Jewish Charity - Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum

On July 27, 2009, the Canadian Friends of the Israel Museum (CFIM) celebrated the opening of the exhibition, "Dead Sea Scrolls: Words that Changed the World" at Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The Scrolls are on loan to the ROM by the Israel Antiquities Authority. Nearly 300 guests exhibited their support and appreciation to the ROM for rising to the challenges faced by attempts to disrupt the exhibition.

ROM Director, William Thorsell, welcomed CFIM Annual Partners at a Cocktail Reception prior to the event. Thorsell emphasized that this was not a travelling exhibition. It was curated and assembled exclusively for the ROM by Dr. Risa Levitt Kohn, former Torontonian and director of the Jewish Studies Program at San Diego State University, together with Dan Rahimi, ROM Director of Gallery Development.

"The fragments of the Scrolls on display are among the most ancient texts of the Hebrew bible and have had huge repercussions on western culture," Kohn explained during the briefing.

Three artifacts on loan to the exhibition from the Israel Museum, Jerusalem include an inkwell, thought to have been used to write the Scrolls and two large inscribed chunks of Jerusalem limestone from the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

The first, bears the message in Hebrew, "to the place of trumpeting," suggesting where a Temple priest would have stood to blow a trumpet announcing the beginning and ending of the Sabbath. The second, in Greek, contains part of a warning, that non-Jews who venture into the Temple's precincts can be put to death by order of the high priest.

"The only eight complete Dead Sea Scrolls ever discovered are housed in the landmark Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum," remarked CFIM National Co-Chair, Wendy Eisen. "We are delighted to connect that legacy to the ROM for a display of Scrolls from Israel."

Proceeds from this event support Free Admission to the Israel Museum for Israeli children of all ethnic origins. So many of these Arab, Jewish and Christian children are from large or disadvantaged families and would otherwise not have the opportunity to study their cultural heritage and enjoy educational programs and art-oriented activities in a world-class institution.