Obj. ID: 52088
Sacred and Ritual Objects Amulet, Essaouira, circa 1940
This is a special amulet used in the city of Essaouira, Morocco. It recalls the martyrdom of some 50 Rabbis in the town of Ufran in the area. In the Gross Family Collection are several versions of this amulet, both printed and hand-written. This printed sheet is intended as an amulet to protect the home from sickness and to particularly protect the pregnant woman. It is copied from one that is above the common grave of 50 Jewish martyrs who were burned in the city of Irfan. The fonts suggest that the page was printed in either Tanger or Lisbon. The author writes that the amuletic power is conferred by the fact that he wrote this text while sitting on the graves of the martyrs of Ufran mentioned on the page. This type of amulet was used in Essaouira and was said to be present in almost every home. There are two other printed versions of this amulet and one manuscript done by hand.