See, Magical Thinking is Part of Many People's Thought

Recent usage

Accusations of the use of this curse by religious Jews against figures whom they find objectionable has been made often over the past 50 years and quoted in mostly Israeli media. As the saying goes in Israel "you have not made it in Israeli politics until you've been cursed by the Pulsa DiNura" Early in the 20th century, agitated Haredi Jews in Jerusalem were accused by the media of having recited the curse against the linguistEliezer Ben Yehuda. There have been unsubstantiated media reports of the curse being recited against archaeologists and authors. Prior to the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, there have been rumors that the curse had been recited against him by right-wing extremists.

Avigdor Eskin, a member of the Gush Emunim (bloc of the faithful) claimed to have recited the following maledictions of the Pulsa diNura on the night of October 6, 1995: "Angels of destruction will hit him. He is damned wherever he goes. His soul will instantly leave his body... and he will not survive a month. Dark will be his path and God's angel will chase him. A disaster he has never experienced will befall him and all curses known in the Torah will apply to him. I deliver to you, the angels of wrath and ire, Yitzhak, the son of Rosa Rabin, that you may smother him and the specter of him, and cast him into hed, and dry up his wealth, and plague his thoughts, and scatter his mind that he may be steadily diminished until he reaches his death. Put to death the cursed Yitzhak. May he be damned, damned, damned!" Rabin was assassinated within the month.

In July 2005, the Israeli media, without citing sources reported that opponents of the Gaza pullout plan recited the Pulsa diNura in the old cemetery of Rosh Pina, asking the "Angel of Death" to kill Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Six months later Sharon suffered two strokes and is currently in a coma, fighting for his life. Of course, most analysts link this to his age, 77, and obesity.

Reportedly, ten rabbis and kabalists, including Yosef Dayan, instigated the same curse at the gravesite near Safed several months prior to the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

On November 7, 2006 the HaEdah HaCharedis said it was considering placing the curse on the organisers of the gay pride parade scheduled to march in Jerusalem on November 10, 2006. Israel Army Radio interviewed Rabbi Shmuel Papenheim who announced, "The Rabbinical Court has held a special session and discussed placing a 'pulsa denura' on those who have had a hand in organizing the march." Papenheim, editor of theharedi religious umbrella organization's weekly magazine, added that the rabbis were also considering placing the curse "against the policemen who beat hareidi Jews." ^[2]