Happy Hanukkah! J.K. Rowling Reminds Us That Harry Potter Had a Jewish Classmate at Hogwarts

Author helps a fan settle a bet with his wife: Yes, there was a Jewish Ravenclaw resident who fought alongside Harry when Voldemort's army attacked

By Natalie Finn Dec 17, 2014 2:52 AMTags
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Just in time for the first night of Hanukkah, J.K. Rowling was able to settle a family dispute for this Harry Potter fan.

"@jk_rowling my wife said there are no Jews at Hogwarts. I'm a Jew so I assume she said it to be the only magical 1 in the family. Thoughts?" Benjamin Roffman tweeted the author this morning.

To which she replied, "@benjaminroffman Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw, Jewish wizard."

Mazel tov to Benjamin, who now has bragging rights in the Roffman household.

If Anthony Goldstein doesn't ring a bell right off the bat, let us use his Wiki to refresh you:

The blond half-wizard, half-Muggle was indeed sorted into Ravenclaw in his first year, after which he became pals with Terry Boot and Michael Corner. He was a big enough part of The Order of the Phoenix to rate his own character, voiced by Tom Wheatley, in the video game adaptation of the book.

Anthony also reappears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to fight alongside Harry as a member of Dumbledore's Army when they come under attack from Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

"To everyone asking whether their religion/belief/non-belief system is represented at Hogwarts: the only people I never imagined there...are Wiccans," Rowling tweeted.

The author answered several other fans' questions today as well, including what sort of Horcrux she would make for herself (she'd never have a Horcrux, they're evil) and what the one thing is that she would tell her teenage self (nix on the red dungarees).

In addition to marking the first night of the Festival of Lights, Rowling is in the process of releasing 12 brief new stories from the world of Harry Potter on the Pottermore website in honor of the 12 days of Christmas.

A very happy holiday season for one and all, indeed.