The Message of the Scrolls

Yigael (Sukenik) Yadin was an Israeli archaeologist and a member of the Knesset from 1977 to 1981. He served as deputy prime minister in the government of Menachem Begin. Born in Jerusalem, Yadin attended the Hebrew University. In 1936, however, he turned to a military career. In 1949, Yadin became Israel’s second chief of staff, but he resumed his studies in archaeology in 1953, writing his dissertation on the Dead Sea Scrolls. He conducted excavations of the Qumran caves (1960–1961), Masada (1963–1965), and Megiddo (1966–1967). Yadin received the Israel Prize for Jewish Studies in 1956.