Beliefs

daily actions and objects with meaning or magical character

In our modern lives, and without giving it much thought, we engage in practices which used to have magical elements. Over the years, those customs and beliefs, which date back to ancient times, lost their original significance.
There is a wide variety of Jewish objects that have magical attributes, including mirrors, hamsas and various amulets, jewelry, recipe books and many others.
In recent decades, the general public has come to believe that the use of amulets was common only among Sephardi Jews. There is, however, no truth to that. The misconception stems from the fact that Ashkenazis used to write amulets on pieces of paper that were not preserved and most of which were lost in the Holocaust, whereas Sephardis inscribed the amulets on metals.

Exhibits