NEW YORK — A few weeks back, San Diego Jewish World ran an essay about major Jewish superstitions, such as protective words and ways to avert the Evil Eye — raiterh bendel (red band), sneezing to confirm the truth of what was just said, and “pooh,pooh, pooh.” Readers were invited to submit their favorite Jewish superstitions, and several follow, ken ayin ha’ra.
From Ruth Greenwald (whose sister, Jan Altschuller, called them “StUPIDstitions”):
Aunt Sarah pulled an earlobe when we sneezed.
If salt was spilled you had to toss some over your shoulder.
If I sneezed after saying something, Mom would say that it’s true.
If your palm itched, you were coming into money.
If your nosed itched you were going to have a fight.
From Sandy Levy:
When I was growing up, if a button came off my clothing I was wearing, my mom would insist I chew on a piece of sewing cotton as she would sew it on, so that my brains wouldn’t be sewn up as well. I did not argue the point – just chewed.
The evil eye – pooh, pooh, pooh! was said if a compliment was given. It seemed like the appropriate response at the time.
From Laurie Raps:
I was pregnant with my first child. My mother refused to let me come to the cemetery for my grandfather’s unveiling.
Going earlier, when I menstruated for the first time, my mother slapped me in the face. I couldn’t imagine what I had done wrong.
From Jo Surpin:
As a youngster, I’d often visit a relative in the company of my grandmother. If the relative called me cute or otherwise complimented me, my grandmother would spit three times, and so I often came away from these visits with an unpleasantly wet face. But protected from the Evil Eye.
From Portia Diamond:
All this reminds me of a beloved aunt, long gone. She was a two ken ayin ha’ra girl: one before the sentence, and the other after it – just in case …. She lived to 99, so it must work???? ken ayin ha’ra
From Naomi Barton:
This is not one of my superstitions, but I did know people who felt that if you lost something or something was misplaced, you turn a cup upside down and you’ll find it.
From San Diego Jewish World:
May you all find what you’re looking for, avoid evil spirits, and live happy, fruitful lives.
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Joel H. Cohen is a freelance writer based in New York.