User:Iall8789/OLES2129/draft

Proposal, Justification and Bibliography of Proposed Topic
I am proposing to create an article titled: Jewish Superstitions

Notability and Neutrality
This article has an extremely neutral point of view, as it will aims to inform and explore the superstitions surrounding Jewish culture. The creation of this article will require no original research, and there are many sufficient and adequate resources that surround this topic. This topic could also be considered very notable, as not only is it a Wikipedia requested article, but there are very similar Wikipedia pages, such as ‘Japanese Superstitions’ and ‘Superstitions of Malaysian China’, signifying that this would be a notable page to create. Furthermore, there have also been two books published on this topic, indicating that this would be a worthwhile topic to pursue. As an encyclopedia page has been made on the same topic as my Wikipedia page it demonstrates that my page is worth pursing and is notable, as Wikipedia follows a similar structure to Encyclopedias.

However, there are also numerous online articles and news pieces that share personal experiences and biased opinions from the perspective of Jewish people. For example, feature articles written by Jewish people who have experienced extremely superstitious relatives. It was important to take note of these articles and allow them to deepen my understanding of the topic, but not allow the content to create biases within the Wikipedia page.

Associated Wikiprojects
The topic of Jewish Superstitions can come under the two associated Wikiprojects; Judaism and the Kabbalah. This page would expand upon the Judaism page, as it would contain information of Superstitions that have arisen in the Jewish religion. Similarly, the Kabbalah page is related to Jewish Magic, an important area to note, as many superstitions stem from the ideologies of ‘magic’ and ‘witchcraft’ that were once embedded in their culture.


 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Judaism
 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Kabbalah

1.    Overview
The first section will provide a brief introduction into the prevalence of superstitions in Jewish Culture. This section will also provide information on how superstitions are embedded in culture and history, and how Jewish people recognise their own tendencies to be superstitions. As the topic is introduced, this section will have many external links to other Wikipedia pages such as, the Practical Kabbalah, Talmudic Tradition and the Evil Eye, as these ideas and terminology will be referenced throughout the whole article.

2.    Biblical Superstitions
This section will relate to the origins of superstitions, specifically the manifestation of superstitions from the Talmudic period and medieval Europe.

3.    Types of Superstitions
This will be largest section of the Wikipedia page, providing both detail into the many different superstitions, and also listing in dot point form some of the common superstitions. These will be listed under the different sub-headings;

a)    Death and the Supernatural;

-       If you throw the waste from the sweepings outside at night you will die.

-      In order to make the demons flee, one must use kindle to create light

b)   Medieval Superstitions;

-       If there is a plaque, the door of the house must be written on, in order to be spared.

-       Break a pot in front of a child in order to drive away demons

-       An undeserved curse will not do its job, but may fall back upon the one who said the curse

-       The fingers must be held down wards and extended when washing, in order to wash away the devil that may have fallen upon the man at night

-      It is unlucky to pass an empty bucket when going out, but lucky to pass a full bucket

c)    Animals;

-       If you see an animal somewhere that is unexpected, throw a shoe at it and you will be graced with many treasures

-       A visitor will come when a cat licks their paws.

-      In order to keep the cat within the house, cut off part of their tail

d)   Weddings and Marriage;

-       Sisters not marry on same day the evil eye will look upon the parents.

-       After three marriages the next husband or wife will die soon after the wedding.

-       Brothers not to marry two sisters.

-       Father not to marry two sisters.

-      When returning from the wedding, if the bride takes the grooms hand than she will dominate in all affairs of their marriage, but if the groom takes the bride’s hand than he will dominate in all affairs

e)    Children and Pregnancy;

-       If you step over a child, they will stop growing, but it can continue to grow if you re-cross it.

-       If a woman dies pregnant, the fetus must remain inside the body untouched

-       For a child’s birthday, light as many candles for the years that the child has lived

-      If a woman has gone through a period of long and hard labour, the unmarried woman in the house should leave their hair unbraided, letting in fall onto their shoulders.

4.    Common Modern Day Superstitions
Opposed to other cultures, many Jewish superstitions have prevailed from biblical times and are still manifested in modern Jewish belief. This section will go into more detail about the more prevalent modern superstitions, which are largely due to the history of Jewish belief in magic and the devil, as well as the manifestation of fear, that these superstitions hold truth, that has been past down and adopted over time.

-       Spitting three times in the response to something evil

-       Chewing on thread

-       Closing open books

-       Placing salt in the corners of rooms

-      Knocking on wood

Annotated Sources (APA referencing style)

 * Correspondant, J. (1997, J). Evil Eye and other superstitions lead to Jewish Customs. https://www.jweekly.com/1997/06/13/evil-eye-and-other-superstitions-lead-to-jewish-customs/

This online article is specifically useful for information on the Evil Eye. It also provides in-depth information on the superstitions regarding marriage and childbirth, as well as how and why superstitions have prevailed through from the biblical and Talmudic times.


 * Eisenberg, R. (2008, November). 8 Popular Jewish Superstitions. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/popular-superstitions/

This Article will provide information under the ‘Modern Day Superstitions’ category of my Wikipedia page. The article provides extensive knowledge into the more common Jewish Superstitions that are still present in the modern religion. As there are numerous superstitions, the Wikipedia page will not be able to go into depth upon each superstition and their background, however, for the more common ones, the page will go into more detail. Specifically, for these more common superstitions the Wikipedia page will provide background information into the tradition and magic/legend in which they originated from.


 * Josephy, M. (1975). Magic & superstition in the Jewish Tradition: an Exhibition Organised by the Maurice Spertus Museum of Judaica. Spertus College of Judaica Press

Similar to the novel by Trachtenberg, this novel provides further insight into the tradition of Jewish culture that has lead to the adoption of many sueprstions. This source will be used specifically for the heading ‘Biblical Superstitions’.


 * Jacobs, J., & Güdemann, M. (2011) Superstition. In Jewish Encyclopedia.  http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14119-superstition

As Wikipedia and the Encyclopedia are considered to be similar in both content and nature, this source will provide a good structure and idea of the content of my Wikipedia page. Furthermore, as the content in this source is both neutral and verifiable, it will allow for my page to draw and expand upon the Encyclopedia content.


 * Trachtenberg, J. (1939). Jewish Magic and Superstition. New York: Behrman's Jewish Book House.

This book by Joseph Trachtenberg will be one of the main resources that the Wikipedia page will draw upon. In his novel Trachtenberg goes into great detail of the Magic and Superstitions of the Jewish Religion that will provide thorough background detail and knowledge for the foundations of the Wikipedia page.