In a ceremony reminiscent of European ghetto life, the Belser Rebbe drove a dybbuk (evil spirit) out of the body of a young woman here today.
The woman, mother of four children and a recent immigrant from Turkey, came to the Rebbe after consulting with a Turkish rabbi in Israel and Israeli physicians. The doctors found that she was suffering from “nervous disturbances.”
The Belser Rebbe commanded the dybbuk to leave. He employed a Yiddish formula. However, the rites were translated into Turkish since it was assumed that a dybbuk in a Turkish woman would not understand Yiddish commands.
The Belser Rebbe began the ceremony by asking the woman whether she accepted the laws of the Torah. Weakly she replied that she did. After a number of other questions, the Rebbe commanded the dybbuk to depart. The woman immediately began to tremble, according to witnesses. Her husband, who was present at the ceremony, said that he heard the dybbuk leave.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
