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Contact: Laura Mandel, Managing Director
The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture
laura@vilnashul.org 617.851.5167
Torah in the Tarot
Book and Exhibit Launch at The Vilna Shul Explores Lost Jewish History Hidden in a 17th-Century Tarot Deck
Opening October 16, 2025 | Boston, MA
BOSTON – This fall, The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture, will unveil The Torah in the Tarot, a groundbreaking new book and exhibition by Torah scholar and cultural detective Stav Appel. The project reimagines one of history’s most iconic tarot decks—the 17th-century Jean Noblet Tarot —as a hidden record of Jewish resilience, identity, and survival.
The exhibition and book together present a provocative theory: that the Noblet Tarot, created circa 1650 Paris, may have been used by crypto-Jews—Jews forced to hide their identity under threat of persecution—as a tool to to preserve their traditions in a way to avoid detection by the Roman Catholic Church’s Holy Office of the Inquisition.
From a Shabbat Pastime to a Scholarly Quest
The story began in 2018, when Appel’s wife brought home a deck of tarot cards as a playful Shabbat activity for their children. As Appel looked closer at the cards, he saw something others had overlooked: embedded narratives and symbols that echoed Jewish stories, rituals, and scripture. This discovery launched a years-long scholarly journey to decode the imagery and perhaps uncover the origins of its Judaic content.
“I was captured by a suspicion that the Moon card— an image that depicts a scene eerily reminiscent of the Exodus story—was the product of more than just a strange coincidence,” says Appel. “It felt like a Da Vinci Code of Judaism; sitting in plain sight but yet entirely unrecognized.”
Reimagining the 22 Major Arcana
The Torah in the Tarot explores Appel’s analysis of the 22 Major Arcana cards, each paired with a chapter decoding its visual language and uncovering its potential connections to Jewish texts, holidays, and values. The number is no accident—Appel shows a connection to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which he argues are embedded in the deck’s structure and visual design.
For the exhibition, each card has been fully restored by the contemporary French artist Florent Giraud, revitalizing the historic imagery while preserving its 17th-century aesthetic. Oversized prints will line The Vilna’s historic walls, inviting visitors to step inside each card’s world.
An Exhibit That Comes to Life
The experience doesn’t stop at the gallery walls. Visitors will be able to use a specially designed augmented reality app to see the Moon card animate before their eyes—viscerally bringing the Passover story to life in a blend of art, history, and technology.
“These cards are a beautiful testament to Jewish ingenuity and an active reminder of the ways antisemitism has shaped—and sometimes hidden—Jewish culture,” says Laura Mandel, Managing Director of The Vilna Shul. “Bringing this work to Boston feels like uncovering a lost chapter of our story.”
Opening Night Conversation – October 16, 2025
On opening night, Appel will be joined in conversation by Instagram storyteller and cultural commentator Miriam Anzovin. Together, they will explore the layers of mystery, resilience, and spiritual meaning Appel sees in the cards—and what they reveal about Jewish history and identity.
Tarot card readings by Yaeko Miranda Elmaleh included.
About Stav Appel
Stav Appel is a data scientist, Torah scholar, and writer whose work bridges Jewish history, textual analysis, and visual culture. His research on the Jean Noblet de Tarot reflects years of interdisciplinary study, blending art history, religious scholarship, and cultural anthropology to uncover hidden narratives in historic imagery.
About Ayin Press
Ayin Press is an artist-run publishing platform and cultural organization dedicated to radical Jewish art and thought. Ayin publishes books, produces exhibitions, and supports projects that expand and challenge contemporary Jewish culture.
About The Vilna Shul
Located on Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, The Vilna Shul is the city’s last remaining immigrant-era synagogue building. Today, it is a vibrant center for Jewish arts, culture, and history, offering exhibitions, performances, lectures, and community events that celebrate and explore Jewish life in Boston and beyond.
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