The mezuzah was also an object of suspicion, and at the same time desire. That it was regarded as a magical device by Christians we know, for a fifteenth-century writer admonished his readers to affix a mezuzah to their doors even when they occupied a house owned by a non-Jew, despite the fact that the landlord might accuse them of sorcery. Indeed, the Jews in the Rhineland had to cover over their mezuzot, for, as a thirteenth-century writer complained, “the Christians, out of malice and to annoy us, stick knives into the mezuzah openings and cut up the parchment,” Out of malice, no doubt—but the magical repute of the mezuzah must have lent special force to their vindictiveness. Yet even Christians in high places were not averse to using these magical instruments themselves. Toward the end fourteenth century the Bishop of Salzburg asked a Jew to give him a mezuzah to attach to the gate of his castle, but the rabbinic authority to whom this Jew turned for advice refused to countenance so outrageous a prostitution of a distinctively religious symbol.

Joshua Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion; The Legend of Jewish Sorcery

Jews were stoned as Sorcerers. But it needs little knoweldge of Human nature to believe that the very vice became a virtue when Christians themselves had need of a little expert magic on the side. [And] If Jews were Magicians, their every act a Charm, then their magic devices could [surely] aid as well as harm.

From Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study In Folk Religion, published 2004; Joshua Trachtenberg (My Ko-Fi Here)

My book wishlist!

Egyptian Magic by E.A. Wallis Budge (1901)

Magic of the Ordinary: Recovering the Shamanic in Judaism by Gershon Winkler, David Carson (2003)

Ashkenazi Herbalism: Rediscovering the Herbal Traditions of Eastern European Jews by Deatra Cohen, Adam Siegel (2021)

Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion by Joshua Trachtenberg (1939)

Ancient Jewish Magic: A History by Gideon Bohak (2008)

The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic & Mysticism: Second Edition by Geoffrey W. Dennis (2007)

The Green Mysteries: An Occult Herbarium by Daniel A Schulke, Benjamin A Vierling (2023)

Reading Sumerian Poetry (Athlone Publications in Egyptology & Ancient Near Eastern Studies) by Jeremy Black (2001)

The Literature of Ancient Sumer by Jeremy Black, Graham Cunningham (2006)

Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia by Stephen Bertman (2002)

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany

Auguste Racinet. The Costume History (Bibliotheca Universalis) by Françoise Tétart-Vittu

The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature by Rachel Bromwich (2009)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English: Seventh Edition (Penguin Classics) by Geza Vermes

Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings (Penguin Classics) by Thomas Aquinas, Ralph McInerny

The Treasures of Darkness: A History of Mesopotamian Religion by Thorkild Jacobsen

The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Graham Coleman, Thupten Jinpa

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Penguin Classics) by Wallace Budge, John Romer

History Begins at Sumer: Thirty-Nine Firsts in Recorded History by Samuel Noah Kramer (1981)

The Sumerians: Their History, Culture, and Character (Phoenix Books) by Samuel Noah Kramer

Welsh Witchcraft: A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales by Mhara Starling

An Annotated Sumerian Dictionary by Mark E. Cohen

A Sumerian Chrestomathy by Konrad Volk

Toward the Image of Tammuz and Other Essays on Mesopotamian History and Culture by Thorkild Jacobsen

Early Mesopotamia by Nicholas Postgate

Amulets and Talismans by E. A. Wallis Budge

Mundane Astrology by Michael Baigent, Campion, Nicholas, Harvey, Charles

Hey, I have a question about judaism. I'm writing a ghost story that centers a house where multiple people are trying to stay for purposes of winning the house (typical 'can you spend the night in a haunted house' concept made a little more intense). I'm starting by working out each character's personal relationship with the concept of a ghost. Would you have any sources I could look at about jewish perspectives on ghosts/hauntings/etc? Thank you!

Sure:

I own both of these books and have used them in reference.

Of interest in this (but hardly the definitive in this case) is the incident from I Samuel -- Chabad translates her as a "necromanceress" and other translations (such as the KJV which we all know how I feel about that) call her "the woman who divineth by a ghost."

It's a complicated thing, for sure!

MAB give me your nonfiction recs

You're gonna notice a theme probably :^)

The Body Keeps the Score -- Bessel van Der Kok

Jewish Peoplehood: An American Innovation -- Noam Pianko

Bears on Bears: Interviews & Discussions -- Ron Suresha

Nothing Sacred: The Truth About Judaism -- Douglas Rushkoff

Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion -- Joshua Trachtenberg*

The Sabbath -- Abraham Joshua Heschel

Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism -- Judith Butler*

Ehyeh: A Kabbalah For Tomorrow -- Arthur Green*

Salt Fat Acid Heat -- Samin Nosrat

From Lokshen to Lo Mein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food -- Don Siegel

*haven't finished it yet :)

11 14 and 20 :)

11. something you want to do again next year?

MAKE MORE TECHNO CERTAINLY.

14. favorite book you read this year?

HMMM. HMMMM. JEWISH MAGIC & SUPERSTITION BY JOSHUA TRACHTENBERG.

20. what’s something you learned this year?

HOW TO WORK WITH REFRIGERANTS :)

ASK MEME

WE PRAY YOU’RE WELL, FRIEND.

Hi! I saw your post about the antisemitic origins of vampires re: Dracula and I wanted to ask if you have articles on hand that expand on the cultural climate in the uk at the time regarding judaism and how it influenced Dracula?

hi! i hate to be like my source is im jewish but... i have just read a lot a lot a lot of jewish history and immigration history and connected these dots with my big huge brain or whatever; i couldn't point you at this time to any one specific article or book.

if you're interested in search terms to start looking into my friend and colleague @cristabel-oct has a post with a little of the historical context around jewish immigration to england here, which you may have already seen; you could start by looking into east end jewish history, antisemitism in whitechapel during the 'jack the ripper' murders era, and jewish immigration history more generally (most of what i know is about US jewish immigration and may not be relevant to you but understanding the social conditions which led to mass jewish emigration out of the pale is probably helpful). i'm sure there ARE articles about this as well i just don't have any on hand.

if you're interested in understanding pre-1900s european antisemitism i have some more general recommendations: i can't remember if this specifically discusses vampires but joshua trachtenberg's ~1939 jewish magic and superstition is available free here as an epub etc; his book the devil and the jews is also very good re: historical antisemitism but i only own that one as a hard copy.

edit; have been recommended to add Bernard Glassman's Anti-Semitic Stereotypes Without Jews; this is slightly earlier in time period (18th c.) but probably helpful as well!!

also obligatory "many things were going on in dracula" point; i find it frustrating when antisemitism is totally written off so ive focused on that but it's not like there... isn't orientalism or capitalist or ableism or homophobia or whatever stuff going on AS WELL.

some of my mutuals may have better resources & i am happy to reblog with updates or suggestions.

Joshua Trachtenberg. Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion. Foreword by Moshe Idel. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. Paperback. 356 pages. 

Shop link in bio.

Janet Reno

- MAKSIM CHMERKOVSKIY'S FLABBY SHOULDER

- CHRIS EVANS'S AUTOLYTIC LIP

- TIFFANI THIESSEN'S JUICY FINGER

- SEAL'S CONCENTRATED HAND

- NICK JONAS'S CLOSED TONGUE

- JAY LENO'S CREAMY THIGH

- QUEEN LATIFAH'S BRIGHT CHEEK

- PAUL SCULFOR'S RETICENT HEAD

- COURTNEY LOVE'S POWERFUL LIP

- WILLOW SMITH'S OAKED THUMB

- MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG'S MUSTY BELLY

- CONNIE BRITTON'S EXTRACTED EYELASH

- ZAYN MALIK'S BAKED ELBOW

- MARK SALLING'S BRILLIANCE BREAST

- KIMORA LEE SIMMONS'S COMPLEX HAIR

- BRUCE WILLIS'S LEES ANKLE

- ROONEY MARA'S OPULENT FINGER

- CHRISTIE BRINKLEY'S ROUGH LIP

- JANE LYNCH'S BUTTERY ELBOW

- HEATHER GRAHAM'S STRUCTURED WRIST

- ANDERSON COOPER'S TRANSPARENT THIGH

- OZZY OSBOURNE'S BARNYARD HIP

- LAMAR ODOM'S BAKED BELLY

- CAMILLE GRAMMER'S DIRTY EAR

- ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC'S PETROLLY EAR

- BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN'S HEAVY HEAD

- CYNTHIA NIXON'S ASTRINGENT TONGUE

- SALMA HAYEK'S MUSTY TONGUE

- CHANDRA WILSON'S DEPTH LOWER LEG

- ANNA FARIS'S HOLLOW LIP

- JOSHUA JACKSON'S LASER-LIKE BACK

So onerous did these recurrent accusations become that the rabbis of the Middle Ages found it necessary—forced to this step, no doubt, by Jewish public opinion—to suspend some of these customs. In the case of the clod-throwing, though “many were obliged to disregard the usage for fear that the Gentiles would accuse them of sorcery,” custom was proof against fear. But in other instances fear triumphed. The mourning rights of “binding the head” and “overturning the bed” lapsed during the Middle Ages for this reason. In Talmudic times fear of the same accusation had led Jewish authorities to excuse the head of the household from the rite of “searching out the leaven” on the eve of the Passover in places owned in common with a non-Jew; during the Middle Ages there was a strong but unsuccessful agitation to suspend this rite altogether, even indoors, “because we have Gentile serving-girls in our homes” who might spread the alarm. In Provence, however, the ritual cleansing of the public oven in preparation for Passover baking was neglected “because of the Gentiles’ suspicion of sorcery.” When a fire broke out in a Jewish house its owner dared expect little mercy from the mob, for he was a sorcerer seeking to destroy Christendom, and his punishment was commonly simultaneous with his crime. The rabbis of the time were unusually tolerant about violations of the prohibition to put out fires on the Sabbath and on the Dayof Atonement. At the slightest danger they set this prohibition aside, “for this is a matter of life and death, since they accuse us and persecute us.” We read of a lamb, slaughtered in fulfillment of a ritual obligation, which was cut up and buried secretly in sections, “so that the matter may not become known and they say, ‘it was done for magical ends.’” To such measures were Jews driven by fear of arousing the suspicions of their neighbors.

Joshua Trachtenberg, Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion; The Legend of Jewish Sorcery

One may define the Jewish Magician as a scholar by vocation, [and] a practitioner of the mystical-magical arts by avocation; every Mystic, properly trained, could practice magic as a side-line. Indeed, the dangers of invoking the Spirits without an adequate education in Mysticism were frequently stressed, and the possessor of esoteric traditions and writings was sternly counselled to keep them hidden from the common glance, lest they be misused, and to pass them on only to a select circle. [Thus] Early [Jewish] Mystical and Magical Lore was successfully guarded by a limited oral transmission.

From Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study In Folk Religion, published 2004; Joshua Trachtenberg (My Ko-Fi Here)

Instress: part 1 - The secrets of clouds, part 2 - Contagion as metaphor

“Some poems declare their interest in magic openly through formal choices. Some poems are constructed as and/or ‘after’ ancient or occult spells and take the form of a spell, which has some generally predictable structures. If we go from the ancient spells exemplified in Joshua Trachtenberg’s work, we’ll find these components: appeal, historiolae (historical or mythological precedents/correlates of the situation at hand), invocation, enunciation of names, request. Of poems that follow this form, sonic choices alluding to the spell’s incantatory form might be the easiest to identify as invested in magic; poems of chant and litany lull and charm the reader with sound....”

Jacket2: instress part 1, part 2

“The Enamored Mage: Translation #6” a portrait of Robert Duncan by Jess, 1965. Courtesy of The M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco

Mumbay by Sarathy Korwar (featuring MC Mawali) from the album More Arriving - Director/DP - Harshbir Singh Phull

Amulets, Part 2: A Brief Introduction To Written Amulets

So written Amulets were, and still are in many communities, the most popular form of Amulets among Jews. These amulets consist of a combination of prayers, angel names, scriptural verses, divine names, and sigils (more on those later).

(Here we see an amulet written by Hazan (Cantor) Isaac Almosnino in 1832 for the protection of his home.)

Methods:

• Scriptural Verses:

Verses of Torah, Prophets, and Psalms were frequently employed in protective amulets. It is worth noting that Rabbi Akiva’s prohibition of healing with torah was extended to use in amulets, and as such healing amulets ought not have contained verse, it was nonetheless a common practice. Some of the most favored verses for amulets were Psalm 91 and the Priestly Blessing. Psalm 91 was often favored in amulets due to its perceived anti-demonic and generally protective properties. This use appears in the Talmud, although the belief dates back to the second temple period if not earlier. The use of the preistly blessing is just as common in the amulet tradition. This blessing found it’s way into many amulets such as those found in the Ketef Hinnom archeological site.

(Amulets bearing the priestly benediction enscribed on silver lamelle found in the Ketef Hinnom site)

• Angelic Names:

A very frequent aspect of many amulets, especially the earlier variety that predated the Lurianic Kabbalah, were the names of angels who had control over the situation that was attempting to be controlled. Other quintessential example of this technique would be the anti-lillitian amulets bearing the angel names Senoy, Sansenoy, and Semangolef who were the angels who hunted Lilith after she left the Garden. The invocation of Angels is a common theme among all forms of early Jewish Magic due to the fact that one can bind an angel by it’s name to your will. A practice that was forbidden by the Arizal. Nonetheless, angel names continue to appear on amulets all the way through present day in many Sephardic and Hasidic communities.

(Anti-Lillitian amulet from the Sefer Raziel, 1701)

• Divine Names:

One of the most characteristic aspect of any art of based in the Kabbalah, and really even earlier Jewish magical traditions is that of Names of HaShem. These names find themselves varying in complexity and perceived power. This tradition finds its way even into our Mezuzah, which although not amulets, are nonetheless considered to hold protective properties. In fact, mezuzah scrolls have the name S-H-A-D-D-A-I written on the back of them because of this because it was considered improper to add it for protection in the biblically commanded words.

(Here we see a Shiviti, a meditative amulet (more on these later, that was made by one Sofer Mendel Schreiber for a synagogue in Holitsch. It bears the Tetragrammaton along with scriptural verses and other names of Gd)

Finally, I would like to include the text of an amulet that encompasses all of these aspects and would have been most characteristic of historic amulet making:

“An effective amulet, tested and tried, against the evil eye and evil spirits, for grace, against imprisonment and the sword, for intelligence, to be able to instruct people in Torah, against all sorts of disease and reverses, and against loss of property: ‘In the name of Shaddai, who created heaven and earth, and in the name of the angel Raphael, the memuneh in charge of this month, and by you, Smmel, Hngel, Vngsursh, Kndors, Ndmh, Kmiel, S‘ariel, Abrid, Gurid, memunim of the summer equinox, and by your Prince, Or‘anir, by the angel of the hour and the star, in the name of the Lord, God of Israel, who rests upon the Cherubs, the great, mighty, and awesome God, YHVH Ẓebaot is His name, and in Thy name, God of mercy, and by thy name, Adiriron, trustworthy healing-God, in whose hand are the heavenly and earthly households, and by the name YHVH, save me by this writing and by this amulet, written in the name of N son of N [mother’s name]. Protect him in all his two hundred and forty-eight organs against imprisonment and against the two-edged sword. Help him, deliver him, save him, rescue him from evil men and evil speech, and from a harsh litigant, whether he be Jew or Gentile. Humble and bring low those who rise against him to do him evil by deed or by speech, by counsel or by thought. May all who seek his harm be overthrown, destroyed, humbled, afflicted, broken so that not a limb remains whole; may those who wish him ill be put to shame. Save him, deliver him from all sorcery, from all reverses, from poverty, from wicked men, from sudden death, from the evil effects of passion, from every sort of tribulation and disease. Grant him grace, and love, and mercy before the throne of God, and before all beings who behold him. Let the fear of him rest upon all creatures, as the mighty lion dreads the mightier mafgi‘a [cf. Shab. 77b]. I conjure N, son of N, in the name of Uriron and Adriron (sic). Praised be the Lord forever. Amen and Amen.’ ”

(Sefer Raziel, 42a. Translation from Joshua Trachtenberg’s Jewish Magic and Superstistion)

What do you mean I'm "not allowed" to bring Jewish Magic and Superstition: A Study in Folk Religion by Joshua Trachtenberg to the bar

Joshua Trachtenberg’s Jewish Magic and Superstion on the power of curses:

“The weekly reading of the Torah involved from time to time public recitation of such ominous selections, and the congregants feared the spirits might interpret them as directed agaisnt its members. For this reason communities were warned to make sure that the precentor was universally acceptable and befriended, for these curses might descend upon the heads of his enemies.”