This month’s Oculus feature was inspired by Rabbi Gadi’s tour of the Magdala archaeological site in Israel, arranged by the rabbi as part of a Kristallnacht remembrance program and offered live on Zoom from the site. The photo and history were submitted to The Shofar by Saul Rosenstreich and Judith K. Weiner, members of the shul’s Judaism and Art group.

The Magdala Stone is a carved block unearthed by archaeologists from a synagogue in northern Israel on the Sea of Galilee, remarkably preserved from the year 70. The carvings show a seven-branched menorah, perhaps the oldest representation of a menorah in a synagogue. Based on its size and placement within the synagogue, it may have been used as a reading desk or a podium. The stone responds to important questions about synagogue observance during this period of Jewish history