Hi everyone!
I know that it’s been ages since I’ve posted here, but I’ve been super busy with some other great Jewish monster hunting projects. I’m hoping to get back to the blog, but in the meantime I thought I’d share some of these projects.
First, Jewish Monster and Magic Trading Cards!
Working with Madness Heart Press / Aggadah Try It, I’ve been busy developing a set of Jewish Magic and Monster Trading Cards that showcases the wildness and richness of Jewish lore. The cards feature a beautiful combination of my original graphics, collage art, and photographs as well as vintage illustrations and public domain images.
Between the two decks, there are 108 individual cards that tell the stories of angels and shedim (demons); giants and sea monsters; rabbinic grimoires and amulets; Jewish women’s home magic rituals and ingredients; and a long list of amazing characters including Yosef Sheyda (Joe the Demon), demon friend to the Rabbis of the Talmud; the immortal Seraḥ Bat Asher, adopted granddaughter our Jacob the Patriarch who helped Moses free the Hebrews; Joseph Della Reina, a devout rabbi who was corrupted by Lilith and Samael; and Ornais, a gender-fluid vampiric demon. They draw on Torah, Talmud and post Talmudic Jewish commentary, the Jewish apocrypha, medieval traveler’s tales, Kabbalah texts, early modern legends and diaries, and modern Jewish broadsheets, news reports, and ethnographies. The cards draw on original source documents wherever possible and leverage the best of modern religious writing and academic research.
Cards are getting amazing support so far! Check out the amazing crew that have seen pre-production versions!
The two decks of cards, and a lot of cool extras are being initially sold via a Kickstarter campaign that launches on October 28, 2024! If you’re interested, check it out! If you haven’t supported a Kickstarter campaign, it’s easy! You pick the pledge you’re interested in, e.g., pick the Aleph Deck, both decks, or one of the higher reward tiers, add in an extra if one looks good (see Monster Hunting Kits, below). Assuming enough folks do that to fund the campaign, which is pretty much guaranteed, funds will be collected on December 1st, we send the card order to the printer, and everyone has cards and extras by mid-February. (If you go with the Chanukkah tier I promise to get Chanukkah cards in your hands in time for Chanukkah). If you are a Jewish teacher or active in a Jewish organization, definitely check out the Class/Club tier which comes with an hour Zoom class!
Check them out at my Ko-Fi shop!
Second, the Wayward Children podcast!
Starting about a year ago John Baltisberger and I have co-hosted the podcast “Wayward Children: Jewish Monsters, Magic, and the Stories We Tell!” The goal of Wayward Children is talk about Jewish monsters and magic from a very Jewish perspective. Wayward Children is the English translation of Banimim Shovavim, half-demons, one of my favorite bits of Jewish lore (and one of the trading cards!) I bring more of a research perspective, John brings more of a fiction writers perspective, but we’re both very invested in our Judaism and go deep more often than not. Recent episodes have covered Lilith, Jewish curses, the Giant Wars, dybbuks, and an amazing interview talking about Chassidic magic. The podcast can found, for free, at most podcast download sites including https://waywardchildren.buzzsprout.com. It’s a whole lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it.
This is us! I’m the guy in the hat. John’s the surly dude in with ass’s jawbone.
Third, Jewish Monster Hunting Kits!
Beyond our world of form and substance, but nearer than heaven, is a middle world full of magic and danger. In it, creatures who change shape hide in the shadows to torment and trick us and where an iron nail, some salt, a bunch of rue can get us home safely. You’d better be ready!
My Jewish monster hunting kits! Perfect for dealing with Shedim and Estries!
This kit has what it takes to protect you from shedim (demons), estries (female vampires), ghosts, and the evil eye (jealous looks that can harm), so you can be safe on the go:
- Hardwood ash. It will help you see where shedim (demons) walk. Sprinkle it around your bed at night. Just to be sure.
- Besamim (Havdalah spices). Shedim hate its holy scent.
- An iron nail. Repels shedim when you’re away from home.
- Salt. Sprinkle salt in the corners of your room to repel shedim.
- Rue. An herb that can protects you from the evil eye.
- Hamsa. A symbol of a hand that blocks the evil eye.
- Twine. Tying up an estrie’s hair takes away her power.
- A stone. Killing an estrie isn’t hard, but they won’t stay dead unless you bury them with a rock in their mouth. You can also place the stone on a gravestone to keep the ghost in the grave anchored to its resting spot.
This kit is a small sampling of what a Jew, whether Sephardic, Ashkenazi, or Mizrachi, might carry or have on hand. Also included with the kit is a short zine which provides additional background on the elements of the kit, Jewish magic and monster lore, and points to additional resources to start learning about this fascinating part of Jewish life.
The kit comes with a glossy postcard describing each of the items in the kit. Also at my Ko-Fi store.
Fourth, Articles and Teaching!
Over the last couple of years, I’ve had the opportunity to write two articles for the Jewish Review of Books website. The first, “As The Story Goes: Hanukkah Spears, Cheese, and Goblins” talks about Hanukkah stories from Jewish lore and the second “Total Eclipse of the Bracha” is about how whether or not we say a bracha over an eclipse is based on whether or not we, as many Jews historically do, believe a bracha is a bad omen.
This week I have a third article coming out that I’m really excited about. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg invited me to write a guest post titled “Let’s Talk about Angels, Shedim, and Giants” for her wonderful Life is a Sacred Text substack/blog. In this article, I talk about my experiences studying Jewish monsters and magic and why I think it’s important to reintroduce them back into Jewish discourse and spiritual practice. We’ve lost a lot by sweeping them into the corners. Check it out and see if you agree!
I’ve also had a lot of fun teaching. I’ve given two lectures at the Michigan Limmud. The lectures weren’t recorded, but after each lecture I ran home and recorded a version that I could put on YouTube. The first is titled “Practical Jewish Monster Hunting” and the second is titled “Rolling to Jerusalem: Jewish Legends about Death and What Comes After.” Check them out. They’re really fun.
I’ve also done some teaching and storytelling at Temple Beth Emeth and Congregation Beth Israel in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton, California. If you’ve got a synagogue or group that would like me to come and visit, let me know!
Jack telling Jewish scary stories at Temple Beth Tikvah in Fullerton, California*
Finally, Social Media. I’m really active on social media under the name @AdneSadeh on X/Twitter, Bluesky, and as Jewish Monster Hunting on Instagram.
This is a long way of saying that while the blog has been quiet, I’ve been super busy with Jewish monster hunting activities. I miss the blog format, though and hope to get back to it someday.
*The cool t-shirt I’m wearing in the picture is of a seraph, a flaming fiery serpent that God sent to plague the Hebrews during the Exodus. The shirt was made by John and my buddy Marti Fuerst, who’s done a bunch of great Jewish magic and monster shirts and also did the Wayward Children podcast logo. She’s also the Wayward Children podcast archivist! She maintains a GoodReads list of all the books we’ve referenced. Check out her Jewish art and buy her shirts at MartiFuerst.com. I’ve five of them and wear them non-stop!
Jewish Monster Hunting 