Jewish Magic & Folk Traditions -
Images Across Time and Place
This class will be an experience in learning about Jewish magic and the folk traditions embodied by sacred text and amulets, incantations and other protective devices we have used over the last 4,000-5,000 years to insure good health, safety, prosperity, success and other positive outcomes.
What constitutes magic? Why has it been denied or officially denounced as being part of our tradition? Are we appealing to a divine unseen energy when we do “magic” as we do when we pray? What role does faith play in the design and enactment of magical acts?
Through a rich array of images, iconography and symbol, attendees will learn about sought-after ritual objects that have been crafted since ancient times by rabbis, priestesses, magicians, scribes, healers, “sorceresses", jewelers and laywomen. We will have a glimpse into ancient and modern amulets, spells, recipe-books, charms, talismans and bowls that have been and continue to be carved, molded, embroidered, painted and crafted in Mesopotamia, in the eastern Mediterranean region known in ancient times as The Levant, especially Syria, Lebanon and Israel, in the broader area known today as the Middle East, and in Turkey, North Africa and the United States.