Hadaya

This bracelet and heart shaped pendant are classic works from the Jerusalem jewelry store Hadaya. I wear this bracelet everyday, because of its simplicity and its ability to go with everything. Hadaya advertises unique one of a kind jewelry, which entails blank hand hammered silver bracelets, necklaces, and rings on which one chooses their own Hebrew phrases to be engraved. Jewelry such as this has become a staple among girls who visit Israel on organized trips, to study at seminary, or even for a family vacation. I myself first saw Jewish girls wearing the iconic heart shaped necklace and was at once interested in having one for myself, however, imbued with my own phrase of significance. In preparation for receiving my own side swung heart, I scanned my siddur for a message of strength or security, finally deciding upon the phrase: ושמור צאתנו ובאנו לחיים ולשלום מעתה ועד עולם

Originating in the Arvit or evening service on Friday night, the sentence translates to: And God will protect your going out and your coming home, in life and peace, now and forever. Always somewhat of an obsessive and superstitious person, this phrase elicited comfort and stability for me. It gave me peace of mind before leaving home in the morning, as I imagined the Hebrew words floating off the pendant and snaking around my body as a sort of home security system but for my person. I see now that this necklace functions as an amulet for me, allowing me to derive superstitious security from its lettering when I place it around my neck. It acts as my own mezuzah, which adorns Jewish doorposts, onto which I am projecting my own occult mysticism. Martin Gordon, in his article Mezuzah: protective amulet or religious symbol? grapples with the same realization, as he claims that the inscription written on the mezuzah "is possessed of its own potency, generating protective benefits, [which] perverts a spiritual instrumentality into a cultic charm" (Gordon 25). I have allowed a simple silver heart to have a say in my destiny, supposing that this object will offer me protection and piece of mind, and in a way it does, just because I allow it to. One thing is for sure, whenever I see anyone with a necklace of similar styling, I can rightly assume they bear some connection to Israel and/or the Jewish people and they likely will look at my own necklace and assume the same. Thus, a visual marker that adorns us becomes a linking chain to the Jewish people. Unlike the markers forced upon Jews, by choice, we bedeck ourselves with a marker that identifies us as Jewish. However, it is something only recognizable by people who have had some sort of Israel experience. We are asserting our Jewishness, but in an unassuming way that does not signal our Judaism in a strong manner.

The Hadaya bracelet I wear is actually my mother's since it bears her name on the side. She wears a bracelet that has my name inscribed on the back. This is a bracelet I rarely take off, because it feels as if she is constantly with me, almost like an engraving on my forearm...