Obama in highly symbolic visit to Dead Sea Scrolls

Thursday, March 21, 2013 |  Israel Today Staff  

US President Barack Obama's first stop on his second day in Israel was to the Shrine of the Book to inspect and learn about the Dead Sea Scrolls housed inside.

Obama was met at the facility by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who read several passages from the scroll of Isaiah to the American leader.

As Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren explained last week, Obama's visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls sent a clear message of American support for the Jews' ancient ties to this land.

"The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls were written more than 2,000 years ago by Jews in Hebrew in their homeland, the land of Israel," Oren said on Israel's Channel 2 News. Obama's visiting this attraction "sends a message to the world about the Jewish state’s deep roots in this region."

After reaffirming American recognition of Israel's past, Obama then stepped over to the adjacent Israel Museum to learn about the Jewish state's future.

At a special exhibit prepared for their visitor, Israeli inventors, artists and researchers presented Obama with cutting-edge technological advancements, including exo-skeletons, robotic waiters, and a "mind control" helmet allowing control of computer systems using nothing but brain waves.

Obama called the Israeli innovations "inspiring."

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23747/Default.aspx?hp=readmore

Why Obama visiting the Dead Sea Scrolls is important

Monday, March 18, 2013 |  Ryan Jones  

Israel Today

US President Barack Obama appears to be warming up to Israel ahead of his visit later this week. And while many of Obama's scheduled stops during his 48-hour visit wouldn't seem to suggest a particularly pro-Israel slant, the opposite is actually true if one only reads between the lines.

Obama's biggest stop outside of meetings with government leaders will be at the Shrine of the Book and the adjacent Israel Museum. Seems like a very tourist-y thing to do, but, as Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren explained, it's actually meant to send a clear message of American support for the Jews' ancient ties to this land.

"The ancient Dead Sea Scrolls [that are housed at the Shrine of the Book were] written more than 2,000 years ago by Jews in Hebrew in their homeland, the land of Israel," Oren said on Israel's Channel 2 News on Saturday. Obama's visiting this attraction "sends a message to the world about the Jewish state’s deep roots in this region."

Oren continued: "This is not a country that fell from the sky after the Holocaust, this is a state that is truly rooted in the region, and is a permanent and legitimate," and Obama's visit is going to emphasize that point.
Keeping with that theme, Obama is scheduled to also visit the national cemetery at Mount Herzl, where he will lay a wreath at the grave of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.

This is a "significant endorsement of the Zionist idea," said Oren.

http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/23738/Default.aspx?ref=newsletter-20130318