See Also: organized crime(encyclopedia)
organized crime(dictionary)
organized(dictionary)
organized(dictionary)
Organized exchange(finance)
Organized exchange(money)
Organized Labor(money)
Organized labor(finance)
crime(dictionary)
Crime(law)

Dead Sea Scrolls (sh) and organized crime (sh)


Dead Sea Scrolls (sh)




Caches of ancient, mostly Hebrew, manuscripts found at several sites on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea (1947-56).

The writings date from between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD and total 800-900 manuscripts in 15,000 fragments. Many scholars believe that those deposited in 11 caves near the ruins of Qumran belonged to a sectarian community whom most scholars believe were Essenes, though Other scholars suggest Sadducees or Zealots. The community rejected the rest of the Jewish people and saw the world as sharply divided between good and evil. They cultivated a communal life of ritual purity, called the "Union," led by a messianic "Teacher of Righteousness." The Dead Sea Scrolls as a whole represent a wider spectrum of Jewish belief and may have been the contents of libraries from Jerusalem hidden during the war of AD 66-73. They also cast new light on the emergence of Christianity and the relationship of early Christian and Jewish religious traditions. See also Damascus Document.


organized crime (sh)




Crime committed on a national or international scale by a criminal association; also, the associations themselves.

Such associations engage in offenses such as cargo theft, fraud, robbery, kidnapping for ransom, and the demanding of "protection" payments. Their principal source of income derives from the supply of illegal goods and Services for which there is continuous public demand, such as drugs, prostitution, "loan-sharking" (i.e., the lending of money at extremely high interest rates), and gambling. They are characterized by a hierarchy of ranks with assigned responsibilities; the coordination of activities among subgroups; the division of geographic territory among different associations; a commitment to total secrecy; efforts to corrupt law-enforcement authorities; and the use of extreme violence, including murder, against rival associations, informers, and Other enemies. International rings of smugglers, jewel thieves, and drug traffickers have existed throughout Europe and Asia, and Sicily and Japan have centuries-old criminal organizations. In the U.S., organized crime flourished in the 20th century, especially during the Prohibition era. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, it became immensely powerful in Russia, taking advantage of a weak and impoverished government and widespread official corruption. See also Mafia; yakuza.