An Amulet to ward off the Cholera - printed during the 1867 pandemic

 Keen businessmen have always responded to market demands, and printing presses and publishers were no exception. World events and communal commemorations often resulted in special publications to honor events and to record happenings. A Large printed amulet I acquired is one such example, being an oversized printed amulet against epidemics published in Warsaw in 1867.

The center of the amulet features a large square containing a circle with diagrams and beneath it appears an outline of a human hand with angels names and Kabbalistic incantations within. A common selling pitch in this time, the amulet is described as "brought over from Jerusalem". The amulet is attributed to R. Eleazar of Worms - the Rokeach, The Ari za"l, R. Eliyahu Baal Shem Tov and R. Haim Vital.

The amulet was most likely a response to the Cholera Pandemic that was at its height in 1867, with deaths estimated to having reached 600,000 people. Originating in India in 1863, the disease quickly spread and reached as far as Russia, North America and Africa. With medical success in response to Cholera at the time being minimal and often unavailable, such amulets were in high demand and their use was widespread.