Harry Houdini. Source: Wiki Commons

On Halloween, 84 years after Harry Houdini vanished forever (er, died), the famed Jewish magician will return to the stage, this time in an exhibit at the Jewish Museum in New York. “Houdini: Art and Magic” opens on October 29 and will feature a life-size projection of the great magician performing his water torture act, plus period photographs, archival films, broadsides, posters and magic paraphernalia.

Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest in 1874. A few years later, he immigrated to Wisconsin with his family, including his father, a rabbi. As JTA reported, Houdini once wrote to a friend, “I never was ashamed to acknowledge that I was a Jew, and never will be.” And as the exhibition’s curator, Brooke Kamin Rapaport, explained in the exhibition text, Houdini’s escapes “had particular resonance for those who sought liberation from political, ethnic, or religious persecution.”

The exhibit will also feature works influenced by the magician (handcuffs, straitjacket, shackles) as well as a panel discussion, “Conjuring Houdini in the Popular Imagination.” Dorothy Dietrich, a magician and co-director of the Harry Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pa., will speak on the panel and serve as the medium during an October 31 séance held at the Scranton museum. Though the event is open to the public (for a price), the website warns “No kooks please, this is a serious séance test and séance tribute.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The magic doesn’t end there. According to JTA, shortly after Halloween the “Broken Wand Ceremony” will take place at the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, where Houdini is interred in a bronze casket. A Rabbi will be present at the graveside ceremony and the crowd of magicians who gather will say the kaddish to honor Houdini.

Looking for something a little lighter for your Halloween? Skip it and trick-or-treat instead. Houdini liked tricks, too.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount