In July 2020, Magen Broshi, a leading Israeli archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls expert, died in Jerusalem at the age of 91.
Magen’s father, Azriel Broshi (formerly Brestovitzky), arrived in Palestine from Poland in 1920, at the time of the Third Aliya movement, and was instrumental in opening up the study of the land’s geographical history and organizing study tours for groups throughout the country. Broshi’s mother, Esther, an educator from Poland, was the daughter of the writer Moshe Yitzchak Wollach.
Broshi studied at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the University of Chicago. Throughout his career, his specialties included the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran’s archaeology, the Second Temple period, ancient demography, ancient agriculture and viticulture, and Jerusalem’s history and archaeology. He published extensively, including the popular book Bread, Wine, Walls and Scrolls (Sheffield Academic Press, 2001).
Broshi obtained his earliest archaeological experiences with Pierre Pinchas Delougaz in the 1960s and with Benjamin Mazar at the Beth Shearim cemetery in Israel, now the Beit She‘arim National Park, about 12 miles east of Haifa. Broshi also took part in the first expedition to Masada headed by Yigael Yadin. He went on to direct numerous excavations, notably at Tel Megadim on the coast, Mount Zion in Jerusalem (including the sites of Christ Church, the Western Old City Wall, Armenian Garden, Zion Gate, St. Saviours, and the Nea Gate), the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Qumran caves (with the late Professor Hanan Eshel).
In 1964, Broshi was appointed as the first Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls and helped supervise the planning of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum. He served as curator until 1994 and was particularly concerned with ensuring the preservation, conservation, and safe exhibition of the scrolls. He instigated the first scientific analysis of scrolls (the study of inks, radiocarbon dating, etc.), and he eventually published a book on the scrolls and their archaeology: The Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, and the Essenes (Yad Ben Zvi Press, 2012). He saw himself as upholding the “conservative” approach to Qumran studies (i.e., Qumran served as the seat of the Jewish sect of the Essenes, and the scrolls in the caves represent their library). Broshi was also a member of a committee that supervised and hastened the publication team’s work on the scrolls, a result of international pressure for the scrolls’ full and immediate publication.
Among Broshi’s academic activities was a stint as a guest lecturer at Bar-Ilan University and Chairman of the Museum Association of Israel.
My personal connection with Broshi began in 1975 when Professor Ruth Amiran of the Israel Museum wrote him a note saying that she knew this boy—I was a teenager at the time—who would like to dig with him in Jerusalem. Would that be okay? He answered in the affirmative, and I went along to work as a volunteer on his excavations along the western Old City wall, just south of the Citadel. Broshi was excavating a stretch of the “First Wall” from the Second Temple period and segments of other ancient fortification walls. It was very exciting. Magen’s son Yoav joined as well, and, while digging, we became the best of friends. I stayed at the dig (until 1978), eventually became a staff member, and am currently preparing the reports on Broshi’s Mount Zion excavations for final publication.
Broshi spoke English and Arabic fluently and easily responded to people from all walks of life within Jerusalem’s unique cultural fabric. In general, Broshi had an affable relationship with many people, including celebrities, intellectuals, and politicians, but he had an introverted side as well. He could be quite critical, and he often was outspoken and insistent on exactitude in archaeological and historical matters. However, Broshi was also wise and generous, ready to offer help and support.
Married to the musician Ofra Broshi, he had three children who became very successful in their own right: Michal Broshi, a curator of interactive exhibitions; Oded Broshi, an inventor and start-up producer; and Dr. Yoav Broshi, a lecturer in clinical psychology.
Magen will be missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.
In July 2020, Magen Broshi, a leading Israeli archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls expert, died in Jerusalem at the age of 91.
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