"The story of Hanukkah and the story of the Jewish people has always been one of hope and resilience. In the Hanukkah story, the Jewish people were forced into hiding," Emhoff wrote. "No one thought they would survive or that the few drops of oil they had would last.” "But they survived and the oil kept burning," Emhoff added. "During those eight days in hiding, they recited their prayers and continued their traditions," he continued. "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."Second gentleman Doug Emhoff shared and later deleted an X post celebrating Hanukkah.
Emhoff originally shared the post on Monday morning which claimed the Jewish people were in hiding during the story of Hanukkah.
The second gentleman concluded his post saying he thinks of the story of Hanukkah in dark times.
Libs of TikTok creator, Chaya Raichik, who is Jewish, took Emhoff to task over his post.
"He literally just made this up," Raichik wrote Monday evening. "This is not the story of Hanukkah. This is embarrassing."
The Libs of TikTok creator questioned if Vice President Kamala Harris wrote Emhoff's post for him.
"It sounds like her speeches," she added.
Emhoff's post was later deleted after critics similarly noted his depiction of Hanukkah was incorrect.
"After getting ratio'ed and a proposed community note, Doug Emhoff just deleted this tweet where he made up a new version of the Chanukah story," Raichik said in a follow-up post.
"Imagine the media coverage if it was Melania [Trump] who made up a story about the history of a Jewish holiday," she added.
The true story of Hanukkah regards Jewish warriors, called the Maccabees, led by Judah Maccabee, who revolted against the Seleucid Empire after Antiochus IV desecrated the Second Temple in Jerusalem and banned Jews from practicing their faith.
The Maccabees succeeded in defeating Antiochus IV and reclaimed the Second Temple, though only had enough consecrated olive oil to light the temple Menorah for one day during rededication. However, the oil burned for eight days and eight nights.
Other notable Jewish X personalities including David Reaboi and Dave Rubin similarly were critical of Emhoff's post.
"Doug Emhoff apparently thinks the Macabees were hiding out in some sort of subterranean lair with an oil lamp," wrote Missouri candidate for attorney general, Will Scharf.
"This is emphatically not the story of Hanukkah," Scharf added. "Reconsecration of the Temple and recommitment to biblical values and teachings is the story of Hanukkah."
