“Mount Gerizim,
All the Days of Our Lives”
November/
December 2015
Vol. XV - No 2
In This Issue ·
Auction Results ·
Commentary ·
New Publication ·
Manuscripts ·
Call for Papers ·
Shomrey Brasil ·
Lecture ·
Digitale Samaritanen ·
Photo Post ·
From the Editor ·
Latest News Links ·
Old Newspapers ·
Biblio ·
Ebay Items
On January 1, 2015, the Samaritan Community numbered 777.
Future Events
It has been 3654 years since the entrance into
the Holy Land
(Samaritan’s typical calendar)
2016
Special prayer on Wednesday evening, April 6, 2016
New beginning – Month of Spring – Thursday, April 7, 2016
Passover Sacrifice – Wednesday Evening, April 20, 2016
[Calculated by: Priest
Yakkiir ['Aziz] b. High Priest Jacob b. 'Azzi – Kiriat Luza, Mount Gerizim]
~~~~~~~~~~~
Sotheby’s Auction
Results
THE VALMADONNA TRUST LIBRARY: PART I MAGNIFICENT https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=8aijo4rq3f7o8MANUSCRIPTS AND THE BOMBERG TALMUD
22 DECEMBER 2015 | 10:00
AM EST NEW YORK
http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/valmadonna-trust-library-part-i-n09443.html
Samaritan
Torah Scroll (Aktaba Kadisha),
Land of Israel [ca. 1166, Scribe: Shalmah ben Abraham bar Yosef of Sarepta]
Estimate: 40,000 — 80,000
USD
LOT SOLD. 162,500 USD (Hammer Price with Buyer's Premium)
Estimate:
80,000 — 120,000 USD
LOT
SOLD. 87,500 USD (Hammer Price with Buyer's
Premium)
SAMARITAN PENTATEUCH - LAND OF
ISRAEL, 14-15TH CENTURY
Samaritans, who claim descent
from the post-Solomonic northern Israelite kingdom, only include only the Five
Books of Moses in their biblical canon. While they do not recognize divine
authorship or inspiration in any other book of the Hebrew Bible, they do
maintain a non-canonical secular version of the book of Joshua. This
exceedingly rare miniature Samaritan biblical codex was formerly in the fabled
collection of David Solomon Sassoon (est. $80/120,000).
Rare
and Important Items by Kedem Public
Auction House Ltd December 2, 2015 Jerusalem, Israel
Lot
76: Samaritan Torah Scroll – Nablus, 20th Century Auction no. 48 - Realized Price: $7,000 Verified
http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/samaritan-torah-scroll-nablus,-20th-century-76-c-6e94539ade
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ṣadaqa al-Ḥakīm and his Commentary
on Genesis
H. Shehadeh University of Helsinki
The following subjects are discussed in this study.
A) The Samaritan manuscripts, especially Abraham Firkovich’s
collection, approximately 1,350 manuscripts in number, purchased in Nablus in
1864.
B) A survey of the exegesis of the Samaritan Torah: what has been
studied and what has been published to date?
C) Who was Ṣadaqa al-Ḥakīm,
who died in 1223? A sample of his opinions and poetry rendered into Hebrew.
D) Ṣadaqa al-Ḥakīm’s
commentary on Genesis: MS. R. Huntington 301 at Bodleian Library in Oxford and
other manuscripts at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg.
E) What portions of Ṣadaqa’s commentary have been
published?
F) Ṣadaqa’s exegetical methods accompanied
by examples.
1) Literal, homiletic
and symbolic.
2) The method of
similes.
3) Removal of
anthropomorphism.
4) Etymology,
Semantics and linguistic analysis.
A systematic and comprehensive study of the Bodleian manuscript,
which consists of 203 folios, provides the core of this study. I began
publishing Ṣadaqa’s commentary in a preliminary
edition in a series:
The first four parts, which include the first forty chapters of
Genesis, were published in 2014-2015 in ‘‘Samaritan Update.’’ At a later stage
the substantial variants of Cam III 14 at the National Library of Russia in St.
Petersburg will be added to the list of variants.
Read the article in Hebrew: https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/al-Hasad_5.pdf
https://shomron0.tripod.com/2014/julaug.pdf
https://shomron0.tripod.com/2014/novdec.pdf
https://shomron0.tripod.com/2015/mayjune.pdf
https://shomron0.tripod.com/2015/julyaugust.pdf
Also
see:
Differences between
the Samaritans and the Jews
Written in Arabic by Haseeb Shehadeh
https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/differencesinarabic.pdf
On a Manuscript of
‘Kirāb al-Ḫulf’ by Ḫaḍr (Finḥāas) b. Isḥāq
al-Ḥiftāwī 2011
(Full Version) by Haseeb Shehadeh
~~~~~~~~~
The History of
the Israelite Keepers Based on Their Own Sources
By Benyamim
Tsedaka
A.B. -
Institute of Samaritan Studies Press
Holon,
Israel; Mount Gerizim, Samaria
The book is
written in modern Hebrew by Benyamim Tsedaka, and covers the period from Joshua
bin Nun (17th century BCE) to the present (2015 CE).
It is the
third major lifework of Benyamim's extensive writing career, and is the
highlight of his 106 publications.
It was
published in Holon, Israel, on 17 November 2015 by the A.B. Institute of
Samaritan Studies, with the help of the Ministry of Culture of the State of
Israel.
Benyamim
dedicates his book to the Israelite Samaritan community, each family has
received a complimentary copy.
The book is
divided into 120 chapters. At the end of each chapter detailed references to
the sources for that chapter are provided. The entire book is written in the
traditional vocabulary of the Torah, which gives it a unique style. This work
is the result of painstaking research carried out over ten years. During this
time Benyamim reviewed all the Israelite Samaritans' own resources, historical
collections, ancient manuscripts, poetry, Midrash and Halacha.
He found
relevant material in hundreds of letters written by members of the community
over a period of five hundred years, and in thousands of documents in the
archives of the second president of Israel, the late Yitzhak Ben Zvi. Yitzhak
Ben Zvi who was a father-figure to, and patron of the Israelite Samaritans,
from his first meetings with them in his early 20s, until his death in 1963.
This is the
most complete historical collection, since ancient times. It encompasses 10
groups of sources, including the 14th century unfinished work of Abu Elfath
Hadinfi, who came from Damascus in 1352-1355 on the instruction of the
Israelite-Samaritan High Priest, Phinhas b. Yusef Harrabban (High Priest in the
years 1308-1363 CE). Abu Elfath wrote in Arabic, describing the period from the
time of Joshua bin Nun up to the tenth century CE, 350 years before his own
time.
The 450
pages of this new book are divided into 900 columns, with lines numbered
consecutively so they can be quoted or referenced conveniently.
The book
complements the author’s earlier work on a related subject: A Short History of
the Israelite Samaritans, which draws on external sources to give a complete
picture of what the Samaritans wrote, compared with what was written about
them.
The price
of the new book in Israel is $150 (ILS 600)
In the rest
of the world it costs $200 (ILS 800), including shipping.
Orders:
through the secure PayPal button on this page Israelite Keepers of the website
israelite-samaritans.com
Or from
A.B. - Institute of Samaritan Studies, P.O. Box 1029, Holon, 5811001, Israel.
בנימים צדקה,
תולדות השמרים
על פי מקורותיהם
העצמיים.
חולון: מכן א. ב.
ללימודי שומרנות
בסיוע המשרד
לתרבות של
מדינת ישאל. 2015, 450
עם
~~~~~~~~~~
The
Tragedy of the Israelite-Samaritans and Their Ancient Manuscripts
By Benyamim
Tsedaka A.B. - Institute of Samaritan Studies
Tuesday, November 24,
2015
I had the pleasure
today to accept the invitation of Mr.
David Wachtel, one of the directors of Sotheby’s,
the international public auction company in its New York branch to come and see
two ancient Israelite Samaritan manuscripts that will be given to sale in the
public auction of December 22, 2015.
Myself consulting
from time to time with dealers of antiquities and public auction companies in
Israel and abroad, helping institutions and private collectors in cataloging
and identifying such manuscripts and adding under request my own estimation of
the value of each item. I had no contact so far with Sotheby’s. Today was the
first time, because Mr. Wachtel through our friendship on Facebook became aware
to my work in cataloging Israelite-Samaritan manuscripts.
To make the story
short, I was so excited to see again the two manuscripts after 15 years when I
cataloged the entire collection with the permission of Mr. Lunzer and published
it in “A.B. - The Samaritan News Bi-Weekly Magazine.
Since the fragment found at the Hebrew Union
College, Cincinnati, includes part from an unknown copyist is known to be dated
= 1145 CE, in the city of Gerar, the ancient name of Ashqelon, north of Gaza, where
a written testimony of the famous Jewish traveler Benjamin of Tudela when he
visited the city in 1187 CE, recording 300 Israelite Samaritan families there
at that time.
In that part of the
testimony also mentioned that this Pentateuch, is one of two of the same
unknown copyist dedicated to the Synagogue of Ashqelon, might be due to growth
of the community and one of the synagogues there.
Concerning the other
manuscript for sale it is a small Pentateuch codex also written on mostly sheep
skin. The exact date of copying is missing but no doubt the manuscript was
written in the 14th century or early 15th century. Other small sized
manuscripts of the Pentateuch are located now in John Ryland Library in
Manchester, England and Linder Museum of the Smithsonian in Washington DC. The specialty
of the small sized Pentateuch was in use by Samaritan priests who would hang
them on their necks to read most of the day.
It’s a pity that
large collections of ancient manuscripts in Europe being sold off in pieces at
many public auctions, some times without knowing who bought them, but at least
it is known that they are kept well in any place.
Most of the 4000
Israelite Samaritan Manuscripts sold by the Israelite Samaritans during the 17th-20th
centuries was at the time of awful poverty and decreasing numbers of Samaritans
from hundreds to 141 individuals in March 1919 [today app. 800].
Now, ancient
Israelite Samaritan manuscripts are some of the most valued manuscripts in
public auctions.
Benyamim Tsedaka
Pictures: from B. Tsedaka: Samaritan Scroll and codex of the
Pentateuch for sale
On December 10th, Benyamim Tsedaka posted on his Facebook page several photos from the collection of Israelite-Samaritan Manuscripts in the Library of Hebrew
Union College, Cincinnati. Benny wrote, ‘How precise
and clear is the handwriting that has been well protected. It was copied in
Ashkelon 1479/80 C.E.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Société d’Etudes Samaritaines: Call For
Papers
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to invite you to present a paper at
the 9th Congress of the Société
d’Etudes
samaritaines that
will be held in Prague, from July 31 to August 5, 2016. Please, write me the topic
of your paper with a short summary before March 31, 2016.
The congress will be held at the Protestant
Theological Faculty, Charles University in
Prague, Černá 9, P.O. Box 529, CZ-115 55,
Czech Republic.
The participants at the congress will be
accommodated in two hotels in the Old City of Prague, near the Old Town square.
Both hotels will give to the participants of the congress prices much lower
than usual in this historical locality. Please, write me at your earliest convenience
the dates of your arrival and departure, and if you want a single room or a
room for more persons. Please, write me the information concerning your
accommodation before March 31, 2016. The date is the same as for the papers.
The hotels are about 15 minutes by walk from the
Protestant Theological Faculty, where the congress will be held. For that
reason, those, who want to reserve an accommodation in closer proximity of the
faculty, are free to book by themselves.
The breakfast will be served in the hotels.
Unfortunately, we cannot organize the lunches and the dinners; our university
has no appropriate capacity for that in the city center.
The amount of the conference fee will be
specified later, when we are able to estimate the expenses related to the
congress.
For any information please write to me (dusek@etf.cuni.cz).
Yours sincerely,
Jan Dušek Ph.D.
Centre for Biblical Studies, Protestant
Theological Faculty
Charles University
Cerna 9, P.O.Box 529
CZ-115 55, Praha 1. Czech Republic
See the Société
d’Etudes samaritaines website at http://www.socsam.org/
President:
Magnar Kartveit
Vice-president:
Stefan Schorch
Secretary:
Arnaud Sérandour
Treasurer: Ursula
Schattner-Rieser
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Naor Ban Abraahm posted
this on his facebook page on Dec. 11, 2015
Nota:
Shomrey há Torá Maranhão parabenizar nossos Candidatos
O Sr. Ariel Haddad Ben Abraahm
E o Sr. Ed Ben Abraahm pela postura , carinho e
dedicação para com a nossa Comunidade. — withFranklinAdriana Pyetro Gad
Yossef, Eli Ben Abraahm, San Tardis, Mosheh Ben Mazal, Ben Sedaka, Ariel Haddad Ben Abraahm, Alex de Morais and Aryah Ben Abraahm.
Brazil has a large number of people that believe in the Samaritans
and their Torah. The group has been stimulated by the support of Samaritan Benyamim Tsedaka.
~~~~~~~~~
Past Lecture
at the University of Wyoming sponsored by their Department of Religious Studies
Professor Menachem Mor, University of Haifa, will present two lectures on Thursday,
September 17, 2015. Please attend as follows:
1:20-2:35
p.m., Business Building, Room 9, “Samaritans Past & Present—Who are They?”
Abstract: Classic Jewish sources
make it clear that they were considered Jews who had relinquished Judaism but
would be accepted if they accepted “Jerusalem and the resurrection of the
dead.” “Who is a Samaritan?”-- hotly disputed in ancient Jewish sources—emerged
again in modern Israel with respect to the Law of Return, when they wanted to
immigrate from Nablus to Israel and live as part of Israeli society. The first
part of this lecture discusses a variety of ancient sources; the second part
surveys how these considerations influenced the Supreme Court’s final decision.
Source: http://www.uwyo.edu/relstds/guest-speakers/
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Digitale
Samaritanen: erfgoed en het Palestijns-Israëlisch conflict
Amerikaans onderzoeker Jim
Ridolfo probeert de Samaritanen via digitalisering opnieuw toegang te geven tot
hun erfgoed. De kleinste religieuze minderheid in het Heilige Land verloor door
de eeuwen heen immers veel van haar religieuze manuscripten. Deze onvervangbare
werken liggen nu verspreid in de archieven van tientallen landen. Met herwonnen
toegang tot hun erfgoed, hopen de Samaritanen als brug te kunnen dienen in het
Palestijns-Israëlisch conflict.
C.H.I.P.S. StampMedia – Tom Cassauwers
~~~~~~~~~~
Photo post by Priest Husney, the manager of the
Samaritan Museum on Mount Gerizim.
This picture was in the 1940s.
From the
Editor
Here is a very interesting
article, ‘40 Predictions for Epigraphy in
the Next 40 Years,’ by
Christopher Rollston in Biblical Archaeology, 2015, pages
74-76.
I also learned that Rev. Canon Elias Marmura was an author of a book
called, The Samaritans, Jerusalem:
The Syrian Orphange House, 1934, 100 pages. This does not appear in any Bibliography.
From old Newspapers (The
Palestine Post), I have learned that a Rabbi I. Raffalowich gave a lecture on
the Samaritans with lantern slides at 8:45 p.m. Sunday, April 2, 1939 at 15
Rehov Nahmani; Auspices; in Tel Aviv. The Rabbi appears to have had a Hebrew article
in the Palestine Review, Vol. III,
No. 51, April 7, 1939 on the Samaritan Passover. The article does not appear in
the Bibliography of the Samaritans by
Crown and Pummer.
Also it appears that an Inspector of Antiquities, Mr. Naim Shehadi Makhouly
at Nablus on Febrauary 13th, 1935 to inspect and take photographs of
the antiquities unearthed by the recent flood attributed to a storm at Wadi
Tuffah. (See article from the Palestine Post below dated, Thursday, February
14, 1935; page 5.) Now there must be a report that he made buried in a box
somewhere of his findings. The photo or photos would also be very interesting.
Apparently the flood revealed
inscription at Wadi Tuffah was found to
be destroyed a few days later as reported on Monday, February 15, 1935, in the
Palestine Post. (See article below)
Ben-Zevi apparently had seen this inscription which
he says was at Beit el-Ma in the Wadi Tufah, west of Nablus and he published
his article in the Bulletin of the Jewish
Palestine Exploration Society. Another
reference is: Ben-Zevi, I., and W. F. Albright. “The Beit
El-mā Samaritan Inscription”. Bulletin
of the American Schools of Oriental Research 84 (1941): 2–4.
I have not had much time lately
to research!
~~~~~~
Detroit Free Press, Sunday, Oct. 14, 1906
For sale on Ebay: Newspaper page is
LAMINATED for protection and preservation.
~~~~~~
Latest News
Articles
Smaller Religious Community in the World lives in Palestine and speaks Arabic, Hebrew.. know it. Anatolia/ Huffington Post Arabic 12-13-2015
http://www.huffpostarabi.com/2015/12/13/story_n_8798020.html?utm_hp_ref=arabi
‘Beni Israel’: The Samaritans of Palestine’s Mt. Gerizim
Claiming descent from ancient Israelites, Samaritans deny sacredness of Jerusalem and see contemporary Judaism as deviation from true faith
http://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2015/12/19/beni-israel-the-samaritans-of-palestines-mt-gerizim
http://news.videonews.us/beni-israel-the-samaritans-of-palestines-mt-gerizim-1844481.html
http://aa.com.tr/en/culture-and-art/-beni-israel-the-samaritans-of-palestine-s-mt-gerizim/492899
Old News
[Samaritan Benyamim Tsedaka said that the
collection of reports were written by the late High Priest Yaaqab ben ‘Azzi
(1984-1987) who lived in Nablus 1899-1987. He had sent similar reports also
besides the following to Haaretz, Davar and Doar Hayom.]
In The
Sentinel, Friday, June 5, 1914;
page 19
The United
States Ambassador at Constantinople (Mr. Henry Morgenthau), accompanied by Mrs.
Morgenthau and their daughter, are making a tour of Palestine. Recently they
were in Jerusalem. In the above picture, Mr. Morgenthau is seen on the summit
of Mount Gerizim being shown by the Samaritan Priests the ruins of their
ancient Temple.
From left to
right: Miss Ruth Morgenthau, President Bliss of the Beiruth College, Samaritan
Priest, Dr. Peet of Constantinople, Ambassador Morgenthau, Samaritan Priest,
Dr. Hoskins of Beiruth and Deputy Consul Whiting of Jerusalem.
“Samaritan
and Karaite Inscriptions” in The
Palestine Bulletin, Thursday, October 4, 1928; page 3
Mr. Pinchas
Grayevsky has just published a pamphlet containing the text of two ancient
inscriptions: two Samaritan and one Karaite, all three in Hebrew. He added
useful comments on the Karaites and the Samaritans which are to be continued in
his following issues.
(Photo above from פארווערטם Sunday, February 28, 1926; page 19. “Interesting
Types from Palestine.” Caption reads: Priests of the Samaritans. – These
three gentlemen are Kohanem of the Samaritan congregation in Nablus, the
ancient Schechem. The little fellows on the floor are Kohanem-lech.)
“Notes
for Tourists, XIX Nablus” in The
Palestine Bulletin, Wednesday, March 5, 1930, page 2
Photo in פארווערטם Sunday,
December 11, 1932, page 15. Captions reads: Jacob Ben-Amrom, High Priest of the
small remnant of Samaritan Jews, who died recently at Nablus (the ancient
Schechem), Palestine. He is here shown with his grandchild in a picture made at
his home (Kacyzne). Benyamim Tsedaka said that the priest is the late
High Priest Yitzhaq b. Amram b. Shalmah b. Tabia (HP 1916-1932) who lived in
Nablus 1862-Dec. 2, 1932, and the child is the late High Priest Shaalom b.
Amram (2001-2004) who lived in Nablus 1922-2004, who died of prostate cancer.]
[Photographer:
Alter-Sholem
Kacyzne (1885-1941]
“A
Samaritan Tablet” in The
Palestine Bulletin, Monday, September 29, 1930; page 4
Mr. J. Ben
Zvi who is not only a labour leader but also a diligent archaeologist, publishes
in Zion (the review of the Palestine Jewish Society for History and
Ethnography) a study of the Samaritan tablet which was found in a ruin at Kufr
Kullil, near Nablus. The tablet dates back to 1214 A.D. There is an inscription
of 12lines which are incomplete. The names mentioned are those of well known
Samaritan families. The tablet is now in the Palestine Museum.
“The
Late High Priest of the Samaritans.” (From a
Correspondent) The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, Dec.
6, 1932; page 5.
The small
remnant of the Samaritans at Nablus have suffered a severe loss with the death
of their High Priest, Isaac ben Amram, on Friday last, at the advanced age of
eighty.
The deceased
had been High Priest to the little community since 1918. The night before his
death he summoned the members of his family and the leaders of the Samaritans
to a feast at which he informed them of his last wishes prior to going the way
of all flesh. It was his desire to be borne to the grave by fellow-Samaritans,
not by Arabs as had been the custom.
His funeral
was attended by a concourse of nearly a thousand people, including the Deputy
District Commissioner, The Mayor of Nablus, Dr. Luria on behalf of the Jewish
Agency, Mr. I. Ben Zvi on behalf of the Vaad Leumi, Moslem notables and
representatives of the various Christian denominations.
Masliah ben
Pinhas, formerly the Second Priest, will now become the new High Priest.
The
Samaritans are of great interest to the historian, ethnologist, anthropologist,
Semitic scholar and ordinary tourist as a relic of Bible days and a rarely
equaled example of group continuity. They observe the Law of Moses as given in
the Pentateuch but do not recognize any post-Mosaic tradition as binding and
hold Mount Gerizim rather than Mount Zion to be the Holy Place referred to in
Deuteronomy. It is still their custom to sacrifice a Paschal lamb on the Eve of
Passover, the date of which differs from the common Jewish one.
The present
family of priests claims not Aaronite but Levite descent, as the direct
priestly line is now extinct.
“Fracas
among Samaritans, Succession To High Priest’ in The
Palestine Post, Monday, January 2,
1933; page 5
Last
Wednesday there was a fracas between two sections of the Samaritan Community at
their synagogue in Nablus, with regard to the succession to the late High
Priest. It was necessary for the District Officer to intervene and take
possession of the keys of the synagogue.
Samaritans’
Protest
The acting
Samaritan High Priest has sent the High Commissioner a telegram protesting at
the proposal on the part of the Nablus Municipality to the use part of the
Samaritan graveyard in connection with a water supply scheme.
“Studies
in Facial Expressions” in פארווערטם Sunday, June 18, 1933; page 20
Caption reads: A Samaritan Jew of Nablus, the
ancient Schehem, Palestine. [Benyamim Tsedaka said this is Yessahq b. ‘Amram
(1916-1932) lived in Nablus 1855-1932. He died on Dec. 4, 1932 from prostate
cancer.]
“Samaritans’
Torah Hidden from Thieves” in The
Palestine Post, Thursday,
December 28, 1933; Page 6.
The Scrolls
of law of the Samaritans in Nablus, said to be a very ancient manuscript, has
been hidden in a secrete place as the result of a letter received recently from
Paris warning the Samaritan community that a group of famous thieves planned to
steal it.
Police were
informed and precautions are being taken.
“Studies
in Facial Expressions.” in פארווערטם Sunday,
June 17, 1934; page 18
(Caption reads: Samaritan
Girl (H. Orushkes) [Benyamim Tsedaka said that this is his aunt, the
late Samicha Tsedaka] [Also
spelled Oroshkes, his real name was Zvi Oron]
(Caption reads: Study of
a Samaritan Jew (H. Orushkes) [Benyamim Tsedaka said that this is the
late High Priest ‘Amram b. Yesaahq (1961-1980) who lived in Nablus 1889-1980]
“Samaritan
Disputes Mar Worship, Many Abstain from Synagogue Attendance” (From Our Correspondent) The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, September 18,
1934; page 2.
Nablus, Sept.
16.- Owing to disputes which have risen among the Samaritan Israelite community
on Mount Gerizim, many refrained from attending the synagogue during the past
year, and this led to an awkward position during the present Festival season.
The High
Priest has now initiated reconciliation efforts between the two parties, and it
is regarded as likely that harmony will be restored to the Samaritan fold so
that all worshippers will be present at the Yom Kipur and Tabernacles services.
“Samaritans
Mourn Baron Rothschild.” (From Our
Correspondent) in The
Palestine Post, Sunday,
November 11, 1934; page 2.
Nablus,
Wednesday.- The Samaritan community was one of the many objects of the
generosity of the late baron Edmond de Rothschild, one of his more recent
donations being for the construction of a new building. A memorial service was
held by the community on the news of his death being received. Many tributes
were paid to the late benefactor.
30
Samaritan Men to Three Women, Marital Depression among Nablus Community (From Our Own Correspondent) in The
Palestine Post, Monday, November 12,
1934; page 2
Nablus. Oct.
6.- A “marital depression” seems to have struck the ranks of the Samaritans due
to the depressing fact that the would-be grooms outnumber the would-be brides
ten to one. Three maidens are being wooed by thirty Lochinvars. Apparently
there is no solution to the problem, since the Samaritans are forbidden to
choose brides belonging to any other community. The parents of the much
besought three young women are, it appears, as a loss to choose husbands
because of the abundance of the candidates.
“Land
on Mt. Gerizim, Bargaining with the Samaritans” in The
Palestine Post, Wednesday, January 23,
1935; page 5.
Speculation
regarding the sale by Samaritans of 700 dunams of land on Mount Gerizim is made
by “Al Difa.” It is stated that the Supreme Moslem Council is negotiating for
the purchase of the area, which is believed suitable for fruit growing.
The
Samaritans previously discussed the sale with Jews, but as the price offered by
the prospective Jewish purchasers has been agreed to by the Moslem body
Council, the paper expresses the hope that the latter will be successful in
completing the bargain.
[SU Editor
comment: 700 dunams is 173 acres]
“In
Short” in The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, January 29,
1935; page 5
700 Dunams-
of land will shortly be sold to Moslem Supreme Council by Samaritan Jews near
Nablus; delegation of Samaritans left for Jerusalem to complete negotiations.
“Synagogue
in Nablus Uncovered by Storm” (From Our
Own Correspondent) in The
Palestine Post, Thursday, February 14,
1935; page 5
Nablus,
Wednesday.- An Inspector of Antiquities, Mr. Naim Shehadi Makhouly, arrived
here to-day to inspect and take photographs of the antiquities unearthed by the
recent floods at Wadi Tuffah.
Among the
finds to be attributed to the storm are what are believed to be remains of a
synagogue of the Roman period on which the ten commandments in Samaritan script
seem to be inscribed.
The inspector
also viewed the column uncovered on Mount Gerizim.
“In
Short” in The
Palestine Post, Monday, February 15,
1935; page 5
Stones
uncovered during the recent storms and bearing Samaritan inscriptions have been
defaced by unknown persons.
“What
Mean Ye by These Stones?” in The
Palestine Post, Wednesday, March 20,
1935; page 4
This question
as everyone remembers, marks a well-defined moment in the history of Palestine.
It is also the perfect motto for a Department of Antiquities in Palestine,
whose function it is first to preserve, secondly to explain, and thirdly to
seek out still more relics of Palestine’s past stages of civilization. Having
said so much, it is interesting to pick up the report which is now circulating
in the local Press concerning the alleged Samaritan (or Pagan) remains laid
bare near Nablus during the recent floods. (We are not in a position to vouch
for the truth of the facts reported nor for the intrinsic importance of the
remains referred to.)
The Nablus
floods revealed a not very remarkable Samaritan inscription, and they also
exposed a series of steps by the side of Mount Gerizim which, it was assumed,
indicated the likelihood of more remains, and perhaps more important remains,
in the vicinity. The matter was, we believe, investigated at the time by
representatives of the Department of Antiquities. It is now reported that not a
vestige of these Samaritan or Graeco-Roman relics remains. There is only
circumstantial evidence from which to deduce what has happened. Several metres
away from these (supposedly) important historic relics, a stone grinding
machine was at work. This machine use for these survivals of ancient
Palestinian history; it uprooted them from their centuries-old resting place,
took them into its capacious and indiscriminating jaws; and now these relics of
Neapolis’s ancient glory are performing a function which not even the
Department of Antiquities can be sure of. The theory has been spun that these
steps were part of the long series of steps (depicted on the coins of Neapolis)
leading up to the temple of Zeus.
The point,
however, would seem to be that these cheaply excavated remains were either
important, or of so little importance that no care or any attempt at
preservation was justified. Either alternative may be the truth; but the
prevailing notion is that a Government Department has been sadly unfaithful to
its trust. It would at least be helpful to have this impression, if it is
false, corrected.
“Samaritan
Pulpit Smashed” (from Our Own
Correspondent) in The
Palestine Post, Sunday, April 7, 1935;
Front section, page 1.
Nablus, April
4.- Unknown persons have smashed an ancient stone pulpit in the courtyard on
Mount Gerizim where the Paschal sacrifice is offered.
It was a
relic believed to date back to the “Golden Epoch” of Samaritan history, and it
was the custom for the High Priest to use this stone when addressing his flock
on Samaritan Passover.
The outrage
was discovered when preparations were put in hand for this year’s ceremony. The
police have now undertaken inquiries.
“Samaritans
Stoned by Boys, Intervention by Arab Resident” in The
Palestine Post, Monday, October 28,
1935; page 2
Nablus,
October 26.- A crowd of boys armed with stones, attacked the house of Munir
Abdullah the Samaritan who occupies the first house in the Samaritan Quarter,
outside the old city. They broke four window panes and the glass of a cupboard.
The attack was stopped by the intervention of Farid Eff. Anabtawi who used his
influence and dispersed the crowd.
“In
Short” in The
Palestine Post, Monday, November 4,
1935; page 5
A “Good
Samaritan,” Abdullah Munir, whose house in the Samaritan Quarter of Nablus was
stoned by about 50 boys during the Arab strike ten days ago, has refused the
damages which the parents of the boys were ordered to pay by the Assistant
District Commissioner, Mr. Foot.
“Samaritan
Wedding Celebrated” (From Our Own
Correspondent) The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, February 18,
1936; page 5.
Nablus,
Monday.- There was rejoicing in the small Samaritan Community here when a
marriage was recently celebrated between a Samaritan, C??? Sabata, and a Jewess
from Aleppo, Gracia Azizi.
This marriage
is significant because many of the Samaritans are unable to marry as the number
of marriageable girls in the community is less than the number of young men. No
marriage had been celebrated for some time.
The Chief
Priest of the Samaritan Community blessed the couple and hoped that many other
young Samaritans would follow this example.
“Page
Dan Cupid… A Kingdom for a Bride!” in The
Sentinel, Thursday, March 26,
1936; page 36
Jerusalem,
March 25, (JTA)- The marriage problem is causing great concern to the ancient
and fast-dwindling Samaritan community in Nablus, whose members do not marry
outside their own community. They now number 200 souls in all.
There are 25
men seeking wives now and their choice is restricted to the 15 unwed women.
Some of the women are more than 30 years old, which is an advanced age for
marriage in the East.
The bride
shortage has prompted parents to set high requirements for suitors, including a
dowry of $48. Parents whose daughters work and contribute to the family’s
support are demanding much higher prices.
In protest
against the high cost of marrying, some of the eligible men who are brothers or
cousins of marriageable women are exercising their ancient prerogative of
insisting that the younger girl not marry until they have been wed. This has
brought the marriage market to a stalemate.
Several
conferences have been held by the elders of the community, but no solution has
been reached.
“5
Arabs Arrested Possessing Arms, Official Communique” in The
Palestine Post, Monday, July
27, 1936; page 5
Sunday, July
26……….
Last night a
Samaritan, from whom money was demanded by two unknown Arabs in Nablus, was
shot at by one of them and slightly wounded.
“The
Samaritans of Nablus, Hard Hit by the Strike” in The
Palestine Post, Monday,
October 5, 1936; page 5
The people of
the small Samaritan community of Nablus are among those who have suffered the
most hardship during the disturbances. Being entirely dependent on Nablus
trade, they have lost their livelihood and are naturally not receiving support
from the strike committee.
On the whole
the Samaritans are afraid to leave their houses, and they have been practically
without communication with the rest of the country during the past six months.
The fighting is often near their quarter, and in many of their houses windows
have been broken by stray bullets.
It is
reported that in spite of the fact that they leave their houses only when
absolutely forced to do so, they have been called upon by the authorities to
contribute LP.50 of the LP.5,000 collective fine imposed on Nablus. As no money
was forthcoming the sum was collected from the houses in kind.
“Listeners’
Corner” in The
Palestine Post, Friday, February 5,
1937; page 6
Last night’s
broadcast of Samaritan sacred and secular music, introduced by a talk in Hebrew
and in English, was one of the most interesting items on the P.B.S. programme
for some time past.
The singers
were Samaritan priests, among them the High Priest himself, the programme
including chants for Passover, the Day of Atonement, and the coming week’s
lesson. A drinking song and one rendered at the celebration of circumcision
were among the secular songs heard.
The most
striking feature of the Samaritan music is the comparative unimportance of the
melody, rhythm and variations of tome being the chief means of expression.
These Samaritan liturgies have been preserved intact and uncontaminated by
foreign influence for many centuries, although the Samaritan community has long
been small and surrounded by other religious groups.
Although the
possibility of the extinction of the Samaritan community cannot be denied,
there need be no fear that their music will be lost completely, as efforts are
now being made to collect and preserve this valuable chapter of musical
history. –C.
“News
Brevities” in The
Sentinel, Thursday, July 15,
1937; page 3
Jerusalem (WNS-Palcor
Agency)- An attempt to bomb the ancient Samaritan synagogue at Nablus, Arab
town, was reported here. An unidentified person hurled the explosive. No damage
was reported to the structure which is a symbol of one of the most ancient
Jewish sects.
“Samaritan
Priest Weds 17-Year-Old Girl” (From Our
Own Correspondent) The
Palestine Post, Thrusday, February 10,
1938; Page 3
Nablus,
Wednesday.- There was rejoicing and celebration this evening in the Samaritan
encampment on Mount Gerizim when the first wedding in the last ten years was
celebrated with ancient rites.
Yacoub
Hacohen, 40 years old and six-foot-three, scholar and member of the priestly
clan, was married to a 17-year old girl.
For many
years, Yacoub Hacohen has been one of the eligible bachelors of the Samaritan
community. But owing to internal dissension, mainly arising from the obduracy
of patresfamilias over the question of dowry, there had been no marriages
except with non-Samaritan women.
Recently, the
High Priest Tewfil intervened in the dispute and succeeded in arranging a
settlement. As a result, several marriages were arranged, of which that of
Yacoub Hacohen is the first to take place. The bridegroom some time ago
completed the translation into Arabic of the ancient Samaritan Scrolls of the
Law.
The wedding
festivities will last for seven days.
“Samaritans
Celebrate A Marriage” by Yacoub Bin Shafic Bin Yacoub in The Palestine Post, Friday, March 4, 1938; page 4.
(From Today’s Palestine Review, By Arrangement)
The writer,
Yacoub Shafic bin Yacoub, son of the High Priest, aged 37, was himself married
last week to Afaf, daughter of the mukhtar (headman) of the Samaritan
community, Ghazar bin Khader el Kahen. His bride is 17 years of age. Their
marriage is a great event in the life of the dwindling community. Principally
owing to the scarcity of Samaritan girls, no marriage had been celebrated for
ten years.
Wedding
festivities among the Samaritans last a full week, beginning on the Saturday
and reaching the peak on the Wednesday, when the actual ceremony is performed.
During these seven days the bridegroom spends to the last penny the savings he
has put by all his life for this great event. He buys jewels and clothes for
the bride, furnishes their new home and makes presents to the members of the
bride’s family.
The
ceremonies and customs of the wedding week derive from ancient Samaritan
sources, which in the intervening time, however, have absorbed certain Arabic
customs. On the morning of the first Saturday the bridegroom, if he be of age,
or his father, if the former is still a minor, stands at the synagogue gate at
the end of the service and formally advises the worshippers of the festivities’
commencement. The invitation to participate in them is accepted by all present.
Headed by the High Priest, the congregation proceeds to the bridegroom’s home,
where they are received by the bridegroom and his father. However small the
house, every guest must find room for himself under its roof. The week’s lesson
in the Torah is read, each male guest intoning a portion. Songs and hymns, in
the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic dialect, are chanted until lunchtime, a meal is
which all the male guests only take part. The bridegroom hands sweets and
drinks.
Ring and Tray
Games
In the
evening the guests return to pass the whole night in the bridegroom’s home.
Most of the time is spent in playing traditional games, such as the ring and
tray games. In the former a ring is passed round unseen among the guests. At a
given signal, its passage is stopped. All then hold out their hands with fists
clenched, and every player is called on to guess where the ring is hidden.
The second
game is similar. Ten small brass cups, under one of which a ring is hidden, are
set on a tray. The guests are divided into two groups, one of which hides the
ring, the other having a guess under which cup it lies. The losing group is
subjected to droll and derisive verses which are composed by the winning group
on a small board kept for the purpose.
In all these
activities the men alone take part. But the women are by no means kept out of
it. ON the Sabbath, after their menfolk have left, they visit the groom’s home,
and inspect the cloths, jewels and furniture that the bride is to receive from
him. They are critical, and do not hesitate to voice their disapproval if the groom
has not given of the best. To their criticism of the articles, in such a case,
they add slighting remarks about the groom himself. After each article has been
handled and rehandled, the women proceed to speculate, on the basis of the
gifts to the bride, on the nature and the quality of the gifts that the bride’s
family will receive.
Meanwhile,
the men come to the bridegroom’s home again on the second night, and again
remain until dawn, singing, playing games, eating and drinking. If the
bridegroom is wealthy, he engages one of the Arab cafes in the town for the
night, where some Arab singer is commissioned to entertain the Samaritan guests
and the Arab friends of the bridegroom’s family who are specially invited to
the performance, which lasts until dawn.
The third
evening is given over to singing, among the songs being original compositions
extolling the virtues of the host. The languages used are Arabic and the
Hebrew-Aramaic dialect.
The fourth
evening, that before the ceremony proper, the bridegroom engages a bath-house
for the night, and entertains his guests and himself with a hair-cut, shave and
bath, a procedure that lasts until dawn. Thence the company proceeds to the
groom’s house where a sumptuous breakfast awaits them. Of all the meals served by
the groom during the wedding week, this is considered the piece de resistance. From then until evening the bridegroom’s home
receives a constant stream of visitors, neighbours who, not on sufficiently
intimate terms to take part in the rest of the week’s festivities, know that on
this day they will be made welcome, the needy people of the vicinity who are
offered a free meal, beggars who come for alms, and strangers who come to see a
rarely-celebrated Samaritan wedding. The purse strings are open all day, and by
sunset almost the bottom of it has been reached.
The Bride’s
Turn
Now it is the
turn of the bride and her women relatives and friends to visit the bath-house,
and again it is specially engaged by the bridegroom. Coloured lights are festooned
across the ceiling in honour of the bride and spices are plentifully sprinkled
on the floor and walls. An Arab woman singer, who is usually also a dancer,
entertains the bride and her friends while they bathe. Late in the afternoon
the bathing party breaks up, the bride returning to her father’s house, where a
festive dinner, at the expense of the groom, is given for the relatives and
friends of her family.
While this
banquet is in progress at the bride’s home, the merriment continues at the
groom’s. After the evening meal, the men guests take part in the ceremony of
changing the groom’s clothes. He is stripped completely naked, and clothed in
an entirely new outfit. All the while songs are sung, the High Priest leading
with a hymn, the refrain of which the others take up.
At sunset the
marriage ceremony takes place, conducted by the High Priest. The bridegroom
stands before him and listens as the Ketuba (marriage lines) is read out by a
priest. The language is ancient Hebrew-Aramaic, and it is written by hand on an
illuminated parchment.
The marriage
lines begin with a paean of praise to the Lord, followed by the date of the
marriage, the genealogy and titles of the bridegroom, the names of the bride,
of her father and grandfather and their titles, if any. The rights and duties
of both parties are then defined.
The “Red Day”
The reading
completed, the bride’s father declares that freely and of sound mind he gives
his consent to the marriage. The young men present conduct the groom to the
bride, when they are formally introduced. For a few minutes they are left
alone, to be interrupted when one of the groom’s bachelor friends invites him
to spend the night at his home. The Samaritan women meanwhile invite their Arab
women neighbours to their section of the house to spend the night in dancing
and song. For a reason that no one remembers, this day of the wedding week is
known as the “red day.”
Thursday
night again sees the bridegroom receiving and entertaining guests at his home.
On Friday night, the bridegroom and bride absent themselves from the
festivities; but the bride is still the groom’s “guest.” Saturday, the eighth
day since the commencement of the celebration, known as the “first Saturday,”
the bride ceases to be the groom’s “guest” and becomes his wife.
“Samaritan Flees Sect Following Arab Threats” in The
Sentinel, Thursday, July
28, 1938; page 34.
Nablus, Palestine, July 26 (JTA)
-For the
first time in 2,000 years a Samaritan has left this community, as the nephew of
Tewfik Cohen, High Priest of the dwindling remnant of a once-proud Isrealite
tribe, fled in the face of terrorist threats.
Adul Rahim,
Generalissimo of Arab bands, had assured the closely-segregated community of
200 on Mount Gerizim near Nablus that they would not be molested, after he had
exacted tribute from the High Priest, but a subordinate band-leader continued
to threaten the group.
High Priest
Tewfik recently was ordered to appear before Abdul Rahim with tribute. He was
conducted, blindfolded, to his secret headquarters in the hills, bearing
jewels, narghillas, perfumed soap and cash.
“Samaritans
Curtail Feast of Tabernacles” in The
Palestine Post, Friday, October 7,
1938; page 2
The
Samaritans, who live at Nablus, will begin the Feast of Tabernacles on
Saturday, but owing to the present state of the country they will not erect
their traditional booths on Mount Gerizim, as they have done for hundreds of
years.
“Social
and Personal” in The Palestine Post, Monday, January 9, 1939; Page 2.
Lady
MacMichael accompanied by her daughter and the Military Commander in Nablus
visited the High Priest of the Samaritans on Friday.
The High
Priest presented Lady MacMichael with a Samaritan Scroll of the Pentateuch.
[Photo not
part of news article from a website: Sir Harold Alfred MacMichael and his wife
Lady McMichael and daughter Araminta (photo between 1934and 1939). The High
Priest mentioned above was Matzliach ben Phinhas. Where is the scroll today? His collection
information may determine this.]
“Samaritan,
Not Arab, Haifa Victim Identified.” In The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, July
4, 1939; page 2
Haifa,
Monday.- The man murdered yesterday in the Haifa Eastern Quarter (as reported
in the After Midnight column) was identified today as Yussef Abed Kahan of
Nablus, a Samaritan, and not an Arab, as first thought.
After the
murder the police rounded up 64 Arabs for interrogation and detained 32 for
further investigation.
On the scene
six rounds of parabellum ammunition were found.
“Samaritan
Buried” in The
Palestine Post, Thursday, July 6, 1939;
page 2
Nablus,
Wednesday.- The body of Ibrahim Youssef, a notable of the Samaritan Community,
who was shot dead in the Eastern quarter of Haifa on Sunday night, was brought
here for burial on Monday. His funeral was attended by the Samaritan Community
and many Arab friends.
The deceased,
who was 65 years of age, was a leading merchant in Nablus who had gone to Haifa
to collect debts.
A number of
Arabs were detained in connection with the crime.
“Samaritan
Pascal Sacrifice Feast, Ceremony on Mt. Gerizim.” In The
Palestine Post, Sunday, May 7, 1939;
page 2.
The number of
visitors at the Samaritan pascal sacrifice which took place on Mount Gerizim,
on Wednesday night, was small this year compared with the previous years, among
those present being the Military Commander of Nablus. Large numbers of British
police were on guard.
His
Excellency the High Commissioner sent a letter to the High Priest expressing
regret at his inability to accept the invitation to attend the ceremony, and
congratulating the community on the occasion of the feast.
“Vanished
Samaritans Back Home” The Palestine Post, Thursday, Oct. 26, 1939; page 2
Four
Samaritans who disappeared from their quarter in Nablus on Sunday night while returning
from the Day of Atonement Service there, returned to their homes on Tuesday
morning.
They are:
Ibrahim Saad, Amin Mafraj, Mafraj el Mafraj, and Mubarak Saad.
“Samaritan
Cantor Dead.” In The
Palestine Post, Friday,
February 23, 1940; Page 2.
Nablus,
Thursday.- Abraham Hacohen, brother of the High Samaritan Priest and Cantor of
the community, died suddenly this morning at the age of 60.
He is
survived by a wife and six children.
“Samaritan Elder Dead” in The
Palestine Post, Friday, November 20,
1942; page 3
The death
took place this week on Mount Gerizim, outside of Nablus, of Shalom eff.
Marjan, one of the leaders of the Samaritan Israelite community, at the age of
70.
Shalom Marjan
was the only surviving authority on ancient Samaritan Music. He was known also
as an expert in Samaritan law and solved many of the problems with whom the
small community was from time to time confronted.
He is
survived by two sons and two daughters.
“Samaritans
without High Priest.” In The Palestine Post, Monday, February 16, 1943; Page 3
Nablus,
Sunday. – Reports that a successor has been chosen to the late High Priest of
the Samaritan Community are premature, and the small community which dates back
to the early days of the Second Temple is for the time being without a
spiritual head.
Some doubt
has been voiced as to the eligibility of Naji As-Samri (who was erroneously
reported to have been chosen) although he is the oldest living member of the
late High Priest’s family. According to the Bible (Leviticus XXII, “no one of
the seed of Aaron that hath a blemish may come nigh to offer the offerings of
the Lord” and As-Samri is stated to have an eye defect and to suffer from an
impediment of speech.
Persons who
are disqualified by this verse include a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath
a flat nose or anything superfluous: or crookback or a dwarf or that hath a
blemish in his eye.
One school of
thought holds that the verse refers only to the lower category of priests who,
on behalf of the worshippers, ‘offer the offerings of the Lord.” Another school
holds that if this is true of lesser priests, it most certainly applies to “he
that is the High Priest among his brethren.”
There is yet
a third school which claims that the restrictions therefore no longer apply as
the Aaronic line became extinct in the 17th century and the
priesthood was transferred to families claiming descent from the Levites.
“Three
Samaritan Priests Appointed” in The
Palestine Post, Friday, March 5, 1943;
page 3
Nablus, Thursday.-
The functions of the late High Priest of the Samaritan Community will be vested
in three elected community leaders following the dispute over the succession to
the late spiritual head.
Settlement
followed the intervention of the District Officer, Abdullah eff. Kneir. At a
meeting held on Thursday, the 65-year old Naji Avisha eff. Hacohen was chosen
to act as Reader of the Law on Sabbaths, while Avihesda eff. Hacohen (63) will
maintain contact with the authorities and retain his present status as Conductor
of Services. The third High Priest is Amram Hacohen (50) who will deal with the
community’s political affairs.
A committee
of nine was elected to deal with the secular affairs of the community, the
settling of disputes and other matters. A meeting was held today when the
District Officer participated in framing a statute to be submitted to the
authorities.
“Good
Samaritans in Jerusalem, Join in Prayers for Persecuted Jews of Europe.’ In The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, February 1,
1944; page 3.
For the first
time in history since the days before contemporary writers said “the Jews have
no dealings with the Samaritans”, representatives of the Samaritan community
came down from Mount Gerizim near Nablus to Jerusalem to meet their Jewish
brothers on Sunday.
The
delegation consisted of five priests, headed by the newly elected High Priest,
Avisha Ben Pinhas Hacohen, and three attendants. They came to join in prayer
for persecuted European Jewry as well as to give news of their sect which
claims to be the only remnant of three of the lost tribes of Israel- Ephraim,
Menasseh and Levi- which has never left the soil of Palestine.
The Hall of
the Girl’s Hostel in Rehavia, where the meeting took place, was filled to
capacity on Sunday night. Red-turbaned and clad in traditional robes, the
priests sat on the platform; their attendants wore tarbushes. Before them on a
long table were the famous 750-year old Scroll of the Law in Samaritan script,
and other ancient ritual books, as well as the “guest book” for visitors to
Mount Gerizim. The community claims to own books written by a great-grandson of
Aaron, brother of Moses.
Link with
Palestine
Surveying the
history of the community, Mr. I. Ben Zvi, Chairman of the Vaas Leumi,
emphasized their link with the land of Israel, their faith in monotheism and
their literature. Their one difference from the Jews was their belief in Mount
Gerizim as the site of the rebuilding of the temple.
Addressing
“the elect of the Jewish nation in Jerusalem” in the “holy Hebrew language”,
Yaakov Ben Uri Hacohen, one of the younger priests, sketched the history of his
people and gave a vivid description of the Samaritan Sabbath. During the last
war, he said, Samaritan soldiers had fought and fallen in foreign lands while
at home families had starved. The war had cost the community over a quarter of
its number, including the then High Priest.
Later
Samaritans had married Jewish women from Tel Aviv and Jaffa and children of
these marriages today formed some of the best elements in the community. Out of
the 260 individuals who today formed the community, 50 were priests.
Concluding, the
priest appealed to the Jewish Community for help in rebuilding their synagogue
and in opening a school, the lack of which was a grave danger to the younger
Samaritan generation.
Prayers for
Persecuted
Later the
priest offered a special prayer for his persecuted brothers in Europe, and sang
traditional Sabbath songs, and the famous “Mariam” song from the Samaritan
Passover ritual. The audience stood to hear the reading by the High Priest of
the ten commandments from the Holy Scroll.
The meeting
was held under the auspices of the Bnei Hayishuv (Sons of Yishuv) Association.
“Palestine
Post Reporter” in The
Palestine Post, Monday, November 26,
1945
Nablus,
Sunday.- A road is now being constructed from Nablus to the top of Mt. Gerizim,
providing the first convenient approach to the Samaritan community which lives
on the slopes of the mountain.
The new road,
it is to be learned, is being laid in connection with the building of a Radar
station on the mountain-top as one of the five sites planned in various parts
of Palestine.
“New
Synagogue For Samaritans.” in The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, July 13, 1943;
page 3
Nablus.
Monday.- A new synagogue is to be built by the small Samaritan Israelite
community, each family is to contribute a fixed amount towards the cost.
The Palestine
Government has promised to allot LP500 for this purpose.
There are
some 200-250 families in this community, which has its centre on Mount Gerizim
outside Nablus. The Samaritans say they observe the original Mosaic law and
claim never to have left the soil of Palestine even after the Jewish
Dispersion.
“Samaritans
Want To Rebuild Synagogues” in The
Palestine Post, Tuesday, September 4,
1945; Page 3.
Nablus,
Monday.- Elders of the Samaritan community at Nablus have asked the Government
Department of Antiquities to continue the rebuilding of the ancient Samaritan
synagogue which they began some time ago.
Funds were
contributed for the purpose by the Government, Nablus Municipality, and the
Samaritan community, but were not sufficient to cover the entire cost of
reconstruction.
The elders
now point out that it is Government’s duty to put this ancient monument into
repair.
‘Can’t
Marry Jews, Samaritans of Israel Doomed to Die Out’ By Leo Heiman (National
Jewish Post Correspondent) The
National Jewish Post Friday, April 6, 1956, page 9.
Haifa (NJP)-
The 250-strong Samaritan community, of whom about half live in Israel and the
rest, in Jordan-occupied Palestine, is doomed to certain extinction unless they
find women, according to an official statement made by community leaders.
The statement
came as the Samaritans made final preparations to cross the armistice lines to
offer their annual sacrifice on the Mount of Blessings, near Nablus, during the
Samaritan Pesah in mid-April.
The
reason for the gloomy prediction is that the Samaritans, who believe themselves
the true Jews, will not marry Christian or Moslem women, and the Israeli
rabbinate, despite government objections, have ruled that Samaritans are not
bona fide Jews.
Although
President Ben Zvi and Prime Minister Ben-Gurion strongly support the pleas of
the Samaritans to be accepted as equal members of the Jewish community, the
rabbinate has over-ruled their wishes.
To
the question: Why don’t the Samaritans marry their own women, the answer is
that for some unknown quirk of genetics, more males than females have always
been born to the Samaritans.
Several
thousand years ago, during the Second Kingdom of Israel, the Samaritan
community numbered more than 250,000, and now its total number 252, and it is
getting slowly but steadily smaller all the time.
Unless
they get women, there will be no Samaritans left in the year 2000, scientists
say.
Some
scientists have come forward with interesting theory that the Samaritan male
surplus is a direct result of close intermarriage.
According
to their precepts, Samaritans must marry closest relatives. While in
first-degree relationship, such as between brother and sister, marriage is
forbidden, second-degree relationship marriage, such as between first cousins
or uncle and niece, is encouraged.
The
scientists say that, over the years, the Samaritans have become blood relatives
of each other so that all of them have now exactly the same blood.
While
the thesis that intermarriage results in a surplus of males has still to be
tested, the fact is that out of 252 Samaritans now alive, the majority are old
folks, hardly expected to live more than 25 years, which at the same time,
there are 34 surplus bachelors with no hope of marrying a Samaritan woman in
their lifetime.
As
a matter of fact, there are more than 34 bachelors in the Samaritan community
today, but some have been promised the little girls as wives as soon as they
grow up.
More
boys are born than girls each year. The girls born this year will be eligible
for marriage by 1972 according to law, but by that time there will be more than
five times the number of bachelors.
The
main difference between Samaritans and Jews is general aside from their ancient
dress and the fact that they still offer sacrifices, is that Samaritans believe
only in the Five Books of the Torah, and in Moses as the only prophet.
Although
these differences exist, the Israeli rabbinate maintains the main reason
Samaritans are not considered Jews is that they are descended from Canaanites,
who inhabited the Holy Land before it was conquered by Joshua. The Samaritans,
on the other hand, claim they are descended directly from the high priest
Aaron, brother of Moses, who was their first to formulate the Jewish religion
as they believe in it and who commanded his seven great-grandsons, the heads of
the seven Samaritan families, to keep it clean and pure.
President
Ben Zvi and Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, both well-known experts on the history
of the Jewish law, say that the Samaritans are right in claiming to be bona
fide Jews. In fact, the Samaritans are more Jews than any others, if only
because they have never left Eretz Israel.
In
Israel, the Samaritans still dress as they did 3,000 years ago in white flowing
robes and are forbidden to talk on the Sabbath except concerning religious
subjects. Young Samaritan boys, who see the freedom of their Jewish neighbors,
suffer from inferiority complexes and try to imitate them. So, many young
Samaritan boys will probably not stick to their fathers’ religious precepts and
will become “regular Jews.”
Unless
they are permitted to marry Jewish women, the Samaritans will be a thing of the
past in the near future, and their Torah Scroll which, they say, was written by
Avish, great-grandson of the High Priest Aaron in the 13th year of
Joshua’s conquest of the Holy land, will become a museum piece.
Frankly
speaking, however, the Samaritans’ chances of survival as a community are very
slender even if they get rabbinical permission to marry Jewish women. The fact
is that there are no Jewish women willing to marry Samaritans.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Biblio
Knoppers, Gary
'Cutheans or Children of Jacob? The Issue of Samaritan Origins in 2 Kings
17.' in Reflection and Refraction: Studies in Biblical Historiography in Honour of A.
Graeme Auld (ed. R. Rezetko, T. H. Lim, and W. B. Aucker; VTSup 113;
Leiden: Brill, 2007) 223–39.
~~~~~~~~~~~
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Jewish Samaritan
Poetry: Ateret Shalom by Rachel Tzadaka,
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Glass
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~~~~~~~~~
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