Call for papers: The 2011 Aramaic Studies section will have an open
call for papers in any area relating to the various aspects of Aramaic
language, literature, and context. Previous paper topics have included aspects
of the Targumim, Qumran Aramaic, Peshitta, Samaritan papyri, and Elephantine
Aramaic.
Medals
awarded to Mayor Yaish, Prof. Hjelm and Prof. Mor -
September
21st, 2011
The High
Priest Aaron b. Ab-Hisda, 2010 Medal Recipient gave all three medals
to the 2011 Medal recipients so far: Mayor 'Adli Yaish, Prof.
Ingrid Hjelm and Prof. Menachem Mor.
[Above photo:
Nablus Mayor 'Adli Yaish (center) receives Medal from Prof.
Menachem Mor (left) and High Priest Aaron b. Ab-Hisda. Photo by
Aaron Refter,
Haifa. Below photo: Prof. Menachem Mor (left) and
Prof. Ingrid Hjelm receive Medal from High Priest Aaron b.
Ab-Hisda (right). Photo by Ori Orhof .]
The texts in Arabic were read by Yitzhaq Altif, the secretary of
the Mount Gerizim Committee and the other member of the same
committee Asher [Wasef] Cohen.
Prof.
Menachem Mor read the document to Mayor Yaish of Nablus.
Prof. Thomas Thompson read the document to Prof. Ingrid Hjelm
Prof. Ingrid Hjelm read the document to Prof. Menachem Mor.
Medal 1 The Samaritan Medal for
Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements
Is hereby awarded to Professor Menachem Mor, Scholar of Samaritan
Studies, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, The University of
Haifa/Israel
Whereas, Professor Menachem Mor is a leading researcher and
internationally renown in the research of the History of the People of
Israel in the Second Temple Period.
Whereas, Professor Menachem Mor made the most important contribution to
the world‘s research by his books and many articles that shade a new light
about the History of the Samaritans as integral part of the People of
Israel.
Whereas, Professor Menachem Mor has demonstrated in his deep research a
brave attitude that helped the Samaritans in Israel before the Supreme
Court within their struggle to be identified as Israelites who never left
the Land of Israel and always kept the authentic Israelite tradition.
Whereas, Professor Menachem Mor always encouraged his students to the
research of Samaritan Studies as an integral part of the research of the
original sources.
Therefore, The Samaritan Medal and Award Committee are pleased to honor
Professor Menachem Mor as a 2011 recipient of the Samaritan Medal for
Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements.
Medal 2 The
Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements
Is hereby awarded to Associate Professor Ingrid Hjelm, Scholar of
Samaritan Studies, The University of
Copenhagen/Denmark
Whereas, Dr. Ingrid Hjelm is a leading researcher and internationally
renown in the research of the History of the People of Israel in first and
second Temple period.
Whereas, Dr. Ingrid Hjelm made very important contribution to the world‘s
research by her books and many articles that shade a new light about the
History of the Samaritans as integral part of the People of Israel.
Whereas, Dr. Ingrid Hjelm has demonstrated in her important research a
uniqe attitude by going deep in research of all sources in hand to find
the historical truth of the Samaritans and reevaluated their state in the
History of Israel.
Whereas, Dr. Ingrid Hjelm always encouraged her students to the research
of Samaritan Studies as an integral part of the research of the Samaritan
original sources in relation to sources of other entities in
the Holy Land.
Therefore, The Samaritan Medal and Award Committee are pleased to honor
Dr. Ingrid Hjelm as a 2011 recipient of the Samaritan Medal for Peace,
Humanitarian and Academic Achievements.
Medal 3 The
Samaritan Medal for Peace and Humanitarian Achievement
Is hereby awarded to Mr. Adli Yaish The Mayor of
Nablus.
Whereas, Adli Yaish, the Mayor of Nablus has devoted his entire life so
far to the needs of all citizens of Nablus.
Whereas, Adli Yaish is cooperating with Palestinian initiatives to make
peace and one of the best activists to improve the life quality of the
citizens of Nablus, in developing the city and fulfilling blessed
initiatives in regards to educational and social activities in his city.
Whereas, Adli Yaish has made his best efforts to unite in peace different
parts of the citizens of his city.
Whereas, Adli Yaish is recognized as a having been a good friend of the
Samaritan People over many years.
Therefore, The Samaritan Medal Foundation and Award Committee are pleased
to honor Adli Yaish a 2011 recipient of the Samaritan Medal for Peace and
Humanitarian Achievement.
On November
2, 2011 a ceremony of will be held awarding the Samaritan Medal to Prof.
Haseeb Shehadeh, of University of Helsinki
Visiting the Samaritans on
the happy occasion of my award of the 2011 Samaritan Medal
By: Ingrid
Hjelm, The University of Copenhagen
A.B. - The
Samaritan News, Issue no. 1100, 10.10.2011
Sunday
the 18th of September my husband Thomas L. Thompson and I met with
Miriam and Benyamim Tsedaka in their home in Holon. The
occasion for our visit was the Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and
Academic Achievement, which I had been awarded and was to receive on Mt.
Gerizim the following Wednesday. In order to learn more about the
Samaritans and renew our friendship with people, we had met over the
years; we wanted to spend some extra days on the mountain. Our gracious
hosts met all our needs and wishes and, as usual, Benny had arranged some
delightful and interesting meetings. Going through my notes and photos I
recall our meetings with High Priest Aaron b. Ab-Hisda and his wife
and family in their home and in the synagogue. It was delightful to meet
their son ‘Amram and Orna his daughter in law, whose wedding
I had the pleasure to be at in 2004, when SES held its sixth congress in
Haifa under the auspices of Prof. Menachem Mor. Now they have three
beautiful children. (photo by Photo by Ori Orhof) Yair ben High Priest Eleazar, son of the late High Priest
Eleazar ben Tsedaka, was kind to show us the office he had built in
memory of his father with books and pictures from a long life of studies.
Of his many treasures were old Torah books in different sizes and lay out.
Impressive was the complete ornamented Torah in a big format from the 15th
century. It is written on goatskin in a very clear script and with
beautiful ornamentation. The Samaritans possess many such old Torahs and
one can imagine how hard it must have been to preserve and keep them in
time of hardship and persecution. Some are so worn that one hardly dares
to turn the pages. It is therefore a great luck that the Jewish
National Library in Jerusalem has photographed them. In the family’s
possession are also old copies of The Book of Commandments, Mama Mare and
an updated Tulia. Also scholarly works on Samaritan issues fill the
shelves and it made me happy to see a copy of my 2004 book with the
dedication, I had written. Many pictures in the office display the
meetings of High Priest Eliza been Tsedaka with world famous political and
religious dignitaries. Also Mushy ben High Priest Levi b. Abisha
was kind to show us some of his treasures. Among these is a 14th century
bi-lingual Hebrew-Arabic Torah written on skin. In spite of being worn it
is remarkably readable.
However, the Samaritans do not only treasure old manuscripts; new items
are produced for pleasure and for everyday reading. Such new manuscripts
were presented to us by Chefetz Marchiv, who teaches the Samaritan
children in Kiryat Luza the reading of the Samaritan Torah. Since Arabic
is their mother tongue, they have to learn the alphabet, the proper
pronunciation and the ancient Hebrew language. Not an easy task, and I
definitely understand the pride of the young pupils and their parents at
the celebration of “finishing the Torah” [chatimat ha-torah]. Chefetz’
meticulous production of a modern version of an ornamented Torah was not
less impressive than the old one. Neither were his Torah scroll, copies of
Molad Moshe, prayer books and other writings that help facilitate the
education of the Samaritan children.
Well, we did not just sit with our heads in books. Our visit included
three trips to Nablus to see the city’s development into a modern
150,000-citizen city with rich and developed construction works in many
parts. Its many new houses are spread out on the slopes of the surrounding
mountains. From Mount Gerizim our Palestinian taxi-driver, Samir, quickly
moved downwards and eastwards through the city to find Joseph’s tomb and
Jacob’s well in the old city, near the ancient habitation of the
Samaritans, Tell Balata at the foot of mount Gerizim. Not much is left of
the Samaritan neighborhood there. Once a solemn and well-kept place, today
Joseph’s Tomb is marked by the destruction caused by ethnic clashes there
some years ago. The tasty water from Jacob’s well, inside a Russian
orthodox church is believed to have magic power, however, it upset my
stomach, so I never found out. That the place is fertile and rich, we saw
when Samir’s father, Ibrahim, friend and helper of the Samaritans for more
than 40 years, brought clusters of grapes from his garden. They were
nearly as big as the clusters the spies had brought to Moses (Numbers 13).
Also the Samaritan city of Kiryat Luza has grown exceedingly during the
last ten years with many new three and four story houses, so that also all
the Samaritan families from Holon now have houses on the mountain. The
town has its own school from 1st -8th grade attended by neighboring
Palestinian children also, two shops, museum, visitor center, peace
center, library and a synagogue that is no longer large enough for the
Samaritan people when both communities come together at festivals. Across
the synagogue is a bar, where we were lucky to taste the last bottle of
the local Samaritan wine. Not quite a Bordeaux, but not bad.
We also had an opportunity to go once again to the summit and see Magen’s
excavation. It is well kept, but because it is open to tourists, several
areas are fenced in and one does well in making arrangement with the Staff
Officer of Archaeology for detailed inspection.
The absolute top event of our visit was the Samaritan medal ceremonies.
Plural, because we first went to Nablus, where the High Priest Aaron b.
Ab-Hisda, gave the medal to the city mayor 'Adli Yaish, for his
many contributions to peace and co-operation between the various groups in
the society. Just two days before the Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas was
to hand in an application to the UN for its recognition of a Palestinian
state, it was clearly felt that nothing could be more important than to
have the various religious and political groups meet and plan on how to
create peace and prosperity in all of Palestine and Israel. In light of
the tension that is building up as a result of the negotiations with the
UN, Mayor Yaish made a strong point of encouraging both parts of the
conflict to seek a peaceful solution and work for co-operation rather than
continue a hostile separation. The document was read by Prof. Menachem Mor
from Haifa University.
The second ceremony took place in house of the High Priest Aaron b.
Ab-Hisda. Prof. Thomas Thompson read the document to me,
Prof. Ingrid Hjelm from the University of Copenhagen, who in turn read
the document to Prof. Menachem Mor. Menachem and I got the medal
for our academic achievements in researching Samaritan history and
traditions as integral parts of the histories and traditions of the People
of Israel. In fact, such a People of Israel with capital P only existed in
the first millennium BCE Kingdom of Israel, which became the Assyrian
province Samerina around 720 BCE. Traditions and memories of the name
“Israel” survived and it became a religio-ethnic term, which comprised and
comprises many peoples of Israel. Of these, the Samaritans formed a major
segment until the fifth century CE. We received the medals from the hand
of the High Priest, gave our speeches of gratitude, had a little drink,
and I felt that this had been a big, big moment. Wow!
By: Ingrid Hjelm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mesika Happy About Cordial
Relations with Samaritans
Chairman Gershon Mesika of
the Samarian (Shomron) Regional Council
cited the Samaritan community for living
"in co-existence and tolerance with Jewish
residents of Samaria." Speaking
during a tour of the Samaritan community of Kiryat Luza on Mt. Gerizim,
next to the Jewish community of Har Bracha, south of Shechem. He
continued, "and we are happy about the good and cordial relationship and
atmosphere."
Mesika was a guest of the
Samaritan high priest and community council. He visited the high
priest's Sukka and the two exchanged gifts. The tour included meetings
with council members and stops at the local factory and the Samaritan
museum. Mesika also expressed hope that the
efforts of the Samarian Council
for Encouraging Tourism to promote Bible-based tourism would result in
more visits to Samaritan antiquities.
The Fragment From Qumran Related to Building an Altar for the
Almighty on Mount Gerizim - A Sensational Discovery
By:
Benyamim Tsedaka, A.B. - Institute of Samaritan Studies
A.B. - The
Samaritan News, 1ssue no. 1198-1099, 26.9.2011
We return to
the summer of 2008, three years ago, in the university city of Papa,
Hungary. At that time the 7th Congress of Samaritan Studies, where
the best scholars of Samaritan Studies from many countries in the world
were gathered, and also dignified representatives from Israel, among them
a small group of Israelite Samaritans: The Late Israel Tsedaka, the
Editors of A.B., Benyamim and Yefet Tsedaka, and Lilly
Tsedaka [Yefet's wife]. Yes, it was an exciting event. Several hours
after our landing in Hungary, after two hours of travel from the airport
in Budapest, the Capital of Hungary, and then a little tour that we made
of the place, escorted by the organizers of the congress, the scholars
Joseph Zsengeller, who lectured in the University of Papa, and
Stefan Schorch from Bethel in Germany. They surprised us with a
room that was totally equipped with computers and printers to be freely
used by the participants in the congress. We expressed our wonder and
immediately we sat near one of the computers to check the email that was
sent to us in the early hours of that same day, after we had left our
homes in Holon for the flight to Hungary.
Among the many letters from all corners of the world was especially a
prominent letter sent by our friend, Sharon Sullivan, from the
State of Michigan, in the USA [since then Sharon has lived in Israel since
August 2009].
Sharon forwarded our attention to a new discovery of a fragment from
Qumran from Cave Number 4 in the Judean Desert that included a scholarly
article by the famous author of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Professor James
Charlesworth, from the exclusive Princeton University in the
State of New Jersey, USA.
The fragment was photographed originally in a way that made it hard to
identify the script because of the dark color of the brown skin, and the
color of the characters, which were black. In order to brighten the
script another photograph was given of the same fragment, but now in a
system of infrared photography, which gave the characters a contrast of
colors in black and white, leaving no doubt by identifying the script as
an Aramaic script from the Book of Deuteronomy 27:4-6.
We read the news, and we could hardly believe it. We read it again and
again, and still we could not believe what our eyes were seeing, a
fragment from Qumran that no doubt had been written by a Jewish scribe,
like all Qumran scrolls, in the variant of the Torah we know which is the
Torah in the hands of the Samaritans, regarding building the altar of the
People of Israel on Mount Gerizim, similar to what is written in the ten
commandments in Exodus and the Book of Deuteronomy. The fragment was
written in Aramaic script, very clear and comfortable to read, and not
only did the writing contradict the Jewish MT version of the Torah in this
place of Deuteronomy, but also the name HarGerizim [םיזרגרה] was written
in one word of seven clear characters with the character bet [written also
but not included in the seven characters].
We recovered quickly and immediately we prepared fifty copies of an
enhanced photograph of the fragment, and also the Charlesworth article
that was attached to it. We went out to the wide yard of the university
where all scholars gathered and we gave five copies to the scholars. The
first reaction was that they were stunned, and after they recovered they
greeted us with many blessings. There was a feeling of euphoria. More
than the others, Professor Abraham Tal from the University of
Tel Aviv greeted us and congratulated us along with several others.
There was no doubt that we felt high at that moment. We went quickly to
the computer to send an email of gratitude to Sharon Sullivan, and
we remember how we wondered about the timing of the Charlesworth discovery
on the same day of the opening of the Congress of Samaritan Studies.
The first practical comment was stated by two of the lecturers that the
object of their lectures regarding the Torah in the hands of the
Samaritans and Qumran discoveries. They said that following the
discovery, they felt that they must change great parts of their lectures.
We must note especially the comment of Nodet Etienne, from the
French School in Jerusalem for Biblical Studies, Escole Biblique,
who said immediately that the discovery truly confirmed his claims about
the originality of the Samaritans as Ancient Israelites. On the same day
we wrote to Professor Charlesworth and thanked him for the
discovery and invited him to come and be our guest in our house on Mount
Gerizim, and at the same opportunity the late High Priest Eleazar ben
Tsedaka expressed his blessing and his personal gratitude for the
discovery that to all viewers it is a confirmation of a Jewish scribe to
the Torah version in the hands of the Samaritans, in a very ancient
manuscript that contradicts the Jewish version in this regard, which is לביע רהב
-
During our correspondence with Professor Charlesworth, he suggested
that he would award the High Priest with a framed photograph of the
infrared form of the fragment, and a copy of it that would be dedicated to
the A.B. Institute of Samaritan Studies. The High Priest Elazar,
and we as well, stated our enthusiasm for this suggestion, and at the end
of 2008 Charlesworth came to Mount Gerizim and was welcomed with a
respect that is reserved only for kings by the High Priest Elazar
and his priestly brethren and the dignities of the community. He gave the
High Priest the photograph and told him how he got this fragment of
Qumran.
As one of the senior scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Charlesworth
received thirty fragments from Qumran for research and decoding. It was
the second fragment that he decoded. The original fragment is located in
the Azuza Pacific University in the East of LA, California.
No more than a month passed from the time of the discovery and the
publication of it, when the wagging of tongues began by a number of
Israeli scholars wondering about the originality of the fragment, and even
expressing their suspicion that it was forged. We had to understand their
hesitation because of the wave of forged archeological findings in Israel
near to that time. The insecurity in the authenticity of the fragment
was expressed in the words of Professor Avraham Tal and Mosheh
Florentine from the University of Tel Aviv in their long
introduction to the Third Edition that they published concerning the
comparative edition of the Jewish to Samaritan edition of the Torah, by
the University Press 2010.
Their hesitation is understood as it relates to the basis of their system
to prefer the Jewish version over the Samaritan version.
However, the comments of the "landlords" of the research of the Dead Sea
Scrolls were totally different. Our friend, Professor Michael
Corinaldi, Professor of Law, asked the Prize of Israel holder for his
research on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Late Professor S. Talmon, for
his comment to the discovery. Talmon, that in his initial research in the
beginning of the 1950s thought the SP to be an imitation of the MT,
changed his mind from one edge to the other edge, during the last sixty
years of research. He answered this question by first blessing the
discovery and then he said that generally the SP and the MT are very
important and they have the same state in Biblical research.
The same comment was received from Professor Emanuel Tov, also a
holder of the Israeli Prize for his research on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Following this discovery he changed parts of his own introduction to the
first translation of the English SP, promised to be published in November
2011.
In a letter that Charlesworth sent us on June 22, 2011, he added validity
to the words of Tov, saying that if the fragment is authentic then it is a
sensational discovery that changes the picture of the research of the
Biblical text. Therefore, we have to answer the question if this fragment
of Deuteronomy is authentic or forged.
To this question Charlesworth answered in a way that left no doubt. The
original fragment was checked by the best scholars of the Dead Sea
Scrolls, among them Charlesworth mentioned the Sukerman brothers, a very
special test of the fragment discovered that it is authentic because the
fatina which is the medal material that proves the ancientness of the
fragment was discovered both in the skin of the fragment and in the ink of
which the text was written. Now there is no place to claim forgery, the
fragment is authentic.
The discussion about the authenticity of this fragment until the chemical
tests that left no doubts about it, remind us of the sensational discovery
of the Joash Inscription that was determined to be forged without a doubt,
because the fatina was not discovered in the ink of the script.
The scholars of the University of Azuza Pacific and Charlesworth
himself finished the writing of the official research of the fragment.
The two researches are coming out soon, the first within the University
publications and the second of Charlesworth in the scientific quarterly
Marav, in the next issue, according to what Charlesworth wrote to us
in that letter.
Charlesworth wanted also to hear our opinion regarding this discovery,
beyond the enthusiasm that it raised. Generally we said the fact that the
name of the Mountain was written in one word in this fragment by a Jewish
scribe, shows that it is not what they so call typical Samaritan writing
of the sacred mountain, but it is an Ancient Israelite writing that was
known to Jewish and Samaritan scribes during the 2nd Temple Period.
Therefore we don't have to be so hasty in identifying special writing of
the word Mount Gerizim in one word as Samaritan writing. Talmon, for
instance, thought that a fragment that was discovered in Masada,
that included the name of Mount Gerizim in one word, that perhaps
there were Samaritan fighters among the casualties in Masada. The truth is
that the Samaritans had nothing to do in Masada, they had their own wars
with the Romans.
We have added that we have no doubt in regard to the identity of the
scribe of the fragment as a Jew, adding to the fact that there were no
Samaritans within Qumran sects. The Jewish identification is expressed by
the form of the writing of the word תולוע [offerings] in full writing, at
the same time it is pronounced by Jews the same way that it is written "Aolot".
A Samaritan scribe since always wrote the form in this way תולע and this
is the way that it is pronounced by Samaritans, “Alote”. We will continue
to follow the research in regard to this discovery. Benyamim Tsedaka
The website (IJCO.org) says, "The
scribal hand represents archaic forms that can be dated perhaps to 175 BCE
and later forms that date from around 50 and even conceivably to 30 BCE
(but we cannot ascertain when such forms first appeared)."
It is interesting, I just read about a village
called Samaria
in Fayyum where they have found Samaritan Papyri of the 3rd and 2nd
century BCE.
See the following:
Fayum: Samareia
(meris of Polemon)
The Greek name
Samareia (Σαμαρεία or Σαμάρεια) clearly refers to Samaria in Palestine.
This is confirmed by the Ptolemaic papyri, where Jews constitute an
important group among the inhabitants of the village. The name 'Samareia'
suggests that they originally came from Samaria; they do not however
explicitly call themselves 'Samaritans' but ᾿Ιουδαῖος/᾿Ιουδαία or ᾿Ιουδαῖος
τῆς ἐπιγονῆς. ᾿Ιουδαῖος here refers to their patris Judaea, which
includes the region of Samaria.
Josephus stated that Seven Thousand Samaritans were placed in Thebaid by
Alexander.
But scholars today say that the inhabitants of Samareia were
Greeks and Phoenicians and not Samaritans.
While fragments are still being discovered today, I wonder, how many
people in the Middle East have fragments of Samaritan documents that they
have found or that was handed down, and I am still wondering who has the
Samaritan curtain from the old Samaritan synagogue that was in Cairo, that
the Jewish family purchased.
https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/thesamaritansinegypt.pdf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Incorrect Information Noticed by the Editor of TSU and
Confirmed
Recently there was an article by Alaa Ashkar - IMEMC &
Agencies on Wednesday September 21, 2011 , entitled
Palestinians Hold Massive Protests, Demand UN Membership.
There is miss-information in this article which I here quote, "Palestinian
Christian leaders and priests, and Samaritans, participated in
the activities, demanding Palestinian statehood and
independence."
An email to Benyamim Tsedaka confirmed that this was
false. His responded as follows,
"The Samaritans are not involve in any kind of political
activity. If they meet the leaders of the Palestinian Authority
it is always for promoting their projects of development on
Mount Gerizim. Actually the Palestinians never asked them to
participate or to declare and statement of support their ideas
or activities for an independent Palestinian State.
The only march they do is three times a year in their
pilgrimages.
In the past Samaritan leaders were warned not to express in
their speeches before any Palestinian or Israeli audiences or
both not to state any political statement except that of any
organization which helps them with their projects of
development.
Any media report about such an activity is not true."
For Sale: In Europe - Euro50
In England - GBP40
In USA - $70
In Canada - $80
+ mailing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Catalog of 61 Ancient
Samaritan Manuscripts in Klau Library of
Hebrew Union College,
Cincinnati that include the most ancient Manuscript in
North America, a piece of scroll of Duet. Chap. 9-34 dated to the
year 1145AD, is coming out next month (November 2011).
A Torah
scroll, Deuteronomy, 9-34 : the most ancient manuscript in North
America, in Hebrew Union College Library, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA /
Benyamim Tsedaka = מגילת תורה, דברים ט׳־ל״ד כתב היד הקדום ביותר באמריקה
הצפונית בספריית היברו יוניון קולג׳ סינסינאטי, אוהיו, ארה״ב / בנימים צדקה.
Lectures
and conferences on Samaritan studies are going on:
A report on my annual lecture, research and meeting tour to
Europe and the
USA2011
October 23 - Leaving
Israel to
Berlin
October 24 - Berlin - Visiting the Samaritan Collection in Freie
Universitet [The Liberated University]
October 25 - University of
Halle - Germany - Two lectures: 1- The Samaritans and their life
between Israel and the Palestinians 2- Learning to read and translate
texts in Ancient Hebrew
October 27 University of
Poznan - Poland - 2 lectures - 1 - The Samaritan Liturgy; 2 -
Life Circle of the Samaritans
October 28 University of
Torun - Poland - Lecture - The Samaritan Heritage
October 31 Leaving to
Helsinki
November 1 -
University of Helsinki - Lecture: The present life of the
Samartitans
November 2 - University of Helsinki - Ceremony of Awarding the Samaritan
Medal to Prof. Haseeb Shehadeh
November 3 - Returning to Berlin
November 4-6 - Visiting the Museum of Islam where there are 18 Samaritan
Inscriptions from
Damascus
November 7 - Leaving Berlin to
Zurich
November 8 - University of Zurich - Lecture - Samaritanism and Mysticism
November 9 -
Spiro
Ark,
London - Lecture - Samaritan Folklore
November 10 -
North London - Lecture: Most important differences between the
Samaritan and Jewish Versions of the Pentateuch
November 12 - North London - Continued lecture about "differences"
November 14 - Awarding the Medal to Mr. Vivian Wineman, the President of
Deputies of the British Jewry
November 15 - Leaving London to
New York City
November
16 - Yeshiva University, New York - Two Lectures on the Samaritan
Heritage
November
17 - Yeshiva University, New York - Presenting the Catalog of the
Samaritan Manuscripts in
Yeshiva University
November 22 - Leaving to
Washington D.C.
November 23 - Washington D.C. - The Annual meeting of the Samaritan
Medal Foundation
November 28 - Leaving to
Cincinnati
November 29 - December 2 - Cincinnati: Having my book about: The
Samaritan Manuscripts in
Hebrew Union College published and reorganizing all printed works
about the Samaritans in the library
December 4 - 6: LA -
Azusa Pacific University - Seminar : The Samaritan Pentateuch and
Qumran Fragment 27: 4-6
December 7-13 -
St. Louis - Lectures every day about different issues of
Samaritan life and heritage
December 14-20 -
Dallas, Texas - Meeting with two large families from
Dallas and
Santa Fe/New Mexico who wants to join the community and practice
with them Samaritan life and heritage
If any of you would like to be in touched with for lecturing of
October - December 2011, please let Benyamim Tsedaka
know.
sedakab@yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Editor
I would like people to notice that on the main
page of the Samaritan Update, a map has been added 7-2011
of the world, showing the locations of web viewers to our sight. What is
interesting is the number of Spanish speaking countries. I wonder how many
scholars have written or exposed the Spanish populous of the remaining
Samaritan-Israelites today?
A link to the Samaritan Medal was also added
There is also a new page added on the main page
of theSamaritanupdate.com: Questions Regarding the
Samaritan-Israelites
and the Torah of Israel answered by Samaritan Binyamin Tsedaka See the
videos for his answers
An essay was added on the main page of
theSamaritanupdate.com: about the Samaritan-Israelites by
Benyamim Tsedaka of the A.B. - Institute of Samaritan Studies,
Holon, Israel A
Short History of the Samaritan-Israelites
There has also been added a page for new publications of books
on the main page of
theSamaritanupdate.com:
Publications of the
Samaritans.
So please feel free to contact me if you would like your publication added
or if you would like to add a short description or review to your work.
Sometimes it is interesting searching the books using key words, but very
time consuming. Sometimes I have found an article in 2 or even 5 books,
all the contents are the same just a different title. Or I may find a
small section yet of no new information, just taken from original work, so
where do I limit the books. If I find no new information that is over 2
small paragraphs, I over look it. Maybe I should not but I have many
articles that I have not yet edited or explored yet and time is an issue,
so I have to draw a line. But sometimes I find a short section with
interest as I now show below:
~~~~
Reports
From Commissioners, Inspectors and Others: Palestine,
Disturbances in May, 1921 No. 2. Interim
Report by the Commission of Inquiry on the Khedera Raid, 6th May, 1921. (p.12) The
locality, of which Tulkeram is the administrative centre, contains 40
villages and a number of Bedouin encampments. The people are of a
particularly lively and passionate temperament, and are at the same time
comparatively well educated. It is said that 40 per cent of the population
are able to read and write. It is overwhelmingly Moslem. There are a few
Christians, one family of Samaritans, but no Jews.
Papers by command: Volume 15 - Page 12
"The family of my relatives. It
started with Ariah [Yashishaakaar] b. Shalma Hassafari, his brother Munaja
and his son Zakkaay and Israsel and the son of Zakkay Ariah. They lived
there between 1900 and 1944. Then Zakkai and his wife Chussun and his
sister in law Kawthar and her son Gamil and daughters Nadia, Nabiha,
Shafika and Subchiyyeh moved to
Nablus to live there
in poorness till 1954 when they moved to
Holon in familt
unification and in 1955 they moved to the current Samaritan neighborhood
to better quality of life. Zakkaay died in 1959 and Ariah in 1994."
~~~~~
The Church
Standard, New Series
Vol. XXX, Vol. XCII
Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. February 9,
1907 (p. 468)
There Was recently exhibited
in London an ancient scroll of the law of Moses, Exodus to Deuteronomy,
which is accepted by some experts as genuine and dating back to one
thousand years before Jesus. It is an original and sacred document of a
Samaritan sect and now is offered for sale by their high
priest, Isaac, son of
Amram, to save his community from
destruction. Five thousand pounds are asked and the British Museum cannot
afford to buy it.
Anacalypsis, An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the
Saitic Isis; or, An Inquiry into the Origin of Languages, Nations, and
Religions. by Godfrey Higgins By Godfrey
Higgins, London: J. Burns, 15 Southhampton Row, Holborn, W.C., 1874
Part I, pg. 88 "It is not
possible to determine from Genesis where the Salem was of which
Melchizedek was priest . (I pay no attention to the partisan Josephus.)
Taking advantage of this uncertainty the Christians have settled it to
be Jerusalem. But it happens in this case that a Heathen author removes
the difficulty. Eupolemus states that Abraham received gifts from
Melchizedek in the Holy City of Hargerizim,
or of Mount Gerizim. Har, in the ancient language, signifies mount. This
proves that there was a place holy to the Lord upon Gerizim, long before
Joshua's time, whatever the Jews may allege to the contrary against the
Samaritans."
SourceEditor: It is nice to see that Har Gerizim is spelled as one word
just like the Samaritans write it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recent Lecture
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011 at Collegium Veteranorum, Room 02.10of the
Stefan Schorch, [Martin-Luther-Universita"t, Halle- Wittenberg],
lectured on Some Peculiar Usages of the Infinitive in Samaritan Hebrew. The
lecture was part of the The Hebrew of the Late Second Temple Period
between the Bible and the Mishnah: A Sixth International Symposium on the
Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Ben Sira, September 19-21, 2011.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Christophe BONNARD, lectured Targums samaritains et
traditions aggadiques juives at the June 27-28, 2011 International
Conference, "Les targums à la lumière des traditions du Second Temple"/
"The Targums in light of Traditions of the Second Temple Period.
http://orion.huji.ac.il/resources/boardConferences.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Publication
Musings of An Inveterate Traveler IIby
Dr. Robert H. Schram (Author)
Publisher: Xlibris (October 28, 2010) ISBN-10: 1456802178,
ISBN-13: 978-1456802172 Modern visit to Gerizim and the Samaritan
Museum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Articles in our Samaritan Archives Section
52 new Ebooks
added and some new articles! Check them all out!
The Samaritan Kaleidoscope: A look back at centuries of
tensions with Judaism by Pickett, Bobby, M.A.,
REGENT UNIVERSITY, 2010, 89 pages; 1485338
http://gradworks.umi.com/14/85/1485338.html
M Mor - Judah Between East and West: The Transition from …,
2011 -
8 THE SAMARITANS IN TRANSITION FROM THE PERSIAN TO THE
GREEK PERIOD Menachem Mor University of Haifa The conquest of
the Land of Israel by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE
constitutes on one hand the termination of a period in which
the country was ruled by ...
ER Silva -
Kerygma, 2011 - ... The Samaritans: Who They Were and
What They Believe Abstract: The present research seeks to understand some
basic aspects of the Samaritans, people who are portrayed as enemy
of the Jews. ... Keywords: Jews; Samaritans; History;
Religious Life. Page 2. ...
LL Grabbe… -
2011 - books.google.com ... of Judah in the Ptolemaic Period Empires and Farmers: How
Imperial Politics Affect Local Organization Break Samaria and the
Samaritans between Persian and Hellenic Rule The Samaritans'
Transition from the Persian to the Greek Period The Samaritan
Temple on Mount ...
JJ Collins -
Changes in Scripture: Rewriting and Interpreting …, 2011 - ... 12). See the discussion of the Samaritan Pentateuch by
Magnar Kartveit, The Origin of the Samaritans (VTSup 128; Leiden:
Brill, 2009), 279–312. Page 37. 30 John J. Collins to make up a single,
independent composition. 33 ...
As recommended
by one of our Subscribers, I shall attempt to add a full Bibliography of
Articles placed in our Archives section of the Samaritan Update
Prof.
Menachem Mor read the document to Mayor Yaish of Nablus.
The Samaritan Medal for
Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements
The
Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and Academic Achievements
The
Samaritan Medal for Peace and Humanitarian Achievement
Sunday
the 18th of September my husband Thomas L. Thompson and I met with
Miriam and Benyamim Tsedaka in their home in Holon. The
occasion for our visit was the Samaritan Medal for Peace, Humanitarian and
Academic Achievement, which I had been awarded and was to receive on Mt.
Gerizim the following Wednesday. In order to learn more about the
Samaritans and renew our friendship with people, we had met over the
years; we wanted to spend some extra days on the mountain. Our gracious
hosts met all our needs and wishes and, as usual, Benny had arranged some
delightful and interesting meetings. Going through my notes and photos I
recall our meetings with High Priest Aaron b. Ab-Hisda and his wife
and family in their home and in the synagogue. It was delightful to meet
their son ‘Amram and Orna his daughter in law, whose wedding
I had the pleasure to be at in 2004, when SES held its sixth congress in
Haifa under the auspices of Prof. Menachem Mor. Now they have three
beautiful children. (photo by 
