MORE ON THE ROM DEAD SEA SCROLLS EXHIBITION:

First, a related exhibit of specially commissioned art inspired by the Scrolls:

The Power of Words (Then and Now) at the ROM

(Naomi Carniol, Torontoist)

In the basement of the Royal Ontario Museum, the crowds marvel at the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls. They peer at the tiny Hebrew words, which form excerpts from the Bible and the Psalms. Upstairs on the museum’s third floor, an art installation explores the power of the word in a modern context.

The Koffler Gallery and the Institute for Contemporary Culture commissioned New York–based artist Joshua Neustein to create work inspired by the Dead Sea Scrolls. In response, Neustein unveiled Margins, an installation that meditates on the importance of the written word and the yet-to-be-written word.

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Second, more on the Canadian Jewish response to the Palestinian protests and boycott of the DSS exhibition

Jews match boycotts with emails and spending

Sales of kosher wine and Dead Sea Scrolls tickets soar after blasting message to community
Jul 20, 2009 04:30 AM

Stuart Laidlaw
FAITH AND ETHICS REPORTER (Toronto Star)

A liquor store sells out of Israeli kosher wine. The Royal Ontario Museum sees a sudden surge in online ticket sales to its Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.

Not the outcome one would expect from two recent boycotts meant to protest Israel's handling of the Palestine situation, but that's what happened – thanks to the power of the Internet and a change in course by the Jewish community.

Rather than react to the boycotts with counter-arguments and more rhetoric, the United Jewish Appeal and other groups such as the Jewish Defense League have begun responding to boycotts by urging supporters to buy more of whatever is being boycotted.

"The community feels really empowered by it," says Sally Szuster, a spokeswoman for the UJA Federation of Toronto.

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Background here. Background on the exhibition here.