Reader Checked|AK|Revised Reader Checked - AK - 29/01/2012
This paper reviews how the Dead Sea Scrolls and the use of textual information that became known as part of the Dead Sea Scrolls (including the Geniza from Solomon Schechter’s time) became an intimate part of the educational system and theological background of Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, and even Reconstructionist Judaism. Using examples from the Reform and Conservative Humashim (primarily, G. Plaut and Etz Hayyim) and the journals of the Reform and Conservative movements, as well as communiqués from the rabbis, Teshuvot, and liturgy, this paper will explore how the discoveries at Qumran (which, among other things, brought about major changes in the theories regarding the Essenes) and the translations of the Dead Sea Scroll texts came to be a part of these modern Jewish religious movements. Examples will show how the discoveries affected views on Jewish history, theology, and ethics in the movements’ stances.