Love potions, teleportation, invisibility, and incantations may sound like elements straight out of Harry Potter, but medieval Jews not only claimed that such things were possible, they even offered detailed instructions on how to perform them. These beliefs were integrated into a larger worldview, touching on religion and daily life.  Furthermore, Christians and Muslims shared aspects of these beliefs and practices, with the result that magic also came to serve as a point of contact and interaction between these different religious cultures.  Katelyn Mesler, fellow at the Herbert D. Katz Center of the University of Pennsylvania, will explore how medieval magic offers a particularly useful perspective for understanding Jewish culture in the Middle Ages.

For more information, visit http://katz.sas.upenn.edu/public-programs