What is this Mysterious Object Found at Jerusalem Gravesite?

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
An ancient rolling pin?
An unusable bowling pin?
An impractical paperweight?
Six months ago, a 19-pound object was brought to the attention of the Israeli Antiquities Authorities after it was found at a burial site in Jerusalem.
So this week, the Authorities put out one heck of audience engagement project.
Fearing it might be an explosive, they brought in a bomb squad. After the object survived a controlled blast, they posted a picture of it their Facebook page, hoping the answer would come from there.
Sure enough, it did. Mere hours after posting the picture, and dozens of funny and ridiculous suggestions later (a Tito Puente percussion instrument is the best one), they were contacted by Micah Barak from Italy, who had the answer they were looking for.
The strange looking object is in fact an “Isis Beamer” or as others call it, a harmonizer. A kind of new-agey bringer of positive vibes, if you will.
Barak told the Daily Dot he remembered seeing one before, and googled the object’s attributes until he found it on this German website.
The Antiquities Authority was elated, and posted a thank you on Facebook, inviting Barak to come by whenever he was back in Israel.
So, the mystery of the object has been solved. But one mystery still remain: who put it there to begin with?
“We hope that those responsible for hiding the object in the cemetery will contact us, tell us why it was buried in the ancient structure and to whom amongst the dead and buried they wanted to give positive energy.” the Antiquities Authority wrote on their Facebook page.
We hope they update us once they find it!
[H/T Daily Dot]
Why I became the Forward’s editor-in-chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
— Alyssa Katz, editor-in-chief
