Abracadabra – The Power of Visuals and Words

2 Sep 2025 19:30

Online

In this eye-opening and visually rich lecture, fashion designer Roei Derhi takes us on a journey through time — where art, religion, and fear come together to shape how we see “the other.” From medieval drawings of Jews with horns and witches flying naked through the night, to modern-day memes and stereotypes — this talk explores how images have been used to demonize, exclude, and create enemies out of women, Jews, queer people, and anyone who didn’t fit the mold. We’ll also dive into Jewish folklore and how mystical symbols like the GolemLilith, and the word “Abracadabra” carry both danger and protection — depending on who’s telling the story.

Roei Derhi is a fashion designer and lecturer specializing in the intersection of fashion, art, and cultural history. He has worked with institutions across Europe and the Middle East, and his teaching focuses on how visual culture creates meaning, identity, and power structures. His recent research focuses on antisemitism and the politics of representation in visual media.
Register
Free Entrance.
The event is organized by Paideia-The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, Paideia folkhögskola and the Jewish Community in Stockholm.
Picture: Part of  Vuelo de brujas (1798) by Francisco de Goya