Obj. ID: 50991  Yevarechechah Adonai ve-Yishmarechah, Ioannina, 1862

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The Romaniote Jews of Ioannina prepared a special amulet for the birth of a male child, called an "Aleph".  This was prepared before the circumcision and the name of the child was filled in at the bottom at the ceremony.  The amulet hung in the house until the end of the 40 day period during which the mother did not leave the child or the home, in the local custom.  This amulet is unique to these Romaniote Jews. At the bottom is the representation of the menorah with the 67th psalm, as so frequently used in the Shiviti plaque. Much of the rest is filled with amuletic names and texts. This is a very early example of this amuletic page. The earliest examples are from the 1860's. There is another, more colorful, example in the Gross Family Collection, 027.011.120. from the end of the 19th century. In both of them the main illustration is of a Shiviti.

Made For:                        Menachem Baruch