Dybbuk box

The Dybbuk Box (or Dibbuk Box) is the commonly used name of a wine cabinet which is supposedly haunted by a Dybbuk; a Jewish spirit. The box achieved recognition after it was auctioned on eBay with an accompanying horror story.

Legend and history

The legend of the box originated in a story written as an ebay auction listing by Kevin Mannis. The origin of the box dates back to November 10, 1938, the date when a holocaust survivor and several other women living in the Lodz ghetto of pre World War II Poland were supposed to have conducted a seance during which the women attempted to trap an evil spirit they had helped to manifest from the "other" side^[1] Having survived the holocost of World War II, the original creator of the Dibbuk Box was supposed to have emigrated, with the box, to the United States where she died in 2001. Mannis, a writer and small business owner, purportedly bought the Dibbuk Box at an estate sale/auction of the woman's estate that year.^[2] The survivor's granddaughter told the buyer that the box had been kept in her grandmother's sewing room and was never opened as a dybbuk - an evil spirit from Jewish folklore - lived inside. The furniture restorer offered to give the box back to the granddaughter, who became hysterical and refused to take it.^[2]

On opening the box the buyer found that it contained two 1920s pennies, a lock of blonde hair bound with hemp cord, a lock of brown hair bound with hemp cord, a small statue engraved with the Hebrew word Shalom, a small wine goblet, two dried rose buds, and a single candle holder with 4 octopus shaped legs.^[2]

Numerous owners of the box have reported that strange phenomenon accompany it. Iosif Neitzke, the last person to auction the box on eBay, claimed that the box caused lights to burn out in his house and his hair to fall out.^[2] The furniture restorer claimed that the box was responsible for a series of horrific nightmares shared with other people while they were in possession of the box. His mother is supposed to have suffered a stroke on the same day he gave her the box as a birthday present - October 31. Every owner of the box has reported that a smell of cat urine, and Jasmine flowers^[3] and nightmares involving an old hag accompany the box.^[2]

The box now belongs to Jason Haxton, a museum curator from Missouri who has also written a book, "The Dibbuk Box" which is to be released in late 2011.

The Dibbuk Box is also the subject of a major motion picture currently scheduled for release by Lionsgate Pictures/Ghost House Films on January 6, 2012. The film is being produced by Hollywood icon Sam Raimi. The current title of the movie is The Possession, and stars Kyra Sedgewick and Jeffery Dean Morgan.

Design

The cabinet has the Shema carved into the side of it.^[2] It's dimensions are 12.5". x 7.5" x 16.25"^[2]

In popular culture

• The box has inspired numerous shows including The Thirteenth Box cave tour, led by Jez Starr in Cheddar Gorge^[1] where audience members claimed to have taken a picture of the Dybbuk.^[4][5]
• The box is also the subject of a 2011 Sam Raimi film by Ghost House Pictures, entitled The Possession.^[6][7] The script will be written by Stephen Susco and will be based on the LA Times article by Leslie Gornstein, which told the story of the Dybbuk box after the first eBay auction.^[6]
• The box's story has also been featured on Mysterious universe podcast.^[8][9]
• Dybbuk is the name of a character in P/B/ Kerr's series Children of the Lamp.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mystery of possessed box at caves". Cheddar Valley Gazette. June 10, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Max Gross (February 13, 2004). "A Box Full of Bad Luck: Haunted Wine Cabinet Goes to Highest Bidder". The Forward. 
3. ^ Leslie Gornstein (July 25, 2004). "A jinx in a box?; Maybe mischievous spirits do haunt this Jewish scroll cabinet, or maybe it's just another Web-spawned legend run wild.". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/669324261.html?dids=669324261:669324261&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jul+25%2C+2004&author=Leslie+Gornstein&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=A+jinx+in+a+box%3F%3B+Maybe+mischievous+spirits+do+haunt+this+Jewish+scroll+cabinet%2C+or+maybe+it%27s+just+another+Web-spawned+legend+run+wild.&pqatl=google. Retrieved October 31, 2010. 
4. ^ "Demon 'haunts show audience member'". Bridgwater Times. October 21, 2010. 
5. ^ "Magician's shock after demon 'haunts carer' following show". Cheddar Valley Gazette. October 21, 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b} CATHY DUNKLEY and NICOLE LaPORTE (October 26, 2004). "Horror unit will unlock new 'Box'". Daily Variety. 
7. ^ Nicole LaPorte (October 30, 2006). "Brand New World for Scribes". Variety. 
8. ^ "Episode 209 Mysterious Universe"". http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2009/10/episode-209-mysterious-universe/. 
9. ^ "Episode 524 Mysterious Universe"". http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2011/07/episode-524-mysterious-universe/. 

External links

• Mirror of eBay Dybbuk Box page^{[dead link]}

• Dybbuk Box website