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These Ancient Jewish Newborn Traditions Have a Place in my Modern Nursery

JL;DR SUMMARY Childbirth amulets, a time-honored Jewish tradition, served as protective symbols against the feared demon Lilith, believed to endanger infants. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish FolkloreLilithAncient TraditionsParental AnxietyChildbirth AmuletsSenoySansenoySemangelofProtection RitualsNursery Practices

Places mentioned

Vilna, Zarasai, Lithuania
"In Jewish households from Vilna to Casablanca, this tension between hope and anxiety gave rise to a spiritual safeguard: the childbirth amulet."
Casablanca, Morocco
"In Jewish households from Vilna to Casablanca, this tension between hope and anxiety gave rise to a spiritual safeguard: the childbirth amulet."
Baghdad, Iraq
"To a mother in 18th-century Baghdad, Lilith was no metaphor. She was as present as a fever."

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Cairo Item ID 74413
Cairo Source ID 33
Retrieved 2026-02-03 05:30:48 UTC
Curated 2026-02-03 08:30:50 UTC