[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 109 (Tuesday, August 9, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 9, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                 THE UNVEILING OF THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 9, 1994

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to commemorate 
the unveiling of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was on June 30, 1994, at the 
Vatican that the Scrolls of the Dead Sea were placed on display. The 
emotions were very high on this memorable occasion, which represented a 
historic victory for all mankind. The exhibit opened amidst a newly 
established diplomatic relationship between the Vatican and Israel. It 
is the first time that an official exhibition from Israel has been 
shown at the Vatican.
  If it had not been for sincere and dedicated organizers who dared to 
glimpse beyond the past history of their Jewish-Catholic relations, 
then this event would have not been possible. One of those dreamers who 
helped this vision come to fruition was Mark E. Talisman, a former 
resident of Cleveland. As president of the Project Judaica Foundation 
of Washington, this unique individual had a significant role in working 
toward the establishment of improved Jewish-Catholic relations. Mr. 
Talisman was responsible, along with Antiquities Authority, the Vatican 
Library and countless others, for bringing the Dead Sea Scrolls to the 
Vatican.
  Mr. Speaker, the memorable unveiling of the Dead Sea Scrolls will be 
forever etched into the pages of history. I offer my personal 
congratulations to those who helped to create an exhibition that each 
of us can treasure. I want to share with my colleagues and the Nation 
an article written by Mr. Talisman which recently appeared in the 
Cleveland Jewish News recounting the events of this historical 
undertaking.

 An Historic New Era in Jewish/Catholic Relations Begins with Ancient 
                               Fragments

                           (Mark E. Talisman)

       The Vatican.--On June 30, some 500 people representing the 
     Vatican's religious and political hierarchy, high-level 
     representatives of the Israeli government and a large 
     delegation from the Rome and U.S. Jewish communities, 
     witnessed the unveiling of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This marked 
     the first time the scrolls have been exhibited in Europe, and 
     the first time that an official Israeli exhibition has been 
     shown at the Vatican.
       The exhibit opened just two weeks after Israel and the 
     Vatican formalized full diplomatic relations and ushered in a 
     new era of relations between the Jewish state and the Holy 
     See.
       Included in the exhibit are fragments of a dozen 2,000-
     year-old manuscripts discovered at Qumran on the Dead Sea in 
     the late 1940s and early 1950s. Written on leather in Hebrew, 
     Greek and Aramaic, the scrolls are the earliest known 
     biblical manuscripts. They include portions of all the Five 
     Books of Moses as well as writings by the Essencs sect.
       Nearly 100 archaeological artifacts associated with the 
     scrolls, including cups, pitchers, sandals, combs and lamps, 
     are also displayed in the exhibit, along with photographs of 
     the excavation sites and interactive video presentations on 
     the history of the scrolls.
       In addition, the Vatican is displaying several pieces from 
     its own priceless collection of more than 300 Hebrew 
     manuscripts dating from the ninth to the 17th centuries.
       The exhibition was a joint project of the Israel 
     Antiquities Authority, the Vatican Library, and Project 
     Judaica of Washington, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Osher of San 
     Francisco, who wore the chief sponsors of the U.S. exhibition 
     of the Dead Sea Scrolls through the Project Judaica 
     Foundation of Washington, also sponsored the Vatican exhibit, 
     which will remain on display until Oct. 2.
       At the late afternoon ceremony, Israel's minister of 
     education, Amnon Rubenstein, read in both English and Hebrew 
     from one of the largest fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 
     citing the timelessness of the words.
       Another speaker was Gen. Amir Drori, director of the Israel 
     Antiquities Authority, who spearheaded negotiations with the 
     Vatican to allow the exhibition. Drori's deputy, Jacob Fisch, 
     also worked with Drori and me on the project.
       The hard work which led to the breakthrough in relations 
     between Israel and the Holy See was forged by Avi Pazner.
       Pazner, the longtime Israel Embassy spokesman in 
     Washington, spent nearly three years carefully searching for 
     every opportunity to pry open the great doors to the Vatican. 
     And a week ago, they were literally flung open, receiving 
     Pazner's colleague, Shmuel Hadas, as the Israeli ambassador-
     designate.
       The opening of the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition became 
     Hadas's first official function, but without the presence of 
     the pope, who fell several weeks ago, requiring surgery and a 
     hospital convalescence. Representing the Vatican, however, 
     were the top eight cardinals and 28 archbishops. Also present 
     was the chief rabbi of Italy, Eliahu Toaff, who has led this 
     community through very difficult political times over the 
     past 50 years, including the present with political victories 
     by so-called post-fascist parties.
       The historic moment we were marking brought together in one 
     room the fragments of highly relevant religious writings 
     which predate the very church hosting their presence. The new 
     order, which continues to unfold dramatically from East to 
     West, now can provide a means for the Catholic Church and 
     the Jewish people to begin to understand and abide each 
     other. This first attempt in nearly 2,000 years dawns with 
     the opening of an exhibit of religious scrolls more than 
     2,000 years old.
       Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano, resplendent in 
     his cardinal's robes of crimson, called for ``expanded 
     relations with the state of Israel which will surely lead to 
     the eradication of the intolerance and ignorance which long 
     blocked true understanding of our peoples.''
       Following the reception, the American delegation, including 
     Dr. Harry and Caren Lever of Cleveland, and representatives 
     of the Vatican hierarchy joined in a festive dinner to 
     celebrate the events of this incredible day.
       The next day, we discussed with Monsignor Tommaso Caputo 
     the need to allow greater access to the vast holdings of the 
     Vatican Library and Museum of Judaica and Hebraica. A similar 
     discussion was begun with Monsignor Guiseppe Poggi, who heads 
     the entire Vatican and Catholic library system. This system 
     includes Judaic holdings which are believed to be among the 
     largest and most complete in the entire world.
       With JTA reports. Former Clevelander Mark Talisman is 
     president of Project Judaica, sponsor of the Dead Sea Scrolls 
     exhibit.


                              the setting

       Museum designers from the Israel Antiquities Authority 
     faced the daunting challenge of placing the fragile Dead Sea 
     Scrolls fragments, among with Israeli artifacts and 
     remarkable hand-printed and very early texts from the Vatican 
     library, in the ornate setting of the Salone Sistina of the 
     Vatican Apostolic Library, which was filled to overflowing 
     with rare Renaissance paintings.
       Remarkably, Israeli designers succeeded in allowing these 
     two vastly different artistic and historical presentations to 
     coexist happily. As one visitor remarked at the opening, it 
     ``was a miracle in curatorial achievement.''
       Before the Dead Sea Scrolls could be transported to Rome, 
     or anywhere else for that matter, the Israeli team had to 
     develop a self-contained air-conditioning system for the 
     display cases in the fragile documents were housed. The value 
     of this was obvious in the Vatican, where temperatures inside 
     the gallery during the opening hit over 100 degrees 
     Fahrenheit!
       The exhibitions of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the U.S. broke 
     all attendance records at each site. The prospects are the 
     same at the Vatican, where the average daily visitor traffic 
     in the area of the exhibition near the Sistine chapel is 
     already 25,000 per day.

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