Obj. ID: 35014
Modern Jewish Art  Against the Evil Eye (Neged Ayin Hara: נגד עין הרע)

The following text was written by Ruth Schreiber.

This small sculpture consists of a bronze cast of a child’s hand and in it, a glass eye.

These lie on a bed of blue velvet in a lidded glass box, evoking a benign burial in a coffin.

The “evil eye” is an ancient superstition which Jews share with others, the idea being that a jealous or vindictive look can harness evil spirits and direct them against a particular person. People consider themselves or their dear ones vulnerable to the “evil eye” when they wear new clothes or jewellery, look especially attractive, move into a new home, have a baby or other celebration, or do particularly well in some sphere- anything that might provoke jealousy in others. In order to garner protection against this “evil eye”, all sorts of amulets and practices have developed, including painting the outside of the house blue, hanging a “hamsa” hand indoors or wearing a red band around the wrist.

Here I have developed a new idea: the clear blue glass eye gazes straight at the viewer from the safety of the strong yet unthreatening child’s hand, all within the glass box. Together the image is resonant of the grave and a connection from beyond.