sword.

When she brought news of his death back to the town, the Jews were inspired by the daring heroism of Yehudit, and they attacked the Greek forces. Without their commander, the Greeks retreated, and the town was freed. This proved to be a key turning point in the Jewish revolt against the Greeks.

POINT TO PONDER

1. How is Yehudit similar to her nephew Yehuda the Maccabee?