The Dead Sea Scrolls Come Alive at NSHA

On Friday, May 12th our 6th grade students had the unique opportunity to learn from a world renowned expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls when Dr. Lawrence Schiffman visited our school.  Upon learning that Dr. Schiffman was a member of the Great Neck community, Ms. Danielle Orville, NSHA Middle School Social Studies Teacher and Computer Science Instructor, coordinated a morning of historical study that integrated our students’ knowledge of Jewish History, Limudei Kodesh and Social Studies.  Dr. Schiffman started the conversation by distributing a text written in an ancient language and alphabet – Asheri.  Using an alphabet key, the students had to decipher the text and they immediately recognized it.  Over the course of the next hour the students learned about the history of the Dead Sea Scrolls using images of them and the locations where they were found.

Ms. Orville was excited about this learning opportunity which applied student knowledge of Jewish history, Social Studies and Limudei Kodesh in this fascinating seminar but most importantly, she was proud of the feedback she received from Dr. Schiffman following the seminar who said, “The school should be proud of the knowledge, interest and behavior of the students.”

Thank you to Ms. Orville for coordinating this seminar as well as to NSHA 6th grade student Galit Silverman who, together with her parents Ron and Cheryl Silverman, made the connection between Ms. made the connection between Ms. Orville and Dr. Schiffman.