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Chamsa

The chamsa, also called Hand of Miriam or Yad Miriam (after Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron), is an ancient Jewish symbol that protects against the evil eye and brings happiness, richess and health. People wear it as a pendant or hang it in their homes as protection of the house - for a better view of the pendants, click on the pictures, but there are also beautifull chamsa cards and prints by Laura Bolter and there's even one above, on our frontpage.

A chamsa is shaped like a hand, usually with the fingers pointing downward. It is sometimes decorated with an eye or lucky/religious texts and often with blue or turquoise.
The chamsa has always been popular in Israel. Its popularity abroad seems to be growing, perhaps because Kabbala has become more popular. Kabbala also concerns itself with amulets and the protection against evil.
Ironically, the word chamsa is Arabic - meaning five, which is similar to chamesh, the Hebrew word for five. Five is a number associated with protection, even without the association with the chamsa.
In the Arabic world the chamsa appears to be just as possible as it is in Israel, only it goes by the name of Hand of Fatima. It often seems as if both cultures pretend the other does not 'have a thing' with the hand, but it is obviously a common symbol in the region. Perhaps this is why activists for peace in the Middle East have started wearing a chamsa as well.
Ther is some archeological evidence that the chamsa precedes judaism (and therefore also islam) and originates in the Phoenician religion. This would be strange, because the Phoenicians (in what is now roughly the Lebanon) believed in many Gods - including Astarte whose name was infamous to early judaism.
Of course there are many explanations why the chamsa should be a lucky amulet. Since it is a protecting hand, many say it symbolises the hand of God. Others say that the five in the name and the five fingers stand for the Tora, the five books of Moses.
However this may be, there are many stories about the miraculous protection of the chamsa amulet.