After months of preparation, the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit will open next week at Kansas City’s Union Station.  An Opening Festival, takes place from 5:30 to 9:30 on Wednesday, Feb. 7. The exhibit itself opens to the general public on Thursday, Feb. 8, continuing through May 13.

This is the only time the scrolls will be exhibited in the Midwest. The next stop is San Diego. From there, Union Station officials believe the scrolls will return to Israel and stay there. As of Monday this week, more than 26,000 tickets had been pre-sold.

Union Station has been preparing for the exhibit since Jan. 7. Once the scrolls themselves arrive, a team of three Israel Antiquities Authority officials – Pnina Shor, head of the artifacts treatment and conservation department; Lena Libman, chief conservator of the scrolls; and Hava Katz, chief curator of national treasures – will finalize the setup of the exhibit.

Eighty-five visitors will be able to enter the 10,000-square-foot exhibit every 15 minutes.

Segebrecht said security would be tight; guards will inspect all bags, visitors will be asked to check their coats, free of charge, and no cameras will be allowed inside.

Katz of the IAA would not describe other aspects of security, except to say that “we do our best to avoid any problem.”

ZW