My late, great, and brilliant Professor (and colleague) Anson Rainey use to tell his students, “let me enrich you with some new uncertainties!”
The synagogue during excavation. The “stone box” is in the center of the Image. Click on Image to Enlarge and/or Download.
Since many readers of this blog have visited Magdala, located along the northern part of the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, I thought I would share a link to a recent article by Dr. David Gurevich who has revisited some of the interpretations of the Synagogue at Magdala—especially those presented by the volunteer guides at the site. “Magdala’s Stone of Contention.”
Reconstruction of the Synagogue with the entrance on the west side.
For example, Gurevich notes that the entrance of the synagogue on the west side is a complete reconstruction! He believes that it was on the south side.
Much of the article is taken up with a variety of interpretations of the now-famous “Magdala Stone.”
The “Stone” with the Menorah. Click on Image to Enlarge and/or Download.
Is it a table for the Torah Scroll? An Incense Altar? A representation of the Second Temple? A Prayer Table? Gurevich’s article discusses all of these possibilities.
“Magdala’ Stone of Contention” by Dr. David Gurevich is scholarly, but non–technical. IMHO —a worthwhile 10 to 12 minute read.
For 16 photos of the Synagogue Click Here. For previous blog posts on Magdala see Synagogue, the Stone, and The Chapel.
HolyLandPhotos' Blog 
Thanks for sharing this. One note about Dr. Gurevich’s article: the issue of the location of the entrance on the south side is the result of studies conducted by myself and Marcela Zapata-Meza (who is cited in the article), recently presented at the 2017 ASOR meeting in Boston. In fact, the citation of Dr. Zapata-Meza is taken directly from the abstract of that paper. More on this will be made available in an upcoming publication.
All the best,
Dr. Jordan Ryan
Thank you for this very important additional information! Please keep us posted.