Growing up, my family never celebrated Halloween, so I have no emotional attachments to the day and few thoughts about whether it’s good or bad for the Jews. But for those who want a glatt kosher trick-or-treating experience, MyJewishLearning has two new articles on evil spirits for the yarmulka set. In the first, Jay Michaelson looks at Jewish traditions about demons, dybbuks, and golems. In the second, Jill Hammer explores the changing identity of Judaism’s most well-known demon: Lilith.
Want to read more about Jews and Halloween? Here are a few articles from MJL and beyond.
– Collecting Candy on Halloween, by Michael Broyde
– Scary Characters from Jewish Legend, by Yosef Abramowitz
– Making Peace with Halloween, by Rebecca E. Kotkin
– A New Jewish Take on Halloween, by Judy Epstein
kosher
Pronounced: KOH-sher, Origin: Hebrew, adhering to kashrut, the traditional Jewish dietary laws.