נסים וכשפים בירוחם: רשומון מאגי-פוליטי

In 1997 the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot published a brief report about a magic plate that had been discovered in the local cemetery of Yeruham. Nissim Avisrur, the father of Moti Avisrur, then head of the local council, was accused of placing it there. This episode followed earlier rumors about Nissim's magical practices and accusations that he was spreading 'magical terror' in the town in support of his son. During my fieldwork in Yeruham I found that, whereas political candidates ostensibly competed on issues of employment, garbage collection, education, and development, raging beneath the surface were suspicions of nefarious sorcery centered on 'Rabbi' Nissim Avisrur, 'the Sorcerer' of Yeruham. The article focuses on these suspicions and on the figure of Nissim Avisrur as reflected in local stories about him.