Judeo-Tunisian hamsa and fish amulet tableau

This protective household tableau combines the open hand (hamsa), fish, and blessing inscriptions — apotropaic motifs intended to ward off the evil eye and attract prosperity. The five-fingered hand and the fish are symbols of protection and fertility shared throughout the Mediterranean world, integrated into the magico-religious culture of North African Jews. The Jewish community of Djerba, in Tunisia, one of the oldest in the diaspora, has maintained a rich tradition of paintings under glass in vivid colors. This type of image hung in the home illustrates the persistence of protective beliefs in Tunisian Judaism.