Portuguese Synagogue, Amsterdam

The Hebrew word Shaddai—another name for God—is etched in the center of this ornate silver amulet from Italy.

David is best known for painting with encaustic, a combination of beeswax and pigment. A Jew in Germany was painted with encaustic on wood. David often uses religious iconography in his works. In 1979…

This printed amulet, from Germany, was made for infant boys. The amulet has a companion, for a girl child (see “Amulet for a Newborn Girl”). The text in the center of the amulet is surrounded by a…