Interdisciplinary Studies at Ramaz, Part 2: The Dead Sea Scrolls

For the past three years, Ramaz Upper School has been running grade-wide interdisciplinary programs. These series embody the Ramaz mission in that they demonstrate both the integration of Judaic and General studies and a commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual rigor, scholarship, and a lifelong love of learning. Each program caters specifically to the curricular and developmental needs of a particular grade.

Our second interdisciplinary program of the year, for the ninth grade, will be held a week from today, on Wednesday, January 4. The day will revolve around the Dead Sea Scrolls and their historical and religious significance. The program will be conducted in conjunction with their World Jewish History class in which they will have just completed units on Second Temple Judaism, the origins of Christianity, and the Roman Empire — all themes relevant to the Scrolls.

The morning will begin with a lecture by the preeminent scholar on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Prof. Lawrence Schiffman (formerly of NYU and currently the Vice Provost of Yeshiva University), on a number of topics including who wrote the Scrolls, how they got to the caves in Qumran, and why they are so important.

Following the lecture, the entire grade will travel to the new exhibit at Discovery Times Square on the Dead Sea Scrolls. There, we will be met by four scholars from Yeshiva University, including Professors Ari Mermelstein, Jill Katz, Joe Angel, and Ari Lamm, who all specialize in Second Temple Judaism and the Dead Sea Scrolls. They will give us a guided tour of the exhibit and explain what we will be seeing. It promises to be an enriching and exciting day!

This year’s first interdisciplinary program, U.S. Law and Halacha (for grade 11), took place on Wednesday, December 14.