MAGIC SPELLS

A Research Workshop on Hebrew Amulets with 

Shir Gal Kochavi, Zoe Lewin, and Francesco Spagnolo
Tuesday, 5:30pm–7:00pm
March 20 & April 24, 2018
The Magnes
2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
Join Magnes Free and open to the public 
curators in Worn on one’s person or placed in homes, Jewish amulets are used

discovering at moments of vulnerability and transition, like childbirth, marriage,

or illness. They feature texts including biblical verses, Psalms,
the elaborate divine names, and invocations of powerful figures like angels, and
the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs. The Jewish mystical tradition,
texts and including Kabbalah, is central to these artifacts, which often also

imagery, feature unique imagery.

magic In the Fall of 2017, The Magnes hosted Israeli performer, Victoria
Hanna, upon an invitation by musicologist and museum curator,
formulas, and Francesco Spagnolo. Together, they created Magic Spells, a

kabbalistic performance series based on amulets from UC Berkeley’s Magnes

Collection.
sources in
Victoria Hanna’s residency was accompanied by a year-long
Hebrew research project devoted to the many amulets that are part of The

amulets. Magnes Collection. In this Spring 2018 series, Magnes curators will
unveil their exciting findings, and allow the public to enter the
elaborate texts and images, magic formulas and kabbalistic
sources, that inform Hebrew amulets. The series will be conducted
in workshop style, with ample time for questions and discussion.

Read More at bit.ly/magicspells2018

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-6300
magnes.berkeley.edu