Accusations of the use of this curse by religious
Jews against Jewish figures who have committed major transgressions has been made often over the past 50 years and quoted mostly in
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,
Haredi Jews in
Jerusalem were accused by the media of having recited the curse against the linguist
Eliezer Ben Yehuda. However, there is no proof of the curse being performed before 1948. 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 were reports that the curse had been recited against him. On 26 February 2012, Tamar Yonah of
Arutz Sheva interviewed
Yosef Dayan, who, with rabbinical guidance, was involved in the Pulsa DiNura of
Yitzhak Rabin and
Ariel Sharon.
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 2 October 1995: This was preceded by a similar ceremony in
Safed. Rabin was assassinated within the month by an Israeli ultranationalist named
Yigal Amir. In July 2005, the Israeli media, without citing sources, reported that opponents of the
Israeli disengagement from Gaza recited the Pulsa deNura 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 was in a coma, fighting for his life, until his death on 11 January 2014. However, most analysts link this to his age (77) and obesity. On 7 November 2006, the
Edah HaChareidis said it was considering placing the curse on the organizers of the
pride parade scheduled to march in Jerusalem on 10 November 2006.
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 the Haredi religious umbrella organization's weekly magazine, added that the rabbis were also considering placing the curse "against the policemen who beat Haredi Jews". On 1 June 2021,
The Times of Israel reported that a member of the Health Ministry panel that had been advising on
COVID-19 vaccinations received death threats including the Pulsa DiNura during the process of approval for the inoculation of children. On 10 June 2021,
Naftali Bennett, leader of the
Yamina party and prime minister designate in the incoming national unity government, reportedly received a letter stating that the Pulsa DiNura had been invoked against him in 2013. The letter was unsigned but reportedly referenced ultra-Orthodox rabbis. On 12 August 2022, Ukrainian Jewish
oligarch Hennadiy Korban said he has performed the Pulsa Denura "death curse" against Russian President
Vladimir Putin. ==See also==