Modern, Feminine Tefillin

I bought this bracelet at an outdoor market in Tel Aviv. I was drawn to the fact that it is a long black leather cord that can be continuously wrapped around one's wrist, thus making it appear as if you are wearing scores of bracelets. I also liked the fact that is is strung with a score of symbols. The symbols that are markedly Jewish to me are the Jewish star, the hamsa, and a Roman coin. I speak about the hamsa and the Jewish Star on the blog, but here I will mention my feelings about the coin. The Roman coin evokes historical memory about the region we now refer to as Israel and how the area has consistently been embattled territory. After taking this course, I realized that this leather cord has another aspect of Jewish identity wound within it. Because it has the ability to wrap, I liken it to a metaphorical tefillin. That is why I took the photograph with the bracelet as an imagined tefillin. With its Jewish adornments, it becomes my own Jewish ritual. The routine of wrapping myself with it before leaving my home becomes a moment in which I decisively dress myself as a Jew, affirming a connection to God and the Jewish people through the symbols adorning my arm.