When Jewish Meets Jewitch: Judaism Unbound Episode 345 - Ketzirah Lesser
Ketzirah Lesser is an ordained kohenet (Jewish priestess) who creates "magickal judaica, art, and ceremonies inspired by Jewish history and traditions." Her creations range from amulets and shrines, to Haggadot (guidebooks to the Passover seder), to AI art based on Yiddish folklore. If you're reading all this and thinking..."Wait, I thought amulets and shrines were considered idolatrous" or "I'm confused, why is 'magickal' spelled with a 'k'," then this episode is for you! Lesser joins Dan and Lex for a conversation about why Judaism should absolutely be full of magic(k)al experiences -- and how one can most effectively facilitate sacred Jewish witchcraft.
[1] Learn more about Ketzirah Lesser’s “Jewishly-rooted spiritual tools and teaching to connect past, present, and possible future(s)” by visiting Devotaj.com! For her full bio, click here.
[2] We highly recommend that you check out Lesser’s sacred arts shop, which you can access via this link!
[3] For a past Judaism Unbound episode, tied to the William Gibson quote that Lesser cites in this conversation, see Episode 60: The Future is Already Here - Dan and Lex.
[4] Click here to check out an article exploring “The Difference Between ‘Magic’ and ‘Magick,’” written by Catherine Beyer.
[5] Lesser was part of the first-ever cohort of ordained Kohanot — Hebrew priestesses. Learn more about Kohenet via Kohenet.org, and check out past Judaism Unbound featuring Kohanot via Episode 240: Hebrew Priestesses - Jill Hammer, Taya Shere or Episode 246: Priestessing Priestesses - Keshira HaLev Fife.
[6] In reflecting on her own spiritual journey, Lesser mentions the influence of works by Starhawk, a co-founder of the Reclaiming Collective. Learn more about the Reclaiming Collective by clicking here.
[7] Lex refers to the work of Vanessa Ochs, one of the first-ever guests on this podcast. Listen in to her first appearance on Judaism Unbound by heading to Episode 5: Leviticus - Vanessa Ochs, and purchase her book Inventing Jewish Ritual — which considers the importance of Jewish material culture — by clicking here.
[8] If you enjoyed the brief foray in this conversation into the folklore of the golem of Prague, you’ll definitely want to listen to Episode 299: Becoming a Golem - Julie Weitz.
