I grew up knowing that there was a Jewish Hamsa and the hand of Fatima, the Arabic Hamsa. My grandmother who lived in North Africa was very adamant not to let the hand of Fatima in our house. The later has 2 thumbs but the Jewish Hamsa has only one thumb. Are there any sources for this? Today all one can find and sees everywhere is the hand with 2 thumbs.

  While there are some traditional Jewish sources mentioning the Hamsa, none make the distinction that you have mentioned. Indeed, there are available ancient Jewish Hamsas which have two symmetrical…

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