August 12th, 2004  

Vol.  III - No.26

 The Israel Civil Administration is preparing changeable area instead the Archaeological area on the Peak of Mount Gerizim for expanding the area of the Gerizim Samaritan Community

A.B. Samaritan News Service

The High Priest of the Israelite Samaritan People Elazar b. Tsedaka and the President of Israel Mr. Moshe Katzav and the Head of Israel Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria Brigadier General Ilan Paz have met on August 4, 2004 to find a compromise between the Samaritan demand to built new houses on their areas on Gerizim Mountain and the Civil Administration refusal build on the claim that those are archaeological sites that building on them is considered against the Israeli Law. Brigadier General Paz has promised that his office is preparing a changeable area on the Mountain where the Samaritan would expand their settlement. In the present two Samaritans have bought two areas to build their private houses but the work in these area has stopped by the inspectors of the Civil Administration due to the Archaelogical claims. (Above photo: President Katzav shakes the hand of High Priest Elazar B. Tsedaka )

In the Meeting held in the House of the President of Israel President Katzav have asked the head of the Civil Administration to find a solution for these two cases. The High Priest Elazar who own traditionally all dedicated areas on the Gerizim Mountain which include these two areas, has wondered why he as the owner of the dedicated areas that listed on his title could not permit members of the community to build their houses on these area bought from him. The High priest and the Samaritan leaders accompanied him have delivered the commitment of those Samaritans to fund rescued digging in their lands and if something important and unmoveable findings will be found they will build their houses on columns high above the new Archaelogical site. President Katzav has asked the Civil Administration to go forwards to calm down the anger of the Samaritans by finding solution that will satisfied all sides. (Second photo: With the President of Israel from right: Benyamim Tsedaka, High Priest Elazar, President Katzav, Israel Tsedaka, Zebulan Altif and Yefet b. Ratson Tsedaka)

The Problem is that all the peak of Gerizim Mountain where Kiriat Luza - The Samaritan Neighborhood locates - is a huge Archaelogical site that divided between Israel and the Palestinian Authority Administration that in her part it is easier to get permission to build a house in Archaeological site. But right now Israel is holding the region militarily and administratively and prevent to build any house according to the Israeli Law. In this case a Palestinian permission is only a peace non valued paper. (Photo: Brigadier General Ilan Paz explain the Military advisor of the President Brigadier General Shimom Chefetz the problem of Archaeology and building needs on Mount Gerizim. At the middle, High Priest Elazar.)

Accompanied the High Priest Elazar in his meeting with the President of Israel, Zebulan Altif, one of the Leaders of the Mount Gerizim Community; Israel Tsedaka, One of the leaders of the Holon Community and the brothers Benyamim and Yefet Tsedaka, the editors of the weekly magazine "A.B. - The Samaritan News". After the meeting with the President the Samaritan delegation has paid visits to old friends of the Community residing in Jerusalem: Mr. Israel Lippel [69] who was the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs who accompanied the Samaritan matters for tens of years and Prof. Ze'ev Ben-Hayyim [97], the greatest scholar of the Samaritan Studies whom the delegation has wished him a fast recovery. In both visits the delegation has been welcomed very nicely. (Photo above right: High Priest Elazae with Mr. Israel Lippel) (Photo left: Prof. Ze'ev ben Hayyim)

Wave of Happy Events Showering the Community

in Kiriat Luza

A.B. Samaritan News Service

After several years of dryness a wave of happy events showered the Israelite Samaritan Community of Kiriat Luza and bring to the shore the hope to a faster internal natural multitude in Mount Gerizim Community. On the last decade the Community in Kiriat Luza neighborhood has been retreated in this regard from the Israelite Samaritan Community in Holon, near Tel Aviv. The Two communities which were before two halves of the entire people, have lost the balance number between them to the favor of the Holonites, that opened a gap of almost fifty individuals {on May 1, 2004 The Community numbered 673 individuals, 315 in Kiriat Luza and 358 in Holon]. The main reason for that was the  crises of lack of weddings among the Kiriat Luza Community on the last recent years. Now heading to a positive solution the Israelite Samaritan Community on Mount Gerizim has celebrated last month three wedding ceremonies and the forth one will take place at the end of August 2004. Very mature bachelors in Kiriat Luza have been wed eventually in Kiriat Luza and raised new hopes in the heart of many other bachelors/ Even among the Holon Community there is a long pause in this regard but in the next few years it is expected to have no few wedding cases that are "cooked" nowadays.

Pictures from up to down:

First photo above- Orna from Holon and Amram Cohen from Luza - A new couple in Kiriat Luza
Seconf Photo above- Yucabed [najla'] and Tamir [Samer] Altif - A new couple in Kiriat Luza
Photo left- Badawiyyeh and Abraham Cohen - A new couple in Kiriat Luza
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Priest Aarron b. Ab-Hisda reads the deed of marriage of Badawiyyeh and Abraham Cohen.

Book Review: Early Christian Authors on Samaritans and Samaritanism

Recently, I finally purchased Early Christian Authors on Samaritans and Samaritanism by Reinhard Pummer. I have been wanting to purchase the book for awhile and when I finally did, I found the Amazon orders were a two to three months wait. But after ordering from the Publisher, Mohr Siebeck, the book arrived in ten days. You can order my book from the publisher directly, Mohr Siebeck: www.mohr.de.

The contents of the book contains writings of forty-six Christian authors from the second to the fourteenth century C. E.. I had no idea that there was so much written documentation by Christians on the Samaritans. Reinhard Pummer did a wonderful undertaking giving not just the original text with an English translation but also gave a back ground on each of the authors. Only the subject relating to the Samaritans were used in Pummer's book. Which is really all that was needed. The authors grange from Hegesippus, Origen, Jerome and many that I had not heard of before this book. The pieces even talk about the different sects in the authors' time. To purchase all the works of the forty-six authors would be very costly and also fill a book case. Condensing the works was absolutely brilliant!

I found myself reading a piece from an author or two and then comparing it to history or other writings I have from scholars where they just mentioned the quote in their books. You will enjoy the book whether you are a Samaritan scholar or not.

Thank you!